President Emeritus
Posted Oct 24, 2010 06:06:47 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
David Johnston has a new title: aside from Governor General of Canada, he is now President Emeritus of the university he was president of just a month ago.
Johnston spoke to 1,700 students at the 101st Convocation at the University of Waterloo yesterday, as the school not only named him President Emeritus, but also bestowed an honourary Doctor of Laws degree on him.
In his address, Johnston took off his watch, and his almost thread-bear University of Waterloo tie while standing at the podium and showed them to the audience.
He said his tie is a symbol of the kind of devotion to something beyond oneself he hoped each graduate will find in their life.
Johnston added, life is lonely if you only live it for yourself.
Johnston said his watch signifies keeping a balance in life between time for work and time for family and friends.
Johnston touched on some of the principals he spoke of during his installation speech when he became Governor General on October 1.
He said being a smart country is what they were celebrating at the convocation.
And Johnston closed his address the same way he closed his installation speech, quoting George Bernard Shaw: “Some people see things as they are and wonder why. We dream of things that ought to be, and ask why not?”
Johnston received a standing ovation from all the graduates and faculty.
