Acadia grads head into the winds of the world

BY WENDY ELLIOTT

Kings County Register

Wind and cold weather could not dispel the joy of Acadia University’s 170th convocation earlier this week.

Dr. Tom Herman, vice president academic, and Chancellor Arthur Irving presided as about 900 new graduates walked across the stage at University Hall in three separate ceremonies. Shouts rang out for many and one yell of, “Go, Dad, go” was well-received.

Convocation for the arts and theology programs took place May 11. Pure and applied science graduates and professional studies graduates followed May 12.

Acadia granted three honorary degrees to people who have made contributions in varied fields: actor and activist Walter Borden, Christian educator Kenneth R. Davis and Roger L. Tomlinson, widely considered the father of Geographic Information Systems.

Nova-Scotia born actor and playwright Borden received a doctor of letters. He had attended Acadia and then, after three years of teaching, went to New York to study acting. In 1972, he became the first black professional actor working in Nova Scotia. This summer, Borden will be in his fifth season at the Stratford Festival in Ontario. During his address, Borden read from his one-man show, “Tightrope Time,” published in 2005, and quoted the words on playwright Lorraine Hansberry’s tombstone: “I care. I care about it all. It takes too much energy not to care.... The why of why we are here is an intrigue for adolescents; the how is what must command the living. Which is why I have lately become an insurgent again.”

Davis of Manitoba received a doctor of divinity. He is a leader in Christian higher education and has made contributions to the development of seminary education in Canada.

Tomlinson, who graduated from Acadia in 1960, was awarded a doctor of science. His influential career has been in the world of GIS.

Irving called on Acadia graduates to tell their friends about the appeal of the university. He also suggested they look for a job “in a company where they look after you.”