Father's Day evening tribute to my own dad

A month ago I made a crazed out-and-back trip from Beijing to the U.S. East Coast, stopping in LA, to fulfill an obligation many years in the making. This was to give a commencement speech at Ursinus College, outside Philadelphia. I mention it, on this Father's Day, because it directly concerned my father, and because some of the homilies involved were rounded up in today's NYT selection of "the future lies ahead"-ish thoughts from Commencement speeches. Pensees of mine are nestled in there between those of Clarence Thomas and Jessica Lange. Here is a transcript of the whole thing, in its 11-minute entirety. Happy Father's Day!

This article available online at:

http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2008/06/father-apos-s-day-evening-tribute-to-my-own-dad/8096/