Commencement Day

Up until about a year ago, Nathan always claimed he didn't care if he attended his Harvard Commencement or not. He said that he'd always feel more of an affection for Rice, and that his undergraduate commencement was the one he cared more about. I always said that I definitely wanted to go to his Ph.D. commencement. After all, this whole grad school thing was a big part of my life, too, and I wanted to witness the big, formal ceremony with all the pomp and circumstance and to see Nathan in his crimson robes. "Nah," Nathan would say. "Boo," I would say back.

Last year, one of Nathan's office mates graduated, and after seeing firsthand what a big deal it is and how neat it is to have your family there to celebrate with you, Nathan changed his mind. I'm really glad he did, because then I got to take a picture of him wearing this:

Doesn't he look . . . academic?

This was the morning of Commencement. We had to be there like two hours before the ceremony actually started for Nathan's processional. You can tell that Noah wasn't in the best of moods--he was kind of tired and was also put out that he was being held rather than running (which he did A LOT of that day).

This is the Statue of the Three Lies.

On the front, it says:

John Harvard
Founder
1638
But that isn't John Harvard; it's a student who posed for the sculptor centuries later.
John Harvard didn't found Harvard. It was renamed in his honor after he died, which was just shortly after the school was founded.
1638 was not the year Harvard was founded; it was 1636.
Nevertheless, it's still good luck to rub his toe. That's Nathan's Grandma, doing just that.

Even though we watched the proceedings from one of the indoor satellite venues, we did walk into Harvard Yard to be part of the ambiance and to see the sights. But pretty much all we saw were throngs of people and flags:

In the end, I wasn't sure it was worth it to try to negotiate that crowd with a stroller, a baby, and a toddler.. I'm pretty sure Grandma Tanner agreed. But at least we can say we were there.

The degree awarding ceremony was much better. This is Sanders Theater, which is where we saw the IgNobel Prizes one year. Sanders Theater and Memorial Hall, where it's located, are gothic and very beautiful.

This is Nathan's advisor, John Shaw.

John's Ph.D. is from Princeton, which accounts for the orange stripes.

While Grandma, Jane, and I attended Commencement, two of Nathan's colleagues, Judith and Amanda, were angels and watched Noah for us, and he had a great time. As you can see, they drew his outline, which he thought was cool. But the thing he's pointing at is a drawing of a graduate--Daddy!

Here we are in front of Nathan's building. His office was actually in the museum.

Nathan and his parents.

Nathan and Grandma T.

Just try to tell me that's not cute.

We figured that Nathan's degree is half mine. :)

It was a great day, I must say. Congratulations to Nathan, Ph.D.!