Yesterday our son Charles received his PhD in Philosophy from the University of Chicago. I'm still waiting on him to e-mail a couple of photos so I can add them here.
It has been a long, ten year haul for him. After his bachelor's degree, he spent two years at Tufts University in the Boston area, and received his MA in Philosophy. Then on to U of Chicago, which was one of his main choices and certainly one of the top five universities to study philosophy in the USA. Eight years it took him here. He worked three of those years as prefect in the Master of Arts Program in the Humanities. No doubt that slowed him down. However, at the lunch I was talking with some folks at a nearby table, told them what he received his doctorate in, and they asked, "Did it take him twelve years?" When I said eight, they said that was much shorter than normal.
The day began with us leaving his apartment at 7:45 AM, walking the eight blocks to the main quadrangle and rushing to grab the five best seat we could get among the 20,000 set up. As soon as we left the building it began raining. The university provided cheap plastic ponchos for all attendees, since it rained on convocation last year. The convocation was good. The rain stopped except for occasional sprinkles. All degrees were conferred. The main address was short, the president's remarks were short, and we were off to the luncheon.
"Luncheon" is too strong of a word. Set up on one of the smaller quadrangles some blocks away from the main quad, the Humanities masters and doctoral candidates and their guests were fed sack lunches. It was good, even though cold and simple. Then we walked eight blocks to a coffee shop. Then back to a hall near the luncheon quad for the hooding ceremony. We took pictures there, then back to the apartment. I figure we walked at least two miles, maybe closer to three, in the nine hours we were gone. A few hours later and it was time for the party, not as wild as I feared. Just a bunch of Charles' and Bis' friends. Of course, it didn't end till after midnight.
So my boy is now a doctor. Congratulations, Charles. May this degree, representing knowledge gained, serve you and society well for your lifetime and beyond.
(pictures will be added soon)
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3 comments:
My congratulations to the good Doctor as well.
Absolutely, forward my congratulations as well. What an accomplishment. Will he know what to do in the coming days after years of going to school? I am sure it will be an adjustment. What are his plans now?
Thanks Gary and Anonymous (Sue?). He's job hunting, probably an admissions job with one of the University schools.
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