From the editor: Let the speeches commence

I’m not sure what to make of commencement addresses. In the imagination of those hopeful for words that inspire a lifetime of achievement, they might equal John F. Kennedy’s “New Generation” speech, Ronald Reagan exhorting the Soviets to “tear down this wall” or—at the very least—a good old fashioned rousing halftime talk by the likes of Knute Rockne.

Of course, I have no memory of my high school graduation address. I don’t even know who stood behind the microphone that day. The words presented at the end of my undergraduate years, from none other than the college presiden...