She spoke at another school where I was teaching. She had been a professor for one of my co-workers. When her talk was over, my colleague had to get to a class and asked me to tour Ms. Beals around the school and stay with her until her ride showed up. This was pretty amazing. She told me about the fear she had that day when she went to school with the National Guard troops. We talked about how every day she was physically and emotionally harassed and abused by her fellow students. She recounted meeting Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This is huge. But I would have to say that the one thing she said that sticks with me to this day, the quote that Melba Beals, hero of the civil rights movement and one of my personal idols, said to me was this: “Chris, where’s the bathroom? I really need to pee.” Now I don’t mean this to be facetious or snarky or even funny, although it is kind of funny. But that quote, what she said, sticks with me because in that moment, she became a human being. My idol—this legend, this shaper of history—became a person. To me she was beyond a celebrity. Her stature and her image to me was superhuman. And here she was on the same level as everyone else in the most basic way. The idea of someone you worship becoming a human being—that’s big stuff. It’s a classic life-altering story. Ask Father Abidari. But it made me think. We hold these images of people up. We put them on pedestals and worship them. But we forget that they’re human. That where all is said and done, they are like us, and even better. We are like them. We can do what they do. There’s amazing things done by amazing people. But really, they’re not that amazing—they’re us. They’re you. It’s pretty cool to think about it. Okay. Three stories. All pretty simple. Here’s where I hopefully tie them all together and give you something that makes sense. Here goes: “As we wind on down the road, Our shadows taller than our souls, Look, as you leave here, you might be thinking “So what?” But I want you to know that you have great power. You have the power to define yourself. You get to decide who you are. That’s great power. Although the existentialist in me might point out that we have a finite amount of time, there is so much you can do with it. So much you can fill that time with to expand your horizons, give you greater perspective, and—more importantly— help others to do the same. And if that seems daunting, just remember, even your greatest idols need to hit the bathroom. They’re just like you. There’s no secret to it. You have great power. Now go out and use your power for good. there walks a lady we all know. Who shines white light and …” Oh sorry, that was from the Led Zeppelin speech.
Meet interesting people—they’re all over the place. Do service work; you’ll meet tons of them. Hear their stories. Get some stories of your own. It’s easy. Did I ever tell you about the time I read Led Zeppelin lyrics in one of the great cathedrals in the Western World? Make some art. Who cares if it’s bad or good, just make something. Talk civilly with people you disagree with. There’s so much to do. Now some of the more cynical ones in the class are thinking that all this is a thinly veiled attempt to get you to play less Fortnite . It isn’t. Okay, maybe on some level it is. But beyond that, think about what you’re filling your days with. Is it helping anybody? Is it helping you grow into a better person? Are you learning from it? On a recent trip abroad, I spoke with the great philospher [and Cathedral student] and he said to me, and I paraphrase: “On outdoor education, we’re told to make only small footprints. But sometimes we can make big footprints. I worked side by side with someone today working on his house. When he walks on his floor, he’ll know that I helped him make that floor. That’s a pretty big footprint.” It is, and these are the types of footprints I encourage you to make. Again, I ask, what are you filling your time up with? Tick, tick, tick, tick. STORY NUMBER THREE: In my last story, I mentioned meeting interesting people. About nine years ago, I had the opportunity of spending a fairly long bit of time with one of my idols, Melba Beals. For those of you who may not know, Melba Beals was one of the Little Rock Nine. When schools were integrated, she was with the first African-American students to go to a formerly all-white school. You’ve seen the pictures. The girl going to school, escorted by armed soldiers. The kids screaming at her, their faces filled with hatred while she looked stoically straight ahead. I mean she’s a civil rights icon. She’s a force of American history. I mean she’s Melba Freaking Beals!!!
CLASS OF 2018 SCHOOL CHOICES Bay Bentley Branson (4) Brooks Choate, CT (2) Drew French American International (4) Lick-Wilmerding Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory (2) St. Andrew’s, DE St. Ignatius San Domenico Stevenson, CA (2) Stuart Hall (2) Taft, CT Tamalpais Urban (4) University (3) Westminster, CT (2)
Cathedral School for Boys is very proud to share the list of schools that members of the Class of 2018 will attend in the fall. Each boy, along with his family, worked hard to find the school that will offer him the best fit and allow him to thrive. Thank you to each family member, teacher, coach, and mentor who supported, encouraged, and challenged the boys along their school journeys. We will miss the Class of 2018 and wish them the best of luck with the next step of their academic careers. Congratulations, boys!
All schools are located in the Bay Area unless so noted.
SCHOOL TIES At commencement on Thursday, June 14, 2018, the Class of 2018 became the first graduating class to sport the new alumni ties that were produced by our Alumni Association and sponsored by Trevor Traina ’82 as part of Cathedral School's 60th Anniversary. These ties represent a new tradition, which acknowledges all graduates of Cathedral School and provides a symbolic link for all of our alumni—from the Classes of 1960 through 2018 and beyond.
FALL 2018 • RED & GOLD | 37
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