41 + 42 = 137
Former Presidents are 2007 Commencement Speakers
By Kim Billings, Advancement Communications
January 31, 2007
Interim President J. Bonnie Newman announced today that George H. W. Bush,
41st president of the United States, and William J. Clinton, 42nd president
of the United States, will be the keynote speakers at UNH’s 137th commencement
on Saturday, May 19.
No strangers to the Granite State, then-Vice President Bush was the keynote
at the 1987 UNH commencement, and President Clinton often campaigned on the
campus during his presidential bids in the 1990s.
“The world as we know it has changed remarkably since these two world
leaders visited the Granite State, and in the ways it has changed for the better,
both President Bush and President Clinton are largely responsible for the good,” said
Newman.
Since running against each other in 1992, the two former presidents came together
at the request of President George W. Bush, following the tsunami in southern
Asia in 2004. Former Presidents Bush and Clinton visited the region together
and raised money for rebuilding homes and lives ravaged by the tsunami, which
left more than 200,000 people dead or missing.
And their work together did not stop there. The former presidents raised more
than $130 million for Hurricane Katrina relief in Louisiana and Mississippi.
More than 500,000 families lost their homes in the hurricane.
“In today's political climate, these two men remind all of us of what
people can accomplish to promote tolerance and bipartisanship, and they lead
by example,” Newman said. “It is a deep privilege for our students
and their families, and the campus community to hear a message of hope, partnership,
and action.”
UNH’s 137th commencement takes place Saturday, May 19. Students and
families are urged to check the commencement Web site often for updates on
this event, as security will be tight for both participants and spectators.
The URL is http://www.unh.edu/commencement/.
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