William A. “Bill” Cook Commencement Speech to
Spoon River College Graduates
May 16, 2009
Moms and Dads, Graduates, Honored Guests, and Distinguished Faculty. It is an honor to have been asked to address you on this pleasant day that you will long to remember. You won’t remember what I’ve said but you will remember the weather and the excitement.
I’m here because all commencements should have a speaker, and I’m your speaker. In fact, President Bob Ritschel called me a few weeks ago and asked if I believed in free speech. I said that I did, and he told me to come on over, and give one of those.
In preparation for this speech, I called upon the Internet for guidance. By Googling “Commencement Speech,” I promptly received over 9.7 million commencement speeches. I read some of them, and they generally fell into three categories:
ONE, the inspirational speech, or you’ve got to go into politics or social work in order to change the world. I decided that politicians and theologians give great commencement speeches. President Obama gives incredible speeches.
TWO, the intellectual speech—these speeches are sprinkled liberally with quotes from luminaries, that no one is really sure can prove said them. Scholars, University Presidents, and Nobel laureates lean heavily on this type of speech.
THREE, the ego trip speech or let me tell you how to do it speech. Business people, like me, love this approach so I’ll give you my version.
First, let me say that you may be better prepared for the future by taking a brief nap now. You can tune out for the next few minutes, but if you plan to make a speech in the near future, you may want to check me out. Just remember that the Internet saves time.
Like most business men and women who have given commencement speeches before me, I will give you my 10 guidelines to help you prepare for your life’s work. They are simple, but I’m satisfied that some of them helped me cope with my world that started in Mattoon Illinois 78 years ago.
My guidelines are:
ONE, don’t be in a hurry to begin your life’s work. Take time to look around as an adult. Experiment, be a job hopper, or a professional student for awhile. Taking the time now to decide what you want from life, will be a fantastic learning experience, but remember; it may befuddle your parents for a time. In fact I was 32 years old before I quit going to school and job-hopping, and I have never regretted it.
TWO, make up your own mind regarding what you are going to do in life, and also, how you perceive events that shape your opinions.
THREE, never plan too far ahead, or too precisely, because you can lose sight of your goals and dreams. Dreams can die, because plans make them seem insurmountable.
In my opinion, a business or a personal plan is a perfect excuse for not seeking a better, alternative direction. I’ve also observed that plans made by a committee, remove part of the responsibility that actually should be yours alone.
FOUR, as you dream, work hard to make the dreams come alive and be real. If you are going into a creative occupation, expect to be a workaholic where time means little to you.
FIVE, know history and what has passed, because your past will help you foresee your future.
SIX, “READY, FIRE, AIM!” places emphasis upon using your intuition when reacting to problems or situations. What I am saying is: Be ready, prepare yourself for every important task. Fire, execute that task. Aim, Analyze what you have done. Trying to analyze a task not yet performed, is a waste of time. And don’t anticipate results too much because you may disappoint yourself. Practice reacting not only to facts but also to impulses. Learn how to assess situations quickly and do not spend too much time thinking about what can adversely impact your actions.
I believe that to be a leader, a pioneer, an inventor, or an artist, you need to know how to react through both FACTS and INTUITION. You will not always be right but in time, you will have more successes than failures. Take with you the thought: READY! FIRE AIM!
SEVEN, it sometimes seems more stylish to be a creator of ideas and be controversial, than it is to be the implementer of ideas. But remember that implementers or doers are just as important to the world as creators.
EIGHT, take care of yourself first because if you don’t, you can’t take care of others. In other words, be self-centered now and benevolent later.
NINE, love what you do but remember to love your family more.
TEN, always be competitive, know how to win, and also know how to lose. When you lose a battle, pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and try again, again, and again. Be aware that Life is a war, and in the end winning that war is more important than losing a few battles.
Commencement speakers also discuss what the future holds after you leave school. There are so many great new scientific discoveries on the horizon and great social movements taking place. In my business of manufacturing medical devices and pharmaceuticals, I can tell you that medicine, has come further in the last 50 years than it did in the last 2000. Today surgery is routinely done with instruments inserted through tiny plastic catheters and needle holes. Consider the fact that today we can vaccinate for certain types of cancer, cure sickle cell anemia and leukemia, and transplant organs without using anti-rejection drugs. A new medical world is here.
I believe in your generation because you are smart, you have great social intuition. Your parents and this wonderful college have prepared you to concentrate on the problems confronting you.
Please remember, you could not be living at a better time. Your life is ahead of you. Take your time to enjoy it. Decide your own fate. Always remember your family and loved ones. The world will be a better place when it is time for you to pass your contributions on to the generation that follows you.
Ladies and gentlemen, let’s quit talking now and get on with a more important event---the graduation ceremonies for you, the Spoon River College graduates of May 2009.
Thank you all for giving me this opportunity to address you.
