Remarks made by Bill Yinger '95, Henry J. Colbath Chair of the ...

Remarks made by Bill Yinger ’95, Henry J. Colbath Chair of the Science Department
May 25, 2012 at The Class of 2012 Alumni Association Induction Brunch
I would like to begin by thanking Mr. and Mrs. Dougherty, Mr. Sockel and the
Advancement office for having me here today, trustees, alumni, parents, friends, colleagues, and
finally you, the class of 2012.
When I was growing up, one of the best weekend nights I could have typically involved
my buddy Ben, a case of Mountain Dew, Cool Ranch Doritos, those are the best, and a solid hour
long trip to Blockbuster video to pick out some flicks to watch while devouring those munchies.
We would scour the aisles, going section by section to get the best VHS tapes, yep, those. It
recently occurred to me that I have organized my own library of movies, all 713 of them, just
like the movies stores of my youth, by genre. And then to really make this seem crazy, and
somehow applicable to all of you, I more recently realized that this is exactly how your life is
going to go down; your life is organized by movie genre.
First Genre up on the list is Action and Adventure. There’s plenty of that when you’re
younger. That’s actually about it. My son Levi is a walking talking Action Adventure movie.
He goes through his day, one activity after another, taking time only for food, naps, and an
occasional break to catch his breath. His day is, quite literally, an adventure. This, of course,
bears little resemblance to adult life, but it is really cool. As you get a bit older, the action will
come less frequently, but it will mean just as much, and maybe even a bit more. It is imperative
that you find time to feed the body, as well as the mind in the coming years. Take a hike, climb
a tree, go wading in a creek, visit a city you’ve never been to. It will serve you well and worst
case it should give you some good stories.
Next Genre, Animated. Not much of your life probably feels like a Pixar or Disney film,
but with a little imagination it can be. The more I think of it, that would be really cool by the
way. I have a small confession to make. When I was a kid, I had an imaginary friend named
Chief. I always saw him as an animated character. He was an ant. Now you know where the
love of insects comes from. While I have not talked to him lately, I pretend all the time with
Levi and other little kids that he hangs with. To be honest, it’s more fun that real life most of the
time. That’s the point of those animated films anyway, to be better than real life. Don’t be
afraid to dream along the way, and definitely don’t forget to share those dreams with those that
you love. Be a little ridiculous, be a little imaginative, be a little crazy; it just makes life better.
And don’t ever think you’re too old to act that way, if you do, you’re going to be sorry later.
And when you let that imagination flow, the Comedy genre of your life is sure to come to
the surface. Never lose track of this genre. The power of laughter is so unbelievably important
in our lives and yet we so often take it for granted. Remember that laughter is the same in every
language! I can literally tell days when I have not laughed enough. I go to bed a bit grumpier,
and sleep a bit less soundly. Find time to laugh, every day, with some friends, till your face is in
pain, no excuses.
Music might not seem like a Genre of movie, but it is in my house! I listen to music in
the summer with my sone from the time we wake up until we literally go to bed. I also have
been known to watch some great music videos while talking with some buddies and hanging out.
It’s kind of like being at the concert you couldn’t afford, but also being on your couch, and not
having lines to the bathroom. Anyway, besides the laughter I was talking about earlier, music is
every bit as important. Let’s get something straight, all forms of music are good to someone.

Get some of that good stuff for you, something that speaks to you, take the time to really listen to
it. You will find yourself feeling better than you did before. When you feel better, life is better.
Ok, It’s not always butterflies and rainbows. There is a little genre called Horror that we
always used to try to avoid. I’m a bit of a scaredy-cat and even today when kids ask me about a
movie being scary, they rarely agree. Scariest movie ever, Snow White. Horror, in real life,
rarely involves chainsaws, large kitchen knives, and monsters. You will most likely never be
chased through a field, into an abandoned house, by a man, wearing a mask, wielding a large
utensil or power tool. I would like to say if this ever does happen to you, do not go in that house,
keep running, I’ve seen that movie, and nothing goes well for you in the house, on the second
floor, in the closet, all alone. In all seriousness, there is some real Horror in the world today. I
feel like parents and teachers maybe spend a decent amount of time shielding you from this
genre. It’s actually part of our jobs. Quite frankly, I want you to recognize it’s there, but I do
not want you to have it in your face every day. Real horror in this world comes in many forms.
War, Conflict, Disease, Poverty, Genocide, and Hate. I truly hope for you to know enough about
these things that you should not be so foolish as to be made to believe that they do not exist, but I
also pray that you should not know them in your lives and in your hearts from first-hand
experience. If I could give you one gift to you as you leave, it would be simply that.
There will always be drama in your life. Drama is a fantastic genre of movie and
probably my favorite, since you didn’t ask. Good drama involves all of my favorite qualities in
people; lying, backstabbing, twists of fate, and usually a loser. Of course the part that makes
drama worth it is that most often, it’s the people who are pure in heart that really do win. Don’t
get me wrong, plenty of great people in life lose, but more good people that stick to their guns
and stay true to themselves end up winning than losing in today’s ever shrinking globe. Try to
not be a part of the drama, and when it does come into your life, don’t let it BE your life. Get
through it, stay true to yourself.
The final genre I use in my collection is Documentary. I love documentaries, just ask my
Envi. Sci. class. I am fascinated by the characters, and mostly the character behind the lens.
Because after all, you may think all these documentaries are real life, but they are only the “real
life” that the person behind the camera allows you to see. And that’s exactly what you are doing
in life, even right now. You are daily deciding what part of your real life that you show to
people, and even better, you decide who gets to see it and be a part of it. You control you; not
the media, not the magazines, not your twitter and Facebook accounts. So start making those
decisions with a bit more conscience today. Don’t just let everyone see everything. You are
writing your documentary right now. You’re going to write a huge part of it in the next four
years, maybe five for some of you. You are going to write the cast, the setting, and most
importantly, you DO get to write the outcome.
I hope that you don’t spend too much time today trying to figure out what genre is
happening right now, just trust me that tomorrow is going to be a bit of them all. Your folks and
friends will bring some drama, you should make sure to laugh it up with your friends or teachers,
you might feel a bit of horror at the ending of all this but please don’t run away screaming, there
might be some good tunes at those graduation parties tomorrow night I’m not invited to, and
finally, this chapter of that fantastic documentary called the class of 2012 will be officially over.
Best of luck tomorrow, know that we love you, come back early and often, see you at the Dell.
Thanks!