You might think serving for eleven years as a Superior Court Judge, including three years as Presiding Judge of the Criminal Division and at least three more as Presiding Judge of the Civil Division would make delivery of a Commencement Address a simple task, but the Hon. Alan Simpson says it was “nerve wracking.” He admits writing and re-writing his speech, in part because he felt so honored to be asked, but also in part because he himself is a 1983 graduate of the Law School. Judge Simpson admitted to the 31 graduates of the Class of 2011 that his high school counselor had told him he would never amount to anything and should join the military.
Honorable Alan Simpson(Law ’83)
Commencement Speaker
Superior Court Judge
“He was one of the first people I sought out to attend my graduation at San Joaquin College of Law.”
Ashley Ann Allred
Matthew Travis Bowden
Timothy William Bragg
Henry Campa Jr.
Rachel Ann Cartier
Ian Elizabeth Cooke
Lisa Ann Cutts
Ryan Sebastian Dunning
Daniel Wayne Epperly
Kathryn Chalfant Gates
Alejandro Gaytan
Rachel Elizabeth Gonzalez
James K. Hering
Ann Marie Hinesley-Perez
Manuel Eric Ignacio
Miguel Angel Jimenez
Brian Anthony Jones
David Mark Lange
Patricia Lynn Lopez
Michael Patrick Mahoney
David Ira Margolin
Elizabeth Michelle Morgan
William Kenneth Nelson
Brittany Diane Nicol
Erick Joseph Rhoan
Albert Silva
Barbara Jane Taylor
Raul Vidal Uribe
Michael Alexander Varin
Melissa J. Wong
Cheri-Lynn Wortham
Those attending this year’s graduation on May 28th included Gary Melvin, who taught graduate Michael Mahoney how to drive years ago, and came to applaud his latest milestone. The 90-year-old mother of graduate Dr. David Margolin flew in from Chicago to see her son hooded with his third doctor degree, following his MD and a PhD in psychology. It looks like this will be the last doctor for Dr. Margolin, who gave his wife permission to “hit him in the head with a frying pan” if he ever undertakes something like this again.
Also in the audience at the Saroyan Theatre were those congratulating Cheri Wortham, a mother of four with twins on the way, while some were there to honor Barbara Taylor, a grandmother of two who told the Fresno Bee that every family needs an attorney, and “since we didn’t have one, I decided I would be it.”
Valedictorian Rachel Cartier gave a nod to other classmates who were the first in their families to have any college degree, as she noted the diversity of the 2011 class.
Rachel Ann Cartier, Valedictorian“This class features engineers, members of the armed forces and law enforcement, and even a medical doctor, to name a few. Our interests vary as widely as our backgrounds. The people before you have maintained an interest in a variety of non-law school related pursuits that include passions in environmental sustainability, music, martial arts, aviation and even beekeeping!
“Of this graduating class, 6 people have written for Law Review, many of them editors. We have members of the SJCL Traynor Moot Court Team present, as well as leaders in both Delta Theta Phi and LawSUIT. Some people have run small claims or the mediation clinic at SJCL. Others have managed law firms. Some people have already written judicial opinions as law clerks and there are some people that have already passed the patent bar. Many of us have worked full time throughout the past 3, 4 or 5 years of law school. Some of us are married, or about to be. Others have young families or little ones on the way. We balanced all of this in order to be here today.”
Judge Simpson closed out his speech by pointing to the numerous social and political changes over the past hundred years in areas ranging from civil rights to child labor laws and women’s rights, adding all of them required vision, perspective, and perseverance. And if anyone doubted that the Judge was passing the baton to the newest crop of graduates, his final words clinched the deal.
“Tag! You’re it!”