Commencement Address

Cedar Hill, Texas
May 19, 2006
Commencement speech delivered to the graduates of Northwood University in Dallas, Texas, by Phillip D. Brady, Esq., Doctor of Laws, honoris causa; President, National Automobile Dealers Association.

Dr. Fry, Dr. Fegan, Board of Governors, fellow Trustees, distinguished guests and, of course and most importantly, soon to be Northwood graduates. Thank you for the opportunity to be here, and please know it is a great privilege and a pleasure to participate in this 2006 Commencement. In that regard, I might focus on the word “Commencement” for a moment to convey a message from all the parents in the audience to the Class of 2006. As Bill Cosby once said in a Commencement address he delivered in 1985,  “Graduates, remember the word commencement means ‘to go forth’; it does not mean ‘to return home’”. . . So you've been forewarned.

Also, with respect to your parents, I might share a Mark Twain quote which you as graduates may now particularly appreciate. Mark Twain wrote that when he was 14-years old he thought his parents were the most ignorant people imaginable, and he couldn't stand to be around them. But when he turned 21, he was amazed to find how much they had learned in just 7 years. I would bet that late-blooming regard and respect for your parents is something you've all experienced, and I’d ask that you take a moment to thank them and acknowledge them.

With that, turning attention to the graduates, I’d like to share a story that stems from my invitation to participate in this Commencement. Dr. Fry’s letter of invitation, while very welcome, was also a bit intimidating. Most of the letter was devoted to a very fulsome description of what an outstanding and memorable job last year’s Commencement speaker did in addressing the Class of 2005. As you can imagine, that gave me some pause in accepting the invitation for this year’s commencement but it also brought to mind a story which former Notre Dame football coach Lou Holtz tells about a student who was trying out to be a field goal kicker on the Notre Dame football team. He was having a terrible day, missing kick after kick. Finally, he came to the sideline and said, “Coach, I’m a great field goal kicker – I just can’t make them when you're watching.” Lou Holtz’ great response was, “Then, son, I just don't know what we're going to do; I was planning on attending all the games.”

Of course, the message is we all have to perform under pressure, and just as I happily accepted my challenge here, you all will soon be leaving the warm embrace of academic life and will instead need to embrace the challenge of beginning your careers utilizing the great knowledge and skills your Northwood education has provided you.

And you can take pride in the fact that Northwood is a great University, founded on great ideals with a firm foundation and the promise of an even greater future.

And this leads me, with your forbearance, to take advantage of this opportunity to publicly acknowledge and salute your President for the last 24 years, Dr. David Fry.

As you know, Dr. Fry has announced his retirement later this year as President of Northwood although he intends to remain very much involved in the life of Northwood, as he says, “its most dedicated cheerleader.”

There will be many tributes to Dr. Fry in the months ahead as his retirement grows closer but I believe it’s very relevant to you, the soon-to-be-graduates of Northwood, to note that the quality of the education you received here and the pride you can take away from here is directly attributable to Dr. Fry’s vision and leadership over the past 24 years. When Dr. Fry first assumed the Presidency, Northwood was an institute with two campuses and 2,800 students. Now, Northwood is a nationally known University with 3 residential campuses, 12,000 students, 44 program centers, 6 overseas programs and, importantly, a first-class Graduate School, the DeVos School.

So, you can take great pride in your school and I’d appreciate it if you would join me in recognizing the primary architect of today’s Northwood, Dr. David Fry.

Now to a couple of brief, more traditional Commencement address messages, such as they are, to the Class of 2006. As Dr. Fry said in his introduction, my presence here derives from the fact that I have the honor of representing one of the largest groups of successful entrepreneurs in the world – the men and women who own and manage the new car and truck dealerships in this country. Those dealers generate over all retail sales in this country, employ well over one million people and by any measure play a vital role in our national economy. This is the 100^th anniversary of the automobile retail system as we know it, and it has survived wars, depressions, and the internet. It has proven itself to be the most efficient, most effective and most competitive means of making transportation available to all and it contributes significantly to the free and open society we enjoy in this country and you celebrate at Northwood. As Dr. Fry said in a recent speech, “it may be that private vehicles confer more personal freedom than any law, any government or organ of central control. Vehicles are mobility and mobility is freedom.” Now, I recognize that only some of you are intending to pursue a career in the automobile industry, but all of you will soon be graduates of a University that extols entrepreneurship and risk taking such as exemplified by the automobile retail industry. And, there are many other industries and career paths where those skills and the optimistic mind set that characterizes all successful entrepreneurs will allow. One such career path is to start your own business and to be part of the small business community that is the fabric of this country. Two out of every three new jobs in this country are created by small business and well over 600,000 new small businesses are launched each year. And who knows, the small business or job you take today can lead to big business and big responsibilities if you take full advantage of all you've learned here at Northwood and you have that internal drive that overcomes any and all obstacles. That’s true regardless of race, color or creed or economic circumstances thanks to the free enterprise system we enjoy in this country. Taking a quote from my industry, as Henry Ford once said, “You say I started with practically nothing, but that isn't correct. We all start with all there is. It’s how we use it that makes everything possible.”

A more modern day example from my industry is Mike Jackson, the CEO and Chairman of AutoNation - a Fortune 500 retailer with almost 400 new car franchises. Mike began as an apprentice mechanic in an automobile dealership, rose to become the manager of that dealership, then became head of the Mercedes brand in the U.S., and now leads the largest new car retailing organization in the country.

Certainly that level of success is exceptional, but I believe it illustrates the fact the American Dream is very much alive and well and all of you have the opportunity to pursue it, each in your own individual way.

And the education you have received at Northwood has given you the tools to achieve your own success and with that success will also come responsibility – responsibility to “give back” to your community and to your country. Since we're in Texas, I'll quote a resident of Texas who I had the privilege of working for in The White House - George H.W. Bush - our 41^st President. President Bush made one of the themes of his presidency recognizing the need to “give back” and his speeches regularly included the statement “From now on in America, any definition of a successful life must include service to others.” I’d also like to suggest another responsibility and that is to “give back” to your country through your active engagement in the political life of this country. Our free enterprise system that is your birthright and serves as a touchstone at Northwood must be constantly nurtured; and that requires the involvement of all in the political process. As Plato once said darkly, “The price of apathy towards public affairs is to be ruled by evil men.” A more contemporary way of saying that is “if you don't turn on to politics it will turn on you.” And, politics, broadly defined, can bring about positive change, sometimes monumental change.

One illustration of such monumental change that I believe didn't receive anywhere near the attention it deserved happened just south of here almost exactly 2 years ago. Again, it involves President Bush who sponsored an 80^th birthday party event at his Presidential Library in College Station, Texas with the proceeds to go to three charitable causes. The highlight of the event was President Bush repeating the parachute jump he had done on his 75^th birthday. He made the 80^th birthday jump and one of the first people to embrace and congratulate him was Mikhail Gorbechev, the former president of the former Soviet Union – the “evil empire” as Ronald Reagan called it.

What an extraordinary statement that made - two people who,  relatively very few years ago were the heads of their nations engaged in the most dangerous confrontation imaginable, with thousands of nuclear weapons aimed at one another, could embrace on a grass field in College Station, Texas with the cold war behind them and us.

What that says is that men and women of goodwill can make a difference, and your obligation is to get and stay involved in the public affairs of our nation to ensure that we are never ruled by “evil men.”

With that I will conclude - I do recognize what a welcome word that is - by referencing the Calvin and Hobbs comic strip which was highlighted recently in a Washington Post special section on college graduation. Calvin and Hobbs which all of you graduates will hopefully remember from your grammar school and high school days was one of the most popular strips in the country. The strip’s creator, Bill Watterson, did his last strip on December 31, 1995 depicting Calvin, the very precocious and adventuresome 6-year old, and Hobbs, his talking and more practical stuffed tiger - at the top of a steep hill covered with newly fallen snow. They're carrying a toboggan and below them are trees and bumps and hazards at every turn. But Calvin’s take is to say to Hobbs, “Wow, it really snowed last night - isn't it beautiful. A new year, a fresh clean start, a day full of possibilities.” And with that, Calvin and Hobbs hop on the toboggan and Calvin says “Hobbs, old buddy, it’s a magical world out there, let’s go exploring.” So, graduates, “go exploring” - it is said that entrepreneurs are the explorers of the modern age - take risks, work hard and give back, and your’s will be a life of consequence and a credit to your family, your country and your great university.

Warmest congratulations, best wishes for every success, and thank you for the opportunity to be a part of your Commencement.