Commencement Citations
Frederick Barton
Nobel Prize-winning author Elie Wiesel once reminded us, "Peace is not God's gift to his creatures; peace is our gift to each other." Frederick Barton, your life's work is a daily gift to humankind.
As a director of the United States Agency for International Development and as Deputy United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, you extended a helping hand to those striving to live in free and democratic societies. A graduate of Harvard and Boston University, your career has spanned human rights monitoring in Rwanda, land-mine awareness and removal projects in Angola, ethnic tolerance campaigns in Indonesia and the promotion of objective news reporting in Baltic nations. Leading a charge for change, you have proved that humanitarian workers must engage not only governments, but also the citizens for whom they work. And now you will be the esteemed Frederic Shulz Professor at Princeton University, developing courses on solving refugee situations and on alternatives to war, practical and political interventions that make a difference.
The entire Wheaton family, including your mother, Nancy Hemenway Barton, Class of 1941, applauds you for your inspirational commitment to demonstrating the power of compassion and reconciliation in an increasingly complex world.
Thomas Friedman
On the day when Wheaton sends its young students out into the world, it is fitting that we salute you, Thomas Friedman, as you return to campus to speak to our graduates about the global village that you know so well.
You are recognized internationally as one of the leading interpreters of world affairs, and for good reason. With an undergraduate degree in Mediterranean studies from Brandeis University and a master's degree in modern Middle East studies from Oxford University, you set out on a journalism career that would take you around the world. Along the way, your knowledge and skill have earned two Pulitzer Prizes in international reporting, a National Book Award for non-fiction and a regular seat on the major television news programs. Your three books, including the recent bestseller, The Lexus and the Olive Tree, enjoy wide acclaim. Better yet, you boast that, as a New York Times columnist, you have "the best job in the world."
Writing of the complexities of our evolving global community, you said, "We are all one river." For your commitment to teaching a greater understanding of the world community, Wheaton today honors you.
Winston R. Hindle, Jr.
Leaders in the world of technology are not typically hard-wired with the capability to build and lead networks of friends. You, Win Hindle, possess that rare and happy combination, and thus are the very model of the liberal arts graduate to which Wheaton is dedicated.
With your background in science and management from Amherst and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, you enjoyed a storied career at Digital Equipment Company. You joined the Wheaton Board in 1977 as a highly respected leader in the Boston business community, but without any official Wheaton ties. And then you swiftly won Wheaton another supportive friend: your wife, Sarah.
As Chair of the Board of Trustees, you led Wheaton through a decade of extraordinary challenge and achievement with wisdom and grace. Your fellow Board members describe you as a man of exemplary integrity who has inspired others with your own generosity. Indeed, when you stepped down as Chair of the Wheaton Board, Digital and the Stratford Foundation honored you with grants providing for the state-of-the-art Hindle Auditorium, Wheaton's smartest "smart" classroom.
Your steady hand helped guide the college into coeducation, gave shape to Wheaton's use of technology and launched the Campaign for Wheaton. We salute your service and commitment as we proudly make you one of our own.
John Mars
As the President and CEO of Mars, Incorporated, you set a standard other business leaders emulate. You adhere to the timeless principles of quality and responsibility, while embracing globalization and cutting-edge technology. A graduate of Yale, you eschew status and title. Instead, you believe that a person's worth is tied to his work ethic and achievement and not to the grandness of his office.
We, too, admire your principles and accomplishments, and we take great pride in your investments in Wheaton, the alma mater of your wife[~]and our esteemed trustee[~]Adrienne Bevis Mars, Class of 1958. Your support for this college is both strategic and historic, significantly strengthening this institution for generations to come.
Of course, building an organization for the long-term is what you have done[~]and continue to do[~]so successfully at Mars. By emphasizing the principles of quality, responsibility, mutuality, efficiency and freedom, you have united a global company comprised of thousands of associates and many different businesses and product lines. Your adherence to these core values is not only the key to your success, but also, in our opinion, the evidence of your accomplishments. John Mars, we are proud to salute you and the principles by which you live and lead.
Margaret Joy Tibbetts '41
Writing for the historical society of your hometown of Bethel, Maine, you fondly recalled the immigrant families your father[~]the Doctor[~]visited and admired. "They stuck with their friends and were proud of their heritage," you wrote. Today we honor you, Miss Margaret Joy Tibbetts, Class of 1941, as our good friend with a shared Wheaton heritage.
Yours is a career of milestones. From Phi Beta Kappa at Wheaton to Ph.D. at Bryn Mawr, from research analyst to ambassador, from public servant to professor, you have set the bar high. When President Lyndon Johnson invited you to serve as the ambassador to Norway in 1964, you became a role model for professional women. By the completion of your distinguished tour in the Foreign Service, you had redefined the role of a diplomat with your intelligence, good nature and quick wit. You had become a role model for us all.
When asked during your Senate confirmation hearings why you studied Norwegian, you answered, "Because the people in Norway speak Norwegian." Wheaton honors you today because you have brought so much honor to us.
Last updated on 5/15/01.
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