Looking Forward - Looking Back

It's nice when the pleasant past shows up at the event for the future.  Commencement means beginning, not an end.  Our Fanshawe College graduates have so much to look forward to as the electronic journalism business takes a turn for the better.  They got their diplomas today (June 14th).

Fanshawe BRJR 2011

In the audience, welcoming the grads to the real world were many supportive parents and friends.  Among them was a great childhood friend - my cousin - Randy Debeck, who now lives in Dresden.  Randy's step-daughter, Amberli Sullivan, is a graduate of our Radio Broadcasting program.  I haven't seen Randy, except on Facebook, for about 30 years.  The same jokes started flying immediately.  We talked about the Miami Heat losing to Dallas, just like we would have in high school.  The moment I saw him, I instinctively blurted "Neely.."  That was Randy's nickname in high school - after the former Leaf defenseman that hardly anyone would or should  remember.

At a tender age, just after the separation of my parents, Randy became my rock. I never thanked him but I know he knows how it was.  Our similar interests included sports of all kinds - especially hockey,

Cousin Randy DeBeck (L) one of the greatest guys ever

baseball - and music. A lot of Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadians and ABBA, something I don't mind admitting 34 years later.

We won a bantam softball title together in Kent Bridge under coaches Lloyd Conliffe and John Cunningham.  Randy was the power hitting star and I was a pain in the butt to the coaches in the early going.  Living out some teen angst, I guess.  Randy's good nature and loyalty helped me through what I thought were difficult years. They weren't so tough looking back but you don't know it at the time.

It was great to share warm memories with an old friend and to see new friends begin their lives as professionals.  That one of those young professionals is the daughter of a childhood friend/relative only stings a bit.  A great day overall.

The platform party applauds  2011 Fanshawe graduates