Yesterday, Sharon and I settled in to watch Grandson Lucas Tyler Mosher graduate from Missouri S&T where he was awarded his Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Summa Cum Laude. His effort to achieve perfection was thwarted by a single “B” in an accumulation of straight “A” marks. The slide from perfection was in a group think project in aircraft design. Forgive me, please, for raw unabashed pride in watching this kid grow from a tyke building sandcastles to a brand new rocket scientist, and freshly commissioned 2d Lieutenant in the US Air Force. Smile with me as we hand the country over to young men like this to protect the America we love.
The events began on Friday night with the Commissioning Ceremony where I was welcomed into a purely Air Force event in order to offer the first salute to the Lieutenant. This old Army Sergeant could still snap off a crisp salute to earn the silver dollar. (It is an old military tradition that is worthy of explanation at a later date.) My readers know that I am an unashamed advocate for all uniformed services, and the Air Force did not disappoint. They signed 3 very capable and competent officers in this ceremony. Very capable……
The graduation was impressive. The flowing robes of academic greatness wrapped around some of the finest minds in America constitutes the faculty at this school. Hard science and mathematics on a level that defy the ordinary person (me) were clearly evident. Missouri has much to be proud of with this University. The folks graduating yesterday are the product of an academic discipline that can not be faked. Education in any form is a beautiful thing, but few disciplines offer the opportunity to challenge new problems and horizons as does engineering in it’s raw form based on physics and absolute mathematical outcomes. These folks are ready for problems we don’t know about yet and breathtaking advancements not unlike the evolution in communication we have seen in the past few years. The building seethed with cerebral energy.
Thanks for indulging my grandfathers pride. The goal of every living being should be to leave the world a better place when their tour on earth is over, rather by accomplishment or lineage or both. My challenge to Lucas was simple. Live your life in such a way that when you are my age, you can sit back with a good bourbon, few regrets and pride in the wake you have left. I also reminded him that even a great University cannot prepare him for dealing with treachery and human frailty. These are lessons learned in the trenches of life…..where he is now entering. Good Luck Lucas and thanks for making us proud. As long as I am alive, I’ll be there for you……bet on it.
Have a great week!
SR
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