Speeches

Sunday, Nov. 15, 10 a.m. — Alumni Center – Grand Ballroom Thank you, Scott, and good morning everyone! As I look around the room today, I see a lot of old friends and familiar faces. I’m so glad to be with you to celebrate our golden reunion. I’m sure that you’ll agree it’s been a […]

Saturday, Nov. 14, 8:30 a.m. Good morning and welcome! It’s a joy to be here. I’m not sure who picked this year’s Homecoming theme, “Garnet and Golden Age,” but I hope they weren’t referring to me! Although I have to admit, I am excited to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Class of ’65 with […]

Noon, Tuesday, Nov. 3 – Pepper Center Good afternoon! It’s wonderful to be here. I’d like to start by saying that I am so glad that you have chosen Florida State University to be “your alma mater for your garnet and golden years.” I kind of did the same thing! As a two-time alumnus of […]

4:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30 — Oglesby Union, State Ballroom Good afternoon, parents and family members! It’s great to see all of you here today! How many of you are alumni? Wonderful. I’m a Florida State alum and two of my daughters graduated from FSU. I’ve got my fingers crossed that some of my grandchildren […]

3:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30 Good afternoon! It’s wonderful to be here today. It is always a happy occasion when we can celebrate the opening of a new building on campus. But today is especially gratifying because we are dedicating two new buildings that will serve so many of our students today and for generations […]

Good evening. It’s great to be here in Panama City! This is an exciting time for our Panama City Campus — a new dean, new academic programs, and we hope a new residence hall on the way. This campus has been providing educational opportunities for Bay County area residents for more than 30 years, but […]

4:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 5 — College of Medicine Auditorium and Atrium I’m so pleased to be here to take part in this ceremony. It’s good to see Durell’s wife, Nancy, and many of Durell’s family and friends here as we pay tribute to him and celebrate how much he meant to Florida State University. […]

Friday, Aug. 21, 11:30 a.m. — Civic Center Good afternoon! Welcome! It’s great to see you all here today! This is such an exciting time of year! On Monday, nearly 42,000 students will begin classes. That’s four times larger than the enrollment when I was an FSU student in the 1960s! As the semester begins, […]

12:15 p.m. Thursday, May 28 — Holiday Inn, North Monroe Street Good afternoon. Thank you so much for inviting me to speak today. It’s a pleasure to be here among so many friends of Florida State University. I hope everybody had a nice Memorial Day weekend. I know Mike Cramer and a few others in […]

7 p.m. Saturday, April 25 — City Tavern Club Good evening, and congratulations! It’s wonderful that the Seminole Club of Greater Washington DC has been around for 50 years! That’s something to celebrate. I want to thank Howard Shores and the committee for making this gala possible. The DC Noles owes its start to a […]