Thunderous applause - and skies

IN A RAIN-SOAKED MAY 10 SEND-OFF, former U.S. Sen. George J. Mitchell (above left) told JMU's 2003 graduating class to "Never forget that in the presence of evil, silence makes you an accomplice."

Parents' and graduates' cheers rolled like thunder through Bridgeforth Stadium, as misty skies threatened the deluge that came later in the day. Severe thunderstorms forced JMU to cancel the subsequent outdoor college ceremonies, which were rescheduled for June 7.

JMU President Linwood H. Rose conferred a total of 3,057 degrees - 2,832 bachelor's, 215 master's and 10 doctorates. The doctoral degrees included the first three doctor of philosophy degrees awarded in JMU's communication sciences and disorders/audiology program to Amber Gardner ('99), Rhonda Snorrason and Ashley Wampler.

Mitchell, the Senate majority leader for six years and broker of the 1998 peace accords in Northern Ireland, told graduates, "Each of you has an important role to play in preserving and improving our way of life. Serve your communities, look past wealth to identify success and try your best in whatever you do."

Mitchell chaired the peace negotiations that were endorsed overwhelmingly by voters in Ireland and won him a Nobel Peace Prize nomination in 1998 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1999. He was also instrumental in the passage of the nation's first childcare bill and the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Photos by Casey Templeton ('06) and Wayne Gehman