ATLANTA - Senator Sam Nunn spoke at Oglethorpe University's 2006 commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 13th, 2006. 

Senator Nunn is co-chairman and CEO of the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI), a charitable organization working to reduce the global threats from nuclear, biological and chemical weapons. He served as a United States Senator from Georgia for 24 years (1972-1996) and is retired from the law firm King & Spalding. He attended Georgia Tech, Emory University and Emory Law School, where he graduated with honors. In addition to his work with NTI, Senator Nunn has continued his service in the public policy arena as a distinguished professor in the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs at Georgia Tech and as chairman of the board of the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C.
 

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Thank you, Laura Turner Seydel, for your kind words on behalf of this wonderful university – members of the Class of 2006 – family and friends – President Larry Schall – Chair Belle Lynch -- Class President Courtney Roberts -- members of the faculty – ladies and gentlemen.

Laura, your dad and I have a common denominator. We both have great pride in our outstanding daughters. Laura brings great vision, effectiveness and credibility to her conservation and environmental leadership – to the benefit of our state and nation.

President Schall, we are fortunate to have you at the helm of Oglethorpe and to also have you so engaged as a leader of our community and state. Betty, we are proud to have you as the first lady of Oglethorpe – with or without your Volvo.

As a father, I am thrilled and honored to follow in Michelle’s footsteps in receiving this honorary degree. Most fathers and mothers guide and teach their children – I vaguely remember a little of that with Michelle many years ago, but in recent years – with only a few exceptions – I have been the student and learned from Michelle’s thoughts, words, and deeds.

It is no secret to those who know the Nunn family – Michelle and I have a powerful common denominator – a wife and mother by the name of Colleen O’Brien Nunn – who is the wind beneath our wings. Without Colleen’s encouragement and support, this father – daughter team would have never gotten airborne, and we certainly would not be soaring by receiving this honor together this morning.

When I reflect on Pat Mitchell and her outstanding accomplishments and leadership, and I realize that I am being honored with two exceptional women, I feel a kinship with the Camelot character Modred of whom Lady Guinevere observed: “The only thing I can say for him is that he is bound to marry well – everybody is above him.”

The humorist Art Buchwald was once asked for his advice to a graduating class about to go out into a challenging world. He was very succinct with these words: “Don’t go.”

I assume that most of this class would disregard the Buchwald advice – if given – and that you are ready to go forth and conquer the world. A few thoughts for the class of ‘06. Norm Augustine, the former CEO and Chairman of Lockheed Martin, recently began a Georgetown speech with the following numbers:

• Suisse First Boston 1.5
• ImClone 7
• Rite Aid 8
• Enron 10
• Adelphia 20
• Dynergy 24.3
• World Com 25

Stock prices? PE ratios? Economic return? No – these are the number of years that senior executives of these firms were sentenced to prison.

From the corporate world to the sports world to the entertainment world to our nation’s capital, we have what some of our best thinkers in this nation are beginning to call a “character crisis”. I am a bit more optimistic. I don’t believe that we have a shortage of people of integrity, of heroes, heroines and role models in America; they are just hard to identify in an age so over-loaded with bad news. Those who lead exemplary lives seldom get much attention.

So, this morning I offer two thoughts for your consideration on the subject of character:

First, all of us need a hero, heroine or mentor to look up to and to inspire our own lifetime quest for integrity, meaning and accomplishment . Look beyond the rock stars, the great athletes and those who dominate the headlines because of positions of power, wealth or outrageous behavior. Find someone with character who serves others and cares deeply about their fellow citizens – their community and their nation.

Second, you probably already are and certainly will be an example to many others whether you know it or not. The example we set for those watching and perhaps evaluating us may be our most important responsibility of leadership, service, and citizenship.

How then do we build character in our lives and our leadership integrity and become worthy of emulation by others? Former President Ronald Reagan after he left office provided the best answer I have heard and I close with his thoughts:

“The character that takes command in moments of crucial choices has already been determined. It has been determined by a thousand other choices made earlier in seemingly unimportant moments. It has been determined by all those “little” choices of years past – by all those times when the voice of conscience was at war with the voice of temptation. It has been determined by all the day-to-day decisions made when life seemed easy and crises seemed far away, the decisions that piece by piece – bit by bit- developed habits of laziness or of discipline – habits of self-indulgence or of self-sacrifice – habits of dishonor and shame – or habits of duty, honor, and integrity.”

Congratulations and God speed!