University President Rev. Edward A. Malloy, C.S.C.: Ladies and gentlemen, President George
Bush is paying his fourth visit to our campus.
He came three times as Vice President, most notably for the celebration here of the International
Special Olympic Games.
On this, our sesquicentennial celebration, we are honored and pleased to have President
Bush with us and we ask that you welcome him to our campus for the Commencement Address.
President Bush.
United States President George H.W. Bush: (Applause.)
Please be seated -- (applause) -- distinguished guests, President.
Thank you, Father Malloy.
And it is really wonderful to be back here at Notre Dame.
And whenever I visit the campus or meet a group of Notre Dame alumni, I feel this sense
of family.
And at Notre Dame, that truly means more than just words.
I think it's at the very core of what this institution is all about.
And with this honorary degree that I am so very proud to have, I am proud to become a
"Domer."
And thank you for the honor.
(Cheers/applause.)
Thank you for the privilege.
I want to salute all of the honorary degree recipients; it is a pleasure to be among such
distinguished educators and public servants.
And I want to single out again Father Malloy, whose graciousness means a lot to me.
A special greeting to the man we all respect so much, Chili's President Aylwin, who has
done so much for democracy, not just in Chile but in our whole hemisphere.
(Applause.)
And another old friend I'm proud to share this
dais with; he doesn't vote with me much, and I don't vote with him much, but we're good
friends and have been for a long time, and I respect him: Pat Moynihan.
Pat.
(Applause.)
And may I pay my respects to the outstanding faculty of Notre Dame.
They put up with a lot and have done a great job, I'll tell you.
(Applause.)
And to our distinguished provost, don't worry, sir; there's a provost opening in a junior
college just outside of Nome, Alaska, and I'm sure you'll qualify.
(Laughter.)
But thank you for your warm introduction to me.
Thank you.
Now to the graduates.
For you graduates, these have been four long years.
But I first want to say, I want to congratulate -- I don't know where they are -- but the
class of 1992.
And I want to pay a special tribute to the families, to the parents, the family members
and the friends.
And in today's ceremony, there are a group of second-generation Domers.
Twenty-five percent of the graduating seniors have a parent who attended Notre Dame.
(Applause.)
And for you graduates, these have been four long,
tough years.
And now comes the hardest part -- sitting through the commencement speech.
(Laughter.)
But Billy Graham put it very well when he told, after a speaker had gone on a long time,
the man sitting over here where Pat is picked up the gavel, heaved it at the guy that was
speaking, missed him, clipped the lady in the front row who said, "Hit me again; I can
still hear him."
(Laughter.)
Now, I will -- let me first say, I'm not here in the mode of politics.
I'm here to tell you the values that I strongly believe in.
(Applause.)
And those values can be summarized by the three major legacies that I certainly want
to leave behind for my grandchildren, hopefully for yours: jobs, both for today's workers
who are actively seeking work, and for graduates entering the work force; strong families to
sustain us as individuals, to nurture and encourage our children and to preserve our
nation's character and culture; and peace, peace around the world, on our streets and
in our schools as well.
And yesterday I spoke down at Southern Methodist, where I focused on the economy and ability
to generate jobs.
Next week it'll be the Naval Academy, when I focus on our hope for a more peaceful work.
But freedom has swept around the world.
You heard Chile's president paying homage to that, from the snows of Siberia to the
sands of the Gulf.
And because we and our allies stood strong and principled, our children and our grandchildren
now sleep in a world less threatened by nuclear war.
And that is dramatic change -- (applause) -- and it's something good that we can take
great pride in.
(Applause.)
And now we must concentrate on change here in America as well in ways no less dramatic
or important, and we're taking a fresh look at government and how we solve national problems.
And in Lincoln's words, we must think anew, act anew, preparing young men and women for
lives of leadership, service and meaning.
Each is part of this fantastic Notre Dame tradition, a tradition that has generated
a host of inspiring stories.
I was particularly moved when I heard about Frank O'Malley's role in saving the bricks
of your administration building.
And most of you know the story.
The masonry was deteriorating and some thought the time had come to replace it.
And instead, Professor O'Malley reminded all who would listen, "These bricks contain the
blood of everyone who helped to build Notre Dame."
And today that 150-year heritage is fully yours, too.
But your preparation began long before you walked in the shadow of the Dome.
Your parents instilled in you character and a moral bearing, and they sacrificed so that
you could experience the Notre Dame education, an education that's rooted in timeless faith
and in a tradition of excellence, and in the process, inculcating into each of you the
worth of serving others.
I hope each of you has also made a commitment to also helping others in attacking some of
the major problems facing American society.
Become a mentor, a community organizer, a point of light.
At the heart of the problems facing our country stands an institution under siege, and that
institution is the American family.
Whatever form our most pressing problems may take, ultimately all are related to the disintegration
of the family.
(Applause.)
Let us look objectively at a few brief and sad facts.
In comparison with other countries, the Census Bureau found that the United States has the
highest divorce rate, the highest number of children involved in divorce, the highest
teenage pregnancy rates, the highest abortion rates, the highest percentage of children
living in a single-parent household, and the highest percentage of violent deaths among
our precious young.
These are not the kinds of records that we want to have as a great country.
(Applause.)
In Philadelphia the other day, in the inner city, what they call the Hill area, I talked
to a barber there, Mr. Buse, who's one of the leaders of the community there.
And I said, "Do these kids come from broken families?"
He said, "Sure, it's a question of babies having babies," tears coming into his eyes.
We've got to do something about this.
And unless we successfully reverse the breakdown of the American family, our nation is going
to remain at risk.
And Senator Moynihan, way back, way back early, in 1965, you gave us fair warning.
You predicted with astonishing accuracy the terrible trends that would result from the
breakdown of the family.
And today, with respect, sir, you continue to sound the alarm.
And the Senator and I agree, if America is to solve her social problems, we must first
of all restore our families.
(Applause.)
In addressing the problems associated with the family breakdown, nothing is more critical
than equipping each succeeding generation with a sound moral compass.
As Notre Dame has expanded, it has never lost sight of its profound spiritual mission.
And indeed, this institution takes seriously its role in building the character of our
young people and the strength of our families, for those are the leading indicators of our
future as a culture.
When we instill faith in our youth -- faith in themselves, faith in God -- we give them
a solid foundation on which to build their future.
Pope John XXIII said, "The family is the first essential cell of human society."
The family is the primary and most critical institution in America's communities.
And in January -- I'll never forget this meeting -- I met with some mayors from America's League
of Cities, including Mayor Tom Bradley of Los Angeles.
And they came together -- small-town Republican mayor from North Carolina, middle-size city
mayors, large-city mayors -- and they told me of their concerns for their cities, their
municipalities, but most of all, the mayors came together on one key point - and they
were unanimous - the major concern about the problems in the cities, in their view, the
people on the front line, was the decline of the American family.
And one result of that meeting is this Commission on America's Urban Families.
And I hope it comes up with some good, positive, constructive answers.
It is clear that we all know that putting America's families back on track is essential
to putting our country back on track.
And you may ask, well how we can proceed when we don't all agree on the causes of the problems
or the remedies.
And I believe that one place to begin is by supporting the Pope's -- Pope John Paul II's
most recent encyclical calling for a new social climate of moral accountability in which to
raise our children.
(Applause.)
And leadership in that task can and should be led by the nation's churches.
Kids need to learn faith to help them understand the larger family.
And we are one nation under God, and we must remember that and we must teach that.
(Applause.)
Starting today, as you go from this fine institution to face the challenges of your adult life,
the decisions you make will have one of two effects.
Either you will add to the problems of family breakdown or you'll help rebuild the American
family.
And you see, I am absolutely convinced that today's crisis will have to be addressed by
millions of Americans at the personal, individual level for governmental programs to be effective.
And the federal government, of course, must do everything it can do.
But the point is, government alone is simply not enough.
(Applause.)
Mind you, government can, and we must, provide parental choice of the best schools for our
children, whether public, private or religious.
(Applause.)
The GI bill says, "Here's some money.
Go to the college of your choice."
Choice should apply to all levels of education.
Parents must -- (applause) -- parents must read to their children and instill a love
of learning.
And government can, and we must, fight crime.
But fathers and mothers must teach discipline and instill those values in their children.
(Applause.)
Government can, and we must, foster American competitiveness, but parents must teach their
children the dignity of work and instill a work ethic in the kids.
And to paraphrase that fantastic philosopher, Barbara Bush -- (laughter) -- what you teach
at your house is more important than what happens at the White House.
And she is absolutely correct on that.
(Applause.)
All of us realize that merely knowing what's right is not enough, we must then do what's
right.
And today I'm asking you to carefully consider the personal decisions that you'll make about
marriage and about how you'll raise your children.
Ultimately your decisions about right and wrong, about loyalty and integrity, and yes,
even self-sacrifice, will determine the quality of all the other decisions that you'll make.
And as you think about these decisions, remember; it is in families that children learn the
keys to personal economic success and self-discipline and personal responsibility.
And it is in families that children learn that moral restraint gives us true freedom.
It is from their families that they learn honesty and self-respect and compassion and
self-confidence.
And you would do well to consider the simple but profound words of Notre Dame's own Father
Hesburgh when he said, "The most important thing a father can do for his children is
to love their mother."
(Applause.)
Think how this vitally important commitment from fathers to mothers would radically transform
for the better both the lives of thousands of our nation's hurting children and their
struggling mothers as well.
In many respects, I feel here at Notre Dame that I'm preaching to the choir, because here
at Notre Dame you have benefitted from the legions of great men and women of conviction
and faith.
And here there is a tradition of passion for addressing the staggering needs of the day.
And Notre Dame's Alumni Association is the prototype for other universities in sponsoring
service projects and working toward the restoration of faith and the family in America.
In fact, at this very moment the Notre Dame alumni group out there in Los Angeles is in
the midst of a massive food and distribution project to assist residents affected by the
violence in South- Central LA.
And when that food is distributed -- (applause) -- when that food is distributed and the riot-torn
areas are rebuilt, I hope that the alumni group and thousands of others who are helping
will stay involved in this and other urban areas.
Government alone cannot do what needs to be done by itself.
People who care must help.
(Applause.)
And since becoming president, I have had an opportunity
to see a groundswell of Americans who are working and working hard to restore our nation's
faith and heal the wounds that have undermined our nation's families.
These Americans are devoted to rebuilding, restoring America from the ground up, family
by family, home by home, community by community.
And I was impressed to learn that more than two-thirds of Notre Dame's students participate
in community service -- two-thirds, ranging from work in the -- (applause) -- ranging
from working with the handicapped children at Logan Center to assisting former prisoners
at Dismas House, and fully 10 percent of your graduates plan to go into social-service careers.
And to paraphrase Pope John Paul II, the ultimate test of your greatness is the way you treat
every human being, but especially the weakest and the most defenseless ones.
(Applause.)
Let me challenge all of you to find a place to serve
in some capacity, definitely as models, but also as mentors.
Remember, each of us has a contribution that only we can make.
And let me remind you, as you assume the mantels of tomorrow's leadership, that children tend
to shape their dreams in the images that they have been shown.
Show how a good education prepares one for a full, productive life.
Show what it means to be a person of strong principle and integrity.
Demonstrate how concerned individuals, by working in partnership, can transform our
communities and nation.
And lastly, in a society that can sometimes be cold and impersonal, bring warmth and welcome.
In a fragmented society, be a force for healing.
In a society cut off from moral and spiritual roots, cultivate grace and truth.
And in the face of the uncertainties of the future, affirm your purpose and realize your
promise.
Together, we can lift our nation's spirit, and together we can give our material, political
and economic accomplishments a larger, more noble purpose: to build God's kingdom here
on earth.
There is no surer way to build our nation's future than with the mortar and the bricks
of moral values and strong families.
And if you will add your blood to the bricks, the future will echo, then as now, never bet
against Notre Dame or against the United States of America.
Thank you all, and good luck to the class of 1992 and to the entire Notre Dame family.
(Applause.)
May God bless our great country.
Thank you very much.
(Applause.)
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