{"id":173342,"date":"2026-06-04T13:20:33","date_gmt":"2026-06-04T17:20:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/?p=173342"},"modified":"2026-06-04T13:21:31","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T17:21:31","slug":"a-beautiful-thing-stalwarts-on-the-sidelines-at-bates-commencement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/2026\/06\/04\/a-beautiful-thing-stalwarts-on-the-sidelines-at-bates-commencement\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018A beautiful thing\u2019: Stalwarts on the sidelines at Bates Commencement"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It\u2019s 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, and the 160th Bates Commencement procession has just set off from Alumni Walk. It will wind along campus walkways en route to the Historic Quad and its final destination, Coram Library. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jeremy Caron of Lewiston has been waiting in his wheelchair on the Quad for nearly three hours. He got there early to secure a location where he could easily see and greet the Bates seniors he\u2019s come to know over the last four years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For many, Commencement is a whirlwind, one-time visit to Bates. But for some like Caron, who choose to attend year after year, it is an annual touchstone, a chance to support the graduates while reconnecting with a community that has shaped their lives and created a lifetime of memories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not far from Caron, a trio of octogenarian Bates retirees \u2014 Judy Marden \u201966, her classmate Bill Hiss \u201966, and Elaine Freeman \u2014 watch the proceedings from a prime perch, the steps of Hathorn Hall. Collectively, they\u2019ve seen around 150 Commencements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Images
From left, Judy Marden \u201866, Bill Hiss \u201866, and Elaine Freeman arrive at Commencement on May 31, 2026. (Jay Burns\/Bates College)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Marden joined the Bates Advancement staff shortly after her own graduation, which was held in the Armory a few blocks from campus. (Lore has it that the Armory was an especially stuffy venue because the circus and its elephants had just left town.) By the mid-1970s, Marden had assumed a new position created by President Thomas Hedley Reynolds, \u201cliaison officer for college functions.\u201d A veteran World War II tank commander, Reynolds might\u2019ve pulled the job title from an Army handbook.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A big part of Marden\u2019s job was to run Commencement and Convocation, plus summer programs, which she did with help from Freeman, a director in Facility Services. Marden also advised the Bates Outing Club. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Decades later, the twin Bates events help anchor and give meaning to Marden\u2019s annual trip around the sun. \u201cMy year ends with Commencement and begins with Convocation,\u201d she says. \u201cIf it did not, it would have no form.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ever since Reynolds introduced the tradition, a bagpiper has led the Bates Commencement procession. (Reynolds was also responsible for relocating Commencement from the Armory to the Quad.) On Sunday, the piper\u2019s arrival on the Quad reminds Marden and Freeman of a Commencement task back in the day: appearing with goblets and scotch so Reynolds could share a down-the-hatch drink with the piper at the end of the ceremony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Commencement
Continuing a longtime Bates tradition, Commencement piper John Daggett Jr. plays in front of Hathorn Hall on May 31, 2026, as members of the Bates faculty parade by. (Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For Hiss, a retired Bates admission dean who forged the college\u2019s famed test-optional admission policy, attending Commencement is an act of bearing witness. \u201cCommencement is about Bates doing, and continuing to do, what America needs. It\u2019s that simple,\u201d he says.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, down on the Quad, Caron awaits the procession. He hasn\u2019t missed a Bates graduation since 2006, but he\u2019s more than just a Commencement regular. He attends scores of campus events each year, especially Bobcat sports. Which ones? \u201cEvery single one,\u201d he says. That\u2019s around 125 contests annually. \u201cI love sports, and I always tell the athletes that I\u2019ll support them through thick and thin,\u201d he says. \u201cI want to celebrate all their hard work and effort.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By 9:45, the seniors are nearing Caron\u2019s spot on the Quad. The procession route is full of parents standing elbow to elbow taking pictures and the passing grads, seeming to tower above Caron in his wheelchair. But no matter: They spy their loyal fan, break from the ranks, and reach out for a fist bump, handshake, or hug.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Zach
Zach Rosenthal \u201826 of Chicago reaches out to greet and thank avid Bates Athletics fan Jeremy Caron of Lewiston during the Commencement procession on May 31, 2026. (Jay Burns\/Bates College)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

That included Zach Rosenthal \u201926, a politics and history double major from Chicago who handled game-day operations for Bates Athletics as a student worker. Seeing familiar Bates faces like Caron\u2019s on Commencement day was \u201creally cool,\u201d he said later. \u201cIt\u2019s clich\u00e9, but it\u2019s a full-circle moment. You see these people all the time throughout the past four years, and to see them at the final stop of your academic journey is really special.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Caron was born without the use of his legs. At age 10, he learned to use an adaptive bicycle, and he\u2019s been an avid biker ever since, including riding in the annual Dempsey Challenge for cancer support. Asked to offer advice to seniors, Caron reflects on his own experience. \u201cThere are times you have to adapt,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Longtime Lewiston resident Ernie Ashton, a retired local elementary school teacher, has been a driver for the Bobcat Express student shuttle for 23 years. Ashton wasn\u2019t shuttling on Sunday, but there\u2019s no way he would miss graduation. \u201cIt’s a pleasure to be here year after year. I just love them,\u201d he says. \u201cYou watch these kids for four years, and they do such a great job. They keep me young.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Ernie
Ernie Ashton, a retired school teacher who drives the Bobcat Express student shuttle, stands near Hathorn Hall at Commencement, May 31, 2026. \u201cIt’s a pleasure to be here year after year,\u201d he says. (Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

He likes to talk up Lewiston to his passengers on the shuttle, \u201cplaces they should see before they leave,\u201d like Thorncrag Nature Sanctuary and Veterans Memorial Park by the Androscoggin River. \u201cAnd they do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This March, Paul Menice retired as head of Campus Safety after 36 years of service to the college. He\u2019s seen and supported students at their best and worst. \u201cEveryone makes mistakes when they\u2019re young,\u201d he says. When he sees students at Commencement, he sees maturity and appreciation. \u201cIt\u2019s a highlight, getting hugs and handshakes, and them saying \u2018thanks.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Sun
Sun Journal<\/em> photographer Russ Dillingham, who grew up next door to Bates, photographs Commencement on May 31, 2026. It’s a work day, but a fun one; a Bates graduation is \u201crelaxed, friendly, and joyful,\u201d he says. (Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Another local at Commencement is Russ Dillingham, an award-winning photographer for Lewiston\u2019s Sun Journal<\/em>. He\u2019s on the job today, but the event tugs at his heart. \u201cI grew up over there,\u201d he says, pointing to Campus Avenue, where there used to be wood-frame residences, replaced in recent years by college buildings like Bonney Science Center and Chu and Kalperis halls.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Peter
Peter Slovenski attended Commencement in a vintage Bates track warmup sweatshirt once worn by the outstanding Bates track athlete Rudy Smith \u201860. (Jay Burns\/Bates College)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

When he was a child, Dillingham wore corrective leg braces. A Bates student who babysat the Dillingham children would bring Russ over to campus for walks. He got stronger, and his legs straighter. \u201cI\u2019m pretty sure that\u2019s why I can walk straight today,\u201d he says. He enjoys covering Commencement. \u201cIt\u2019s relaxed, friendly, and joyful.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On a walkway near Carnegie Science Hall is Peter Slovenski, son of legendary Bates track coach Walter Slovenski. Retired after coaching track at Bowdoin for 34 years, Slovenski stopped by to support graduate Zach Jawor \u201926 of Lewiston, one of his very best counselors at his Slovenski Camps on Panther Pond in Raymond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Slovenski remembers being awed as a little kid by towering Bates athletes of the day, figures like Howard Vandersea \u201963 or Thom Freeman \u201963. \u201cAs the years go by, as you see more and more students being able to grow into adults at a place like Bates, you realize it\u2019s less about individuals. More of a relay race, passing it forward.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Commencement
Sophia Cocchiarella \u201926 of Holliston, Mass., taps the Class of 1932 sundial, a Commencement tradition. A Bates Commencement is about \u201cpassing it forward,\u201d says Peter Slovenski. (Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

One of Walt Slovenski\u2019s former Bates runners, Tom Leonard \u201978, is another Commencement stalwart. An accomplished amateur photographer based in North Granby, Conn.,\u00a0Leonard travels around the Northeast each year from his home to photograph Bobcat athletes in action. Commencement is the final meet of the year, as it were. \u201cToday recognizes the fact that all Bates students have accomplished something incredibly meaningful,\u201d Leonard says.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Commencement
Tom Leonard \u201878 watches Commencement on May 31, 2026. To his right is his daughter, Alison Leonard \u201910, an assistant coach for Bates cross country and track and field. (Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I was a student, I don\u2019t know if I appreciated the scene as much as I do as an old person,\u201d he adds. \u201cI mean, my God, look at all these people who helped get these kids to where they are today. And that\u2019s a beautiful thing.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For many, Commencement is a one-and-done visit. For others in the audience \u2014 local alumni, retirees, and Lewiston friends \u2014 it\u2019s an annual touchstone, rich with memories, friendships, and purpose.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":104,"featured_media":173384,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_hide_ai_chatbot":false,"_ai_chatbot_style":"","associated_faculty":[],"_Page_Specific_Css":"","_bates_restrict_mod":false,"_table_of_contents_display":false,"_table_of_contents_location":"","_table_of_contents_disableSticky":false,"_is_featured":false,"footnotes":"","_bates_seo_meta_description":"","_bates_seo_block_robots":false,"_bates_seo_sharing_image_id":0,"_bates_seo_sharing_image_twitter_id":0,"_bates_seo_share_title":"","_bates_seo_canonical_overwrite":"","_bates_seo_twitter_template":""},"categories":[7,243],"tags":[10831,12453],"class_list":["post-173342","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni","category-annual-events","tag-commencement","tag-commencement-2026"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/173342","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/104"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=173342"}],"version-history":[{"count":21,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/173342\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":173405,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/173342\/revisions\/173405"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/173384"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=173342"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=173342"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=173342"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}