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A bittersweet celebration

May 14, 2006 1:58 am

By CATHY JETT

Before he died, Christine Chi Duong's father made her promise to finish nursing classes at Germanna Community College.

The former South Vietnamese judge had flown in from his home in Washington state two years ago to help baby-sit so Duong, who is married to an engineer who travels frequently, could attend class full time.

"Dad encouraged me. He told me: 'Go for it. I'll help you,'" she said yesterday after receiving her Associate in Applied Science degree from Germanna. "He can't be here, but he would be happy that I fulfilled my time and graduated."

Duong, who barely spoke English when she and her family immigrated to the United States in 1993, was one of 51 nursing students and 551 Germanna students eligible to receive associate degrees or certificates of study during graduation ceremonies yesterday at the college's Spotsylvania County campus.

Theirs was the largest class of graduates in Germanna's 35-year history, and the last class to have Frank S. Turnage preside at its commencement ceremony. He retires Jan. 1 after serving as the community college's president for 20 years.

Keynote speaker William H. Leighty, a Mary Washington College graduate who is Gov. Tim Kaine's chief of staff, thanked Turnage for his almost 40 years of service to Virginia, which drew a standing ovation from the crowd.

Leighty then launched into light-hearted comments about the perennial problem facing commencement speakers: trying to come up with a great speech that graduates will remember.

"I did what you would do. I Googled 'really great speeches' and got 279,000 hits," he told the graduates, who burst into laughter.

Leighty got a similar response from the faculty when he added: "Your professors are probably thinking, 'Wow! This speech is going to be short and full of typos!'"

Then he got serious and urged the graduates to set a goal of reading two newspapers a day and one book a month.

"Read every trade publication and every industry magazine about your profession that you can get your hands on," he said. "Read. It opens opportunities and inspires creativity. Read, read. It inspires life."

He also suggested that they reach out to people they disagree with and make amends.

"For you guys, learning to apologize now is great training for marriage!" he said.

Afterward, the 177 graduates who attended the ceremony received their diplomas as beaming family members applauded and shot video of the event.

When it came time for Duong and the rest of the nursing class to get their diplomas, Turnage used the moment to highlight the need to expand the program.

"This is the largest class of nurses Germanna has had, but the bottom line is that Virginia will need 26,000 more nurses by 2020. Mr. Leighty, the message is: 'Please send money.'"

The graduates weren't the only ones honored during commencement. Germanna counselor Sarah Somerville presented Turnage with a small obelisk from Phi Theta Kappa for his support of the international honor society for two-year colleges.

Turnage said she had broken his rule that graduation be just about the graduates, but he graciously added that the gift "will recall fond memories."

Phillip Parker of Caroline County was among the parents waiting to congratulate the graduates as they marched out of the huge tent where the ceremony took place.

His son, Trevor Scott Parker, was one of 24 graduates from Germanna's new Middle College, which is for 18- to 24-year-olds who want to complete their Graduate Equivalency Degree, get a Career Readiness Certificate and possibly go on to college.

Trevor Parker had to drop out of King George High School last year after spending two months in the Snowden at Fredericksburg psychiatric hospital and 11 days in juvenile detention.

"I considered my dreams pretty much shattered," said Parker, who had wanted to play college football and become a writer. "Then my stepmom told me about Middle College."

He enrolled, and became so enthusiastic about the program that he was chosen to speak to members of the General Assembly about funding it.

"I describe it as a safety net for those who fall through the cracks," said Parker, who has already completed an English class at Germanna. "It really has saved my life. It really has saved my dreams."

To reach CATHY JETT: 540/374-5407
Email: cjett@freelancestar.com