May 11, 2023
President Robert W. Iuliano
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
As Delivered.
Greetings and Opening Comments
Welcome families, friends, colleagues, and guests—and especially, the senior members of our playoff-bound women’s and men’s lacrosse teams!
Today, we are here to honor 26 students who are graduating from Gettysburg College. They, of course, are led by two outstanding head coaches [Charlotte Cunningham and Peter Toner] who are writing their own remarkable stories here at Gettysburg.
I know Carol [Cantele] and Hank [Janczyk] would be proud of you both.
As we begin our ceremony today, I would ask each of you to stand when your name is called and give us a wave, so we can recognize you: Billy Banfield, Nora Belodeau, Kaitlyn Bergen, Gabi Connor, Connor Devine, Mike Feuer, Joey Fox, Katie Fullowan, Brett Ginac, Declan Harrigan, Kyle Howard, Zack Kinsella, Conner Koch, Kayla Lundberg, Ian McAnally, Jonathan Moshe, Kelly O’Connor, Essie Pasternak, Zack Puckhaber, George Raymond, Shannon Twill, Kieran Ward, McCain Wnek, Aidan Wykoff, Dominic Yorio, and Michael Zima.
Let’s give our soon-to-be-graduates another big round of applause. Congratulations!
Special Commencement is always one of my favorite traditions of the year. Not only because it gives us as a College the opportunity to celebrate all that you have accomplished during your time on campus, but perhaps even more so, because it gives all those in attendance the opportunity to witness firsthand what has made your two teams so successful.
The way you celebrate one another.
The way you uplift one another.
The way you support and care for one another, as friends and as teammates.
We all just saw this on vivid display—and it is inspiring.
If you really want to build a winner, you need to build a great team. And to build a great team, you need to find and develop high-character people who are committed to being great teammates.
So, that’s what I’d like to reflect on today: what does it mean to be a great teammate? A great teammate on the field, yes, but in your next stage of life too—in your career and in your community.
How many of you have met Lefty Biser or heard the name?
I had the pleasure of meeting Lefty a few years ago when I first arrived at the College. He’s the kind of alum whose reputation precedes him in the very best ways. His legacy as a truly great teammate still reverberates across our campus.
As a student, Gareth “Lefty” Biser was a left-handed pitcher—hence the nickname—and one of the first student trainers in the College’s history. He served under the mentorship of Romeo Capozzi, the head trainer at the time.
After graduating from Gettysburg in 1957 and then Syracuse, Lefty returned to campus to work alongside Romeo, and over the next four decades, including as the head trainer himself, Lefty developed into one of the most highly respected athletic trainers and teachers of sports medicine in the country.
As accomplished as Lefty was as a professional, he’s an even more impressive human being.
For me, there’s three main reasons why Lefty continues to be such an inspirational teammate in life, over a half century after his graduation. I’d like to share these with you today.
First, Lefty would set goals with you and then personally commit to achieving those goals alongside you.
Mike Cantele often tells the story of going on bike rides with Lefty to Spangler Springs when Mike was a student in Lefty’s health and physical education class.
Lefty and the group of students would sit on the rocks and talk for hours about their goals, both in their personal and professional lives. Goals for the day, the month, the year. Lefty encouraged Mike to dream big. And by having him share these goals out loud, it helped to make them feel real, to feel attainable.
What’s most important is that every day after, Lefty would do everything in his power to ensure Mike was successful in achieving those goals—and he’d celebrate joyously with Mike when the goals were realized and surpassed.
Great teammates believe you can reach higher and they help you do it.
Second, Lefty was fueled by hope.
He’s the proverbial optimist. Lefty would see the potential in every situation and in everyone. This mindset proved instrumental when he worked the T.C. Williams High School football camp that was held here at Gettysburg College in 1971. This camp ultimately became the inspiration for the movie, Remember the Titans.
Hope was also Lefty’s strength when life knocked him down to his knees and he suffered an unfathomable family tragedy. Hope is what got him through. It’s what gets us all through.
Great teammates make deposits of hope. For the moments when they need to dig down deep, either for themselves or for their team, they have something to draw from to rise up and face the challenge.
And finally, Lefty was present.
Tim Bream, the grandson of Hen Bream—who’s name adorns Bream Gym—spent a lot of time with Lefty growing up. He shared that Lefty would show up whenever or wherever you needed him—morning, noon, or night. Always. We all need people we can count on to be there for us—in the big moments and the small.
Great teammates care about you as a person above all else.
Class of 2023, you have spent the last four years cultivating these skills both on and off the field—and I can see these same qualities in you.
Remember, we never stop growing as teammates or as people.
As you go out into the world today, be someone who helps those around you to dream and achieve. Fill them with hope, inspiration, and strength. And be there—as sons and daughters, life partners, friends, colleagues, and teammates forever.
Again, congratulations on this incredible achievement. Enjoy this special day. You earned it!
The Charge
It is now my honor to deliver the charge to the Class of 2023.
As is true for every generation, you are graduating into a world filled with challenges and opportunities.
You have spent the most formative years of your life not just at any college, but a college whose history and location compels us to honor the sacrifices of those who came before us—with an equal determination to find our voice and run toward the problems of our time.
Professor Hartzell’s moving comments this afternoon emphasize just how much you have taught this community—by your words and actions, and through your leadership and teamwork.
So, my charge to you is simply this: Carry it forward. Be the leaders and teammates our world needs.
Graduates, you are ready.
You have received A Consequential Education—one that has exposed you to the complexity of society.
You have been steeped in an environment that stresses the importance of getting involved.
You have learned more about yourself and honed the enduring skills from which change emerges.
Our world needs your perspective, your passion, your drive. We know it won’t be easy. But you have proven that amid life’s obstacles you will persevere and overcome.
Class of 2023, we believe in you.
At this time, I would ask all of the graduates to please stand.
Graduates, our entire campus will be cheering for you this week. You have represented the Orange and Blue with pride and dignity. While we all hope that you meet success in the games ahead, know that you are already champions in the eyes of your new alma mater.
On behalf of all of us here at Gettysburg College, I offer you our very best wishes this week and into the future.
Families, friends, and guests, it is now my privilege to present our Gettysburg College graduates of the Class of 2023! Again, congratulations and Do Great Work!