Ronald E. McNair Building Dedication, Center for Space Research (1986)

SAXON: Mayor Sullivan, ladies and gentlemen, I take pleasure in welcoming you to this ceremony to name this building next door, which houses the MIT Center for Space Research in memory and in honor of in Ronald E. McNair. By so doing, the MIT trustees intend that the Ronald E. McNair Building, in their words, will stand as a lasting tribute to this distinguished alumnus. His courage and extraordinary achievements will provide inspiration for generations of MIT students to come.

Ron McNair, as everyone here knows, was one of the astronauts on board the space shuttle Challenger at the time of its tragic accident last January. Ron spent nine days in February of 1983 in orbit aboard that same shuttle. He was a graduate in physics from North Carolina A&T State University, and later, in 1977, received his PhD in physics from MIT.

A laser physicist, an accomplished jazz saxophonist, and an astronaut, Ron was an altogether remarkable young man who exemplified in his achievements the very spirit of the MIT motto "Mens et Manus," "Mind and Hand."

Speaking on this afternoon's program are first, Dr. Shirley A. Jackson, a theoretical physicist at AT&T Bell Laboratories, AT&T Bell, and a close associate of Ron's from their graduate student days together at MIT. Then astronaut Charles F. Bolden Jr., a US Marine corps colonel, a NASA colleague and friend, and like Ron, a native of South Carolina. He will be followed by Professor Michael S. Feld, Director of the MIT spectroscopy laboratory, Dr. McNair's thesis supervisor at the Institute and also a close friend. And then finally, MIT's President, Paul Gray. I'm pleased to call first on Dr. Shirley Jackson.

[APPLAUSE]

JACKSON: Thank you Dr. Saxon, and good afternoon Dr. Gray, members of the MIT Corporation, honored guests, friends, and especially Ron's family. We're here today to honor and to remember the life of Ron McNair, and to express our feelings in as timeless a way as we can, by naming the building that houses the Center for Space Research after him and dedicating it to his spirit.

Now, it's customary at a time like this to focus on the legacy left to us by the person whom we are honoring and on what the building being dedicated in his name means within that context. However, I'd like to start this way. Ironically, in January of this year, a few weeks before the space shuttle tragedy, I had the opportunity to speak at MIT about the life and times of the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King Jr. The theme of my remarks was to believe and achieve. And in thinking about what I would say to you today about Ron, that same theme came to mind as characterizing the life of Ron McNair as I knew him.

It was clear that Ron was a believer and an achiever from the moment I met him at Logan Airport in early 1970 to pick him up as he arrived to spend a semester at MIT as an exchange student in physics from North Carolina A&T University. Ron's belief and achievement had several elements, but three especially come to mind-- excitement, preparation, and a belief in people, his people especially, and in himself.

Ron seemed excited all the time, and he saw beauty in the smallest of things and the largest, from close up and from far away. And this was clear when we would have discussions about physics, discussions that sometimes would last late into the night when a group of us who were physics students would get together to discuss physics problems and life generally, and the nature of physics generally. And Ron had this particular way of laughing. He would always kind of laugh and cover his mouth. But this was his personal celebration whenever he felt that we had finally arrived at a deep conceptual understanding of what we were doing and what we were talking about.

Later, I had an occasion to spend a year at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland, and Ron and some other physics friends of ours came to visit. And Ron was the one who was always the most excited. And we would spend time riding boats on Lake Geneva. And we went to Heidelberg, and we rode on the river there. And as we were passing various castles, we spent a lot of time trying to derive from that experience some sense of the history of physics and our places as black physicists within that.

Ron also felt that being in orbit in the space shuttle freed his mind to see the beauty and unity of the world-- and a number of people have spoken today about that-- at the same time that he was very excited about the scientific experiments on board. And he reiterated this when I spoke to him a few months before the shuttle tragedy to try to help and arrange a visit by him to AT&T Bell Labs and to the New Jersey North Carolina A&T alumni group. And he focused a lot on the excitement of the upcoming trip, on being able to see Halley's Comet so close up.

But for Ron, the sacredness of the world also manifested itself in the endowment of some ordinary, or seemingly ordinary creature, like a bird, or the oceans themselves with an almost religious meaning. He also appreciated the melding of cultures and the lives of himself and his colleagues on the space shuttle. In fact, for me now, that melding has been transfixed in history by subsequent events.

Ron was not a person who was into deferral. He wanted to experience, embrace, and achieve as much as possible. He believed that if your life experience was not a full one, then there was no point in leaving home. There was no point in leaving where you were, in coming the distance and spending the time to hide in the shadows.

He obviously believed in excellence of mind and body, and he disciplined both of them through study and training. He was a believer in preparation. This was easily, easily seen in his ability to focus totally on the task at hand, and I saw it often when we were studying physics. And we would study physics a lot, because I was a couple of years ahead, so I have all the physics problem sets.

But I know many others also experienced it through other involvements they had with him, karate, in the church, and in the community. Ron always had a vision of what his next steps would be. But whatever they were, he was prepared for whatever would come, because he always faced the rising sun.

Ron would never have predicted that he would make his mark on the world in this particular way. His optimism about the space program would not let him worry that such an event as the Challenger accident would occur. He knew that astronauts are pioneers. He knew that it was a dangerous business. He accepted, also, that he was a symbol of many things-- of pushing the edge of the envelope, of the national ego, of his generation, of his profession, and especially of his race.

And with all of this, Ron combined an adventuresome spirit with a belief in himself, and with a concern for uplifting all people. And because of this, he had a special interest, as you know, in young people, particularly those who do not have traditional opportunities. He always acknowledged where he came from and how it prepared him to face the future. In fact, he was quoted as saying that through North Carolina A&T University, a black university, he had had the chance to develop the desire to be and the opportunity to do.

He felt that MIT extended that chance for him. He was completely serious about this. And he laughed a lot, but the laughter was his personal celebration that signified his excitement about the experience, about extending himself, about taking himself to another plane. And he left here to carry it further.

Thus, from the portrait of chaos and destruction, which we all had when Ron died, comes a cycle of regeneration, the creation of new hope and vision to carry on where Ron left off. The seeds have taken root and will sprout. In fact, they are sprouting here today and will bear future fruit.

The building being named for Ron today offers the chance for continued education and research in space science. And it offers a special opportunity for those with the desire to do so to pursue their intellectual interests in a building now to be unlike any other building at MIT, because it's being named for an MIT alumnus who had a national, and especially a contemporary presence unlike that seen before. And this is MIT's way of preserving Ron McNair's presence and spirit for future generations of the MIT family. And I'm thrilled, and indeed honored, to be a part of its coming to pass. Thank you.

[APPLAUSE]

BOLDEN: Chairman Saxon, President Gray, Cheryl and family, and all of my adopted friends here in the Cambridge area, let me start out by saying it is indeed an honor for me to be even offered the opportunity to participate in today's activities. I won't bother to tell you about Ron because most of you know much more about him then I could begin to say. What I will attempt to do is tell you something that I think Ron would like to say if he were here. Just share some ideas with you that I think he would want to share with you.

Every time I think of the name Ron McNair, it connotes several things to me. I see this guy whipping my back side on a racquetball court down in Houston when he didn't even know how to play racquetball when he came to Houston. I did not take karate or know nothing about karate, but I can see Ron in the gym delivering round kicks to somebody's head as an expert in karate.

I see myself with Cheryl and Ron and my wife listening to a jam session at a club like [? Cody's ?] in Houston, Texas, where we enjoyed going. I see a young man enjoying the exploration of the laser, something that, like me, coming from South Carolina, he may not have even known existed when he left Lake City. I see a young man who brought another young man very similar to him into the fellowship of what we know as Omega, our fraternity.

I am a very privileged individual in that I don't know how many of you have ever been associated with people who had adoptions in the family, but they're always very special children. An adopted child, I think, is a very special child because they are chosen. You know, I feel that I am very special because I was chosen by Ron to be a brother. Carl and Eric grew up with him, and they were his brothers by birth and by blood. Ron chose me to be his brother. So I had a special kinship with him.

I see, years from now, young men and women coming here to MIT for one reason, because I want to go where Ron McNair studied, and I want to go where Ron McNair dared, and I want to go where Ron McNair chose to start his life of taking risks. I can see that young men and women will come from all over the country, perhaps all over the world to the Ron McNair Building to the Center for Space Research to do things for humanity, to make one small contribution, just one small contribution in some way because Ron McNair came here, and because Ron chose, as he liked to say, and I think as all of us remember him saying, he chose to hang it over the edge.

Dr. Michael Feld and I, I think we both love that particular phrase because first of all, it reminds us dearly of Ron, but because it speaks of what Ron was. Ron loved to walk up to the edge and see just how far you could get over there before somebody either pulled you back, or he got smart enough to pull himself back. And if he were here today, he would look at all the youngsters that are here, and he would say, whatever you do, do not lock yourself in a house and be afraid to go out. Always, always keep in your mind that if anything is worth doing, if anything is worth living, you've got to take a chance.

And that's what Ron did best. Ron always liked to take chances, and he enjoyed it. Those of us who knew him and who worked with him got a special feeling from just that, because perhaps we didn't have the courage to do it on our own. But because we were a part of Ron McNair, we were able to hang it over the edge as he did.

That's what I think Ron would want you to remember about him. Never, ever fall back in the face of adversity. Never, ever fall back because something seems like, boy, that's a big risk. That was Ron's life. When he left Lake City, South Carolina and went to North Carolina A&T, he didn't have any idea what was going to come about.

By his own admission, he was somewhat reluctant to go from North Carolina A&T and venture to MIT. Just the very three letters "M-I-T" spell death and destruction to some people. But Ron said, what is life if I can't go out and take a chance? Ron did it, though, not on his own. Ron had a very firm faith in God, a very firm faith in his master, in Jesus Christ, and with that, he stepped out and made his mark.

I found it very interesting this morning. One of the young ladies that help guide us over to the different buildings that we visited, she was bubbling with excitement because she works over in-- is it Building 10, is what it used to be? And she said, I can't believe it. We're all very excited that our building is going to be named for Ron McNair. I was impressed. But then she told me why she was excited. She said, this is going to be the only building at MIT that's named for a real live hero. And I said, you know, Ron didn't plan it that way, but I guess that's okay. And it is. And I think it's very fitting because it will draw people here, and it will remind people of what kind of person Ron McNair was.

And I guess the final thing that Ron would probably tell you, he would share a saying that-- it's not my own. I gathered it from Horace Mann, the father of public education in America. And I think, again, it's very fitting. Because Ron's mother and Ron's father didn't choose to send him off to a private school somewhere. Ron was educated in the public schools in the United States and South Carolina. Ron went to North Carolina A&T and was educated.

And I must say one thing. I have to stand up for South Carolina. You know, MIT is very proud of Ron. But MIT didn't make Ron, OK? Ron McNair was a superb individual, a superior human being, a superb follower of his Lord and Savior long before Ron McNair decided to come to MIT. So we will allow you--

[APPLAUSE]

--we will allow you to share in the pride of having had him. But Ron would have shared the same from Dr. Horace Mann. And it says, "Be ashamed to die until you've won some victory for humanity." "Be ashamed to die until you've won some victory for humanity." That is what's going to bring young men and young women to MIT. That memory of Ron McNair, and the fact that Ron died proud.

Ron won numerous victories for humanity without even attempting to do that. Ron was the best that he could be. He used to autograph his pictures, and he would say do your best. Do your best. That's all anybody can ask of us. Ron did his best. Ron won many victories for humanity. And I thank you for Ron that you've chosen to remember him, and to draw all the youngsters to MIT with a building that will be called the Ron McNair building. Thank you [? for that. ?]

[APPLAUSE]

FELD: Chairman Saxon, President Gray, members of the Corporation, honored guests, friends and colleagues, and particularly members of the McNair family, almost a year has passed since the Challenger tragedy took the lives of seven extraordinary people. For us at MIT, it has meant the loss of a great colleague and friend. For the McNair family, it has meant the loss of a son, a husband, a brother, and a father.

Almost a year has passed, and now, hopefully the mourning period should be ending. Today we celebrate the life of Ronald McNair and dedicate a building in his memory. Although there are elements of sadness in this, fundamentally, this is a joyous occasion. For today, we forever name a part of MIT in honor of a departed son. Ronald McNair's essence is being transformed into something permanent.

MIT is a special place. The nation listens to what we say here, and it looks to what we do here. The ideas generated in this place impact on the way of life of the entire world, and the way man views himself and his place in the universe. Dedicating a building is a very special event at MIT, a thing done only rarely. When I was a freshman here, I liked to walk in the great court and look up at the top of the columns where the names were inscribed-- Euclid, Pythagoras, Newton, Darwin, and many others, and I would think, these are our heroes.

We don't have a lot of buildings to name, and when we do dedicate one, we do it with the greatest of care and the greatest of deliberation. Some of our buildings are named after the immortal scientists of the world. Some are named after farsighted benefactors of MIT. Some are named in honor of our great leaders-- Rogers, Bush, Stratton, [? Killian, ?] [? Wiesner, ?] just to name a few. And a handful, just a very, very few, are named after our sons and daughters. Ron McNair was a son of MIT.

When MIT takes such a step it makes a statement to our nation and to the members of our community, our educators, our researchers, our workers, and most importantly, to our students. The Ronald E. McNair building will carry a message to the generations of the MIT students who study in it, who perform research in it, and who just walk by it. It tells the story of a son of MIT.

As a child, he worked in the cotton fields of a small rural South Carolina town to help his family. He was given strength and love by a mother and a father of great character. He was taught the importance of learning, and the importance of scholarship. He was taught to believe in himself. He learned to set bold goals for himself, to hang it over the edge, and then to focus all his talent, his strength, and his concentration towards achievement of these goals.

He grew up to be a scientist, a humanist, a loving husband and father, and a leader. It became his role to tell his story to young people, especially young disadvantaged people, to inspire them to believe in themselves to set their own bold goals, and to work with great deliberation to achieve them. In dedicating a building to Ronald McNair, MIT is making a statement about the qualities it values and seeks to instill in its young people-- scholarship, idealism, perseverance, courage, and the ability to encourage our young people.

Ron McNair is now become a part of the great tradition of MIT. He is a true son, and his name is now enshrined here forever. And this is the essence of today's dedication. Thank you.

[APPLAUSE]

GRAY: Joy, Reggie, Cheryl, members of Ron's family, ladies and gentlemen. We celebrate today a life well and fully lived, a mind well and broadly applied, a spirit that lives on in others. By naming an MIT building in honor of our late colleague and astronaut Ron McNair, we establish on this campus for this campus a memorial to that life. The members of the MIT Corporation, the trustees of this institution, took this action so that in years to come, MIT students, members of the MIT family broadly defined will have before them a tangible reminder of a life worthy of emulation.

Let me speak about some of the reasons why we set Ron as an example for our students. First, he was a multi-dimensional man, a man of several cultures. It was the fullness of him that made him remarkable, that gave to him the many ways of seeing and understanding and engaging the world.

What were some of the dimensions of this man? Others have alluded to those dimensions this afternoon. Ron was a musician. Indeed, he could've built a career with his saxophone had he desired. It was a measure of the man that he not only kept faith with his music, but that he shared this gift with others as well.

Ron was an athlete. He was not just a participant in karate, he was a champion, a gold medalist, an expert who achieved beyond ordinary men. His spiritual life was rich and full, and in his religious faith, he showed us how to find strength and solace and purpose.

Now, it was the intellectual side of him that brought him to MIT. Happily for us, from his several worlds, from those several career possibilities, he chose science. And his research as a student here provided new understandings in laser physics. Finally, perhaps most importantly, Ron McNair was husband, father, son, and brother, and he brought to his family life the same enthusiasms and joys, the same intensity that marked all his pursuits.

What were the characteristics that enabled Ron to pursue such a rich and many sided life? Such words as hard work, achievement, promise, vision, self-confidence come to mind. So to do words like integrity, wisdom, judgment, and generosity.

Equally important, Ron was a builder of bridges, bridges between people. A black man who grew up in a segregated society, Ron used his talents and his teachings in science, in religion, in the arts, in athletics to form friendships and connections with many people from many races and many cultures. The essential importance of him was that in forming these bridges, he was able to retain and indeed to celebrate his own cultural identity. It is this quality especially, the celebration of the variety of cultures and interests within the whole, the celebration of pluralism, that we as an institution and as a society-- and I speak here not just of MIT, but of the nation-- that we should strive for.

What else is there to say about this man? Say that he was an achiever. Ron was not content with halfway measures, with average goals, or with median achievements. He welcomed the difficult path, and he said for himself standards higher than others would set for him. Then he met or exceeded those standards again and again. He stuck to his dreams, and he brought to each part of his life an indomitable spirit and a shining belief in his own capacity to succeed. He held the promise of future leadership for a nation that has too few heroes. Charles Bolden is quite right. Ron McNair is, was, a real life hero.

Moreover, Ron possessed in full measure a prized ability, the capacity for self-teaching, the knack of learning on one's own. As educators, one of our most important tasks, probably our single most important task, is to prepare students for independent learning and for a lifetime of intellectual self renewal. Overall, we try to help each student develop the attitudes, the habits of mind, and the approaches to learning that will ensure a lifetime of technical excellence, of social contribution, and of personal fulfillment. I can think of no better example of these qualities manifest in a single individual than Ron McNair.

Through this memorial we hope, we believe, that the essential qualities of Ron's life will be communicated to future generations, to the generations or Joy and Reggie and those that follow. And we believe that his example will inspire them to lead them to new dimensions of fullness in life and fullness in mind. Thank you.

[APPLAUSE]

Now there are a few presentations to make, and I would like to ask Ms. McNair to come forward and join me here at the lectern. Cheryl? Cheryl, we want you to have to take away from this day something which will be a reminder to you of that part of MIT which bears Ron's name. And I have for you the architect's rendering, prepared some years ago, of the building, the Ronald E. McNair building.

[APPLAUSE]

I'm going to put that down here because there are some other presentations, and you're going to have your hands full before we're done. And I'd like to ask Ms. Carol Morris, who is president of the Black Students' Union, to come forward and make a presentation on behalf of the BSU. Carol?

MORRIS: Good afternoon, and a special welcome to the McNair family. This afternoon, we've heard our dedication speakers talk about Ron McNair, the pioneering astronaut and friend, Ron McNair, the fellow colleague, Ron McNair, the MIT hero, and Ron McNair, the outstanding physicist. I'm sure all of you that knew Dr. McNair will agree that in addition, he was an exemplary advocate of education and held a very special place in his heart for students.

Between speaking engagements and missions in research and receiving his many awards, he always found time to encourage students, to encourage us, to never settle for second best and never give up, and always do the best that we could. In short, his message to us was failure only means not trying, and that if we were doing our best and reaching beyond our limits, then we were winners regardless of the outcome of our endeavors-- or as he more eloquently put it, you all here at MIT are hanging it over the edge. You all are winners.

So on behalf of the MIT Black Students' Union, I would like to express our love and appreciation for the life of Ron McNair, Ron McNair the mentor, Ron McNair the role model, and most of all, Ron McNair the winner maker. I would like to present gifts to Reggie and Joy. This is our small way of saying that the life of their father has had a great impact on students, especially black students here at MIT.

[APPLAUSE]

In addition, the BSU is also assembling a scrapbook or Ron's time here at MIT as both a student and mentor, and we will be presenting that to the McNair family at a later date. Thank you very much.

[APPLAUSE]

GRAY: And now I'd like to ask Dr. Saxon to come forward for a presentation on behalf of the MIT Corporation. David?

SAXON: Cheryl, we have here a silver bowl which contains the inscription of the plaque on the building, which we will unveil a bit later. And I want to present that to you, and one other very important memento [INAUDIBLE]. And Carol, I wonder if you would be willing to help me. We have similar, if slightly smaller, versions of this bowl to present to members of the family. Could you help me do that? I believe they're on the table.

[LAUGHTER]

And if you don't know where they go, then we're in trouble.

[LAUGHTER]

We have two brothers up there. We have one of Ron's brothers here. There they are, right there. That should do it. Thank you.

[APPLAUSE]

And we also have for the children two beavers representing the MIT mascot.

[APPLAUSE]

Cheryl, would you care to comment?

MCNAIR: Oh, yes. I would like to. This has just been a wonderful day and wonderful dedication. These beautiful things. This has been a very special dedication, the naming of a building in my husband's name, and to think of the ways of inspiration that one hopes that other students will gain through the knowledge of his life, through the things that he believed in and stressed throughout his life, and his character, those of excellence and perseverance, and that of humanitarian aspects of love and concern for others.

I have enjoyed all of the events associated with this dedication. They've all been so very warm, so very kind, so very nice and well done. What I'd like to tell you, though, also, is what makes this so very extra special. What makes this very extra special is the consideration and the respect, and yes, the love that it took to motivate an entire community to come together to do just such a dedication. I'd like to commend the MIT community for having such respect and such consideration, and for having such love towards their son, with whom they did have some part in the development. But the fact that they would recognize that, and the fact that they have such love to name a building in his honor, I commend you, and I thank you for that love and for that support.

Ron would be extremely honored. He would be thrilled to know that you think of him, and think of his life and his character, to think of the ways that he could give to others, which he stressed in excellence, in achievements and endurance, and yes, in love. And so once again, he would be thrilled and honored, and I am, thus, the very honored to be here and to receive this dedication and the naming of this building. Thank you very much.

[APPLAUSE]

And I have just a little something else to tell you. You've all been so very warm to me, to my family. And this is what makes it so very extra special to come back to a place, not just that the place has beautiful memories and that you had a good time there or you had a wonderful experience there. That is special, and this area does have that for me. Ron and I met here in the Cambridge area, and I've been here at MIT working with him and participating in some lot with his experiments there in the labs right here at MIT. And of course, as many of you may know, we were married in Cambridge.

Ron had, also-- there was a mutual feeling. You have dedicated a building to him and showing your feelings of warmth and love and respect. Well, Ron had a mutual feeling. You see, Ron took something in the space shuttle with him, in the Space Shuttle Challenger, and it pertained to MIT. And as I understand, one does not take any kind of item up there in the space shuttle. It's a very special item. And I would imagine it's an item that brings back good memories if one were to take it, and you have to be so very selective in the size and in the weight, and you're only limited to very few items.

Well, I imagine, and as I have talked with Astronaut Bolden, that one takes very care in the selection of the items that they will take. And those items mean very good, very special things. Well, Ron took a little bit MIT with him, and it was found in the ocean. And I know he would like you to have it. So Ron, too, had very good feelings, wonderful feelings to MIT, and I'd like to present it.

[INAUDIBLE]

I would like to present this plaque which holds the key for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology that Ron took on the Space Shuttle Challenger with him. And this is what was found. And NASA has put together a beautiful plaque, and I'd like to present it to you.

[APPLAUSE]

SAXON: Cheryl, we are deeply moved by your thoughtfulness, by your kindness in presenting us with that MIT insignia. We will preserve it, and we will cherish it forever. I'm pleased now to call on the MIT gospel choir. They will sing the anthem Let Mount Zion Rejoice. The performance of this anthem is dedicated, as it is whenever the choir performs it, to the memory of Ron McNair. Ladies and gentlemen, the MIT gospel choir.

[APPLAUSE]

[MUSIC PLAYING]

CHOIR (SINGING): Great is the Lord. Great is the Lord. Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised! Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised! Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised! Praised, praised, praised. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God. In the city of our God, in the mountain of His holiness.

Beautiful. Beautiful. Beautiful for situation. The joy of the whole earth is Mount Zion. Beautiful. Beautiful. Beautiful for situation. The joy of the whole earth is Mount Zion.

Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised! Praised, praised, praised. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God. In the city of our God, in the mountain of His holiness.

We have thought of thy loving kindness, thy loving kindness. O God, in the midst of thy temple, in the midst, in the midst of thy temple. We have thought of thy loving kindness, thy loving kindness. O God, in the midst of thy temple. We have thought of thy loving kindness.

All glory to thy name, O God! So is thy praise to the end of the earth! The [INAUDIBLE] is full of righteousness, is full of righteousness. Let Mount Zion rejoice! Let Mount Zion rejoice! Let Mount Zion rejoice, and the daughter of Judah be glad. Let Mount Zion rejoice! Let Mount Zion rejoice! Let Mount Zion rejoice, and the daughters of Judah be glad.

Walk on Mount Zion, and go round about her. Tell of the towers, the towers thereof. Mark ye well, oh mark ye well the bulwarks. Consider, consider all the palaces. That ye may tell it to generations following. that ye may tell it to generations following.

[INTERPOSING VOICES]

CHOIR (SINGING): For this God is our God, is our God forever.

[INTERPOSING VOICES]

CHOIR (SINGING): Our guide even unto death, even unto death. He will be our guide. He will be our guide even unto death.

[APPLAUSE]

SAXON: This competes the speaking part of our ceremony, but the ceremony itself will not be concluded until we unveil the plaque in the lobby of the McNair building, which is just a few steps away. Because that lobby is small, only the McNair family and the participants in that program, the unveiling, and this morning's symposium will go to the McNair building.

However, that unveiling will be telecast from that lobby to this large screen behind me so that the rest of you will be able to view it staying just where you are. And we ask you to remain here in deference to the meaning of this occasion and that unveiling. We will take just a few minutes to complete this part of the ceremony. And while you're waiting and before we appear on the screen, the gospel choir will sing again. So will those of you who are to participate in that ceremony now go across that building, and the rest of you please stay and be entertained by the choir. Thank you.

May I add that immediately following the unveiling, everyone is invited to a reception in the lobby of the Bush building, which is not very far from here across the open space, where music will be provided by Associate Provost [? Jay ?] [? Kaiser ?] and the Intermission Trio, and by the [? Semina ?] [? McCord ?] quartet. Thank you for coming. Please stay to view the unveiling. We'll see you shortly.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

CHOIR (SINGING): Glorious! Glorious! Glorious, thou art glorious! Unto thee, we give all praise, we give all praise, Lord, unto thee. Glorious! Glorious! Glorious, thou art glorious! Unto thee we give all praise, we give all praise, Lord, unto thee. For thy loving kindness, unto thee, thy faithfulness, unto thee. Lord we give all praise, we give all praise, we give all praise unto thee. Glorious! Glorious! Glorious, thou art glorious! Unto thee we give all praise, we give all praise, Lord, unto thee.

For thy loving kindness, unto thee, thy faithfulness, unto thee, Lord we give all praise, we give all praise, we give all praise unto thee. Glorious! Glorious! Glorious, thou art glorious! Unto thee, we give all praise. We give all praise, Lord, unto thee. Praise be to God, [INAUDIBLE] forever and ever more. Praise be to God, [INAUDIBLE] for ever and ever more. Forever and ever more.

Forever.

Forever and ever more.

Forever. Forever and ever more. Forever and ever more.

[APPLAUSE]

[SINGING] Salvation and glory, honor and power unto the Lord our God. For God is mighty, and Lord of [INAUDIBLE] omnipotent. [INAUDIBLE]

Halleujah! May He shine in glory, honor and power unto the Lord of the [? earth. ?]

[INAUDIBLE]

[APPLAUSE]