Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Geez, I didn't know that

Schools are generally proud of their alums who enjoy success. So I was rather surprised to learn that Jerry Springer was a Northwestern Law alum. Jerry Springer, that icon of tabloid TV.

I don't know if the Jerry Springer Show is still on the air, but it never ceased to amazed me that people so craved their 15 minutes of fame that they would allow it to be announced to the world that although everyone thought Becky Sue's baby had been fathered by her husband's best friend, with whom she'd been having an affair with the full knowledge and consent of her husband, the child was really fathered by Becky Sue's mother's ex-boyfriend. Everyone should aspire to host such a show.

Maybe that's why Northwestern Law never bothered to send out any updates about Jerry in the alunni news. And maybe that's why the 2008 graduates are less than pleased about Jerry being their commencement speaker, as reported here.

The commencement speaker for my graduation was former Senator Dale Bumpers, also a Northwestern alum, and he gave a very good and inspirational speech. Perhaps the only blight on the day was that somone failed to plan for the fact that my class had 25 more graduates than in past years requiring that there be 25 more hoods. As we approached the end of the alphabet (with me only three or four away from the end), there was a mass commotion on the stage as someone was literally ripping hoods from the faculty and guests who were seated on stage to make those hoods available to the graduates. I am convinced that I actually got Senator Bumpers' hood.

But all that aside, what is going on at Northwestern?

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