My guess is that if he were still alive today Shaw would describe Middlebury students as "unreasonable people".
And so began the address by student commencement speaker Bronwyn Oatley.
Minutes before, the Middlebury Class of 2013 files into their seats in the field house surrounded by their adoring fans armed with iPhones, iPads, cameras and camcorders.
As we watched for Adam, we saw many of his friends. Barbara had a huge smile for her parents!
Mrig spotted us and gave us a grin.
Finally, we saw Adam's face in a small gap between two other students.
The field house walls were decorated by 45 flags, representing the nationalities of the graduating class.
Author Jonathan Safran Foer gave the commencement address. His first novel , "Everything is Illuminated" was the summer reading assignment for for class of 2013 before they arrived on campus back in 2009. Both humorous and thought provoking, he warned students of the growing intrusion of communications technology on the human experience. He noted how the conveniences of modern ways of communicating make it easy to retreat from the difficult aspects of human relationships.
Diplomas were awarded...
and each graduate also received a cane.
In 1819, a co-founder of Middlebury College died and left the college $13,000 and his 4 ft. long wooden cane. By doing so, he saved the college from financial ruin.
Replicas of that cane are given to each graduate.
With the throwing of the caps, the ceremony ended.
Here's the handsome graduate!
We walked over to the student center where Kerry and Annie had been watching the ceremony on a video screen.
Annie gave her brother a big hug.
Then Adam posed for a picture with his other sister, oblivious to the other two faces right behind them!
His friends ,Andrew and Jordan, drove up from Connecticut to surprise him!
Then we headed to one of the dining halls for a celebratory luncheon.
Forced inside due to the weather, seating everyone was impossible. We were so hungry, we chose not to wait for a table!
As we ate, many of Adam's friends came by for pictures!
We took family pictures too.
Armed with my camera, Adam took me along on one final trip around campus for more pictures with more special people.
This is Jeff. He came to our house for Thanksgiving last year and we found him to be very sweet and funny. When we were at the Thai restaurant on Friday, he said something that I found to be very profound. He said with sincerity, "Adam and I are a lot alike. What most people find weird, we find to be normal."
I thought about the ways to take this statement.
Either he's saying that he and Adam are weird
or he's saying that he and Adam don't judge other people.
I think it's the latter.
They are both truly nice people!
When a group hug was called for, Jeff protested, stating that it was not good-bye.
But in the end he relented and joined in!
One more "favorite" teacher to visit. This teacher, after noting Adam's misery with his allergies this spring, actually bought him a neti pot to help him out!
Pictures done, we headed back to Adam's house to pack up.
It was a melancholy ending to a memorable weekend, or I should say,
a memorable four years.
In her commencement address, student Bronwyn Oatley said,
"Though often referred to negatively as "the bubble", I believe it was in this space that I was really able to grow."
"The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man."
"Class of 2013, love wildly, live boldly, and continue to listen to the voices that lead you toward growth. Class of 2013, follow in the footsteps of the 213 classes of Middlebury students who have walked across this stage. Class of 2013, continue to be unreasonable people."
