New York Yankees Manager Joe Torre and his wife, Alice W. Torre spoke to Rider University’s Class of 2006 on May 12.
By:Lea Kahn Staff Writer
New York Yankees Manager Joe Torre has a couple of simple messages that he conveys to his baseball players before a game to go out on the field and be an individual, and to maintain one’s integrity.
This was also the advice Mr. Torre gave to the Class of 2006 at Rider University as they gathered on the campus green, between Centennial Lake and the Franklin F. Moore Library, Friday morning.
Mr. Torre and his wife, Alice W. Torre, spoke to the more than 1,000 graduates and their families during the graduation ceremony. Mr. and Ms. Torre each received an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree from Rider.
The Yankees manager and his wife each were handed a Rider University baseball jersey, presented to them by five graduating seniors from the school’s baseball team Casey Kernan, Tom Letizia, Michael Poalise, Steven Sciaraffo and Bryan Wagner.
Rider University President Mordechai Rozanski greeted the crowd and, noting the bright blue sky, remarked that "God must be a Yankees fan." Storm clouds that threatened to rain and move the ceremonies indoors had disappeared in time for the 9:30 a.m. ceremony.
Dr. Rozanski turned to the soon-to-be graduates and told them that this is a special day for them as they prepare to leave college and enter the world. This day is a joyful one for the seniors, as well as for their families and the faculty and staff at Rider, he said.
Acknowledging Mr. and Ms. Torre, Dr. Rozanski said baseball "inspires our lives." Fans have a love/hate relationship with their favorite team and they live vicariously through the team, he said.
"Why is baseball relevant to Rider University and to our graduates today?" Dr. Rozanski asked. "The answer is that baseball mirrors what we value and teach. Baseball values competition, talent and achievement. It teaches leadership, critical thinking and communication skills. It cultivates lifelong friendships, pride of association and passion. We must always be accountable and always keep score."
Good work habits that help make baseball players successful on the field are the same for academia and the business world, Dr. Rozanski said.
"They include continuous learning and practice, playing by the rules and always striving to do your best even if you strike out occasionally," he said.
Baseball also teaches the lesson of altruism that in order to win, one must make sacrifices and commit to work together with others to advance the success of the entire team, Dr. Rozanski said.
Turning to Mr. and Ms. Torre, Dr. Rozanski said the university confers honorary degrees at each graduation ceremony. He said the Torres were being honored for their work with the Joe Torre Safe at Home Foundation, which was launched by the couple in 2002 as a result of Mr. Torre’s experience with domestic violence as a child.
"Yours is a mission of the heart," Dr. Rozanski told the couple. The foundation strives to help build healthy families and to provide a safe environment for children where they can thrive, he said, adding that the foundation lets children know they are loved and not alone.
Accepting her honorary degree, Ms. Torre thanked Rider University officials. She said she was standing on the podium at Rider not only because of her work as a community volunteer, but as a result of her community.
"It is not so much about what I have done, but the value of what others have done for me," said Ms. Torre, who is president of the Joe Torre Safe at Home Foundation.
"I accept this honor on behalf of the people who have given themselves to me without expecting anything in return," she said. "They love me in spite of me and made me the person that I am today."
Ms. Torre said she was happy to be sharing the honor of receiving the degree with her husband, who she called "one of the most honorable persons that I know." He has demonstrated leadership, courage and compassion, she said, adding that he taught her about love, trust and commitment."
Mr. Torre, in accepting his honorary degree, congratulated the graduates and cautioned them that "it’s a tough world out there."
"The only thing I can tell you I do this on a yearly basis to my players is to go out there (and) be individuals," Mr. Torre said. "Be who you are with your intelligence and enthusiasm. Spread it around, folks, because you are the leaders."
He advised the graduates to be aware that "the world is loaded with potholes and setbacks" and surviving those unexpected detours "will make you a better person and better leader."
Mr. Torre continued, "Anybody can smile and be a happy person when things go really well, but to be able to stay the course when there are some obstacles in your way shows a great deal of determination."
Integrity is an important word, Mr. Torre said. It is part of each person, and it is something that "goes with you wherever you go." When his wife spoke of trust and commitment, "that’s what integrity is all about," he said.
"Integrity is feeling good about yourself," he said. "That’s what our Safe at Home Foundation is trying to get across to these youngsters who grow up in abusive households ‘It’s not you, it’s not your fault.’"
Mr. Torre, who noted the importance of high self-esteem for a good life, urged the Rider graduates to enjoy theirs.
"You only borrow this life one time," he said. "Get the most out of it, but along the way, touch a lot of lives."
In addition to Mr. and Ms. Torre, Rider University senior Amy Wirth of Manchester addressed her classmates. The graduating class speaker told her classmates that graduation day is a day of achievement.
A college education is not only a gift, it is a privilege, Ms. Wirth said. All that she and her classmates have learned in the last four years is exactly what they need to succeed in life and to be able to "reach for the stars," she said.
Also at the graduation ceremony, the Rider University Awards for Distinguished Teaching were presented to Feng Chen, associate professor of chemistry, and to Todd Weber, assistant professor of biology.