Class Note 1997
Issue
September-October 2023
Twenty-six years ago, Paavo Lipponen ’64, class of 1997 Commencement speaker and former prime minister of Finland, talked to us about the importance of American involvement in Europe for political stability. Flash forward to June 2023, when Phil Lord and Chris Miller did the same. Not really, but the Oscar winners did deliver a powerhouse speech in which they addressed the importance of art, failing, and hard work. Here are some highlights.
Chris: “It doesn’t matter if you’re going into finance, consulting, medicine, teaching, or basketball. Every field is a creative field. They all need your imagination.”
Phil: “That’s why we want to ask you to continue to make space in your life for art, much like this campus and this Green make space for it. And make space for silliness. And playfulness. It will keep your mind from turning flabby. It is a dumbbell for your soul.”
Chris: “Art is often very silly but it is not frivolous. People have been going into dark caves to see paintings and hear stories for 30,000 years, at least, longer than people have been eating bread.”
Phil: “We have lost three Oscars, one Emmy, we have been made fun of by Chris Rock at an awards ceremony and mocked by David Fincher at a funeral.”
Chris: “But don’t worry. You’re not going to fail like we did and hopefully not on the CNN ticker. You’re each going to fail in your own unique, beautiful ways. And it’s going to really, really suck.”
Phil: “And that is all right. That is what is supposed to happen. When that happens, just know you are right where you are supposed to be.”
Chris: “You’re going to go out there and build your own messy network of people who will help you when you fail, who will help you look at the world in a new way, and make your good ideas better, and last you a lifetime.”
I caught up with Phil by email (Chris was out of town), who responded with characteristic humility and wit to the following questions.
How did it feel to be up on stage delivering the Commencement address 26 years after graduating?
“We felt like charlatans because we were the least accomplished people getting degrees of any kind that day. The other honorees are dynamos of humanism, altruism, and scholarship. Many actual doctors just graduated. We write doody jokes for talking animals. (Please see Strays only in theaters this August!)”
What do your honorary degrees mean to you?
“We are going to see if it gets us better tables at restaurants. We are doctors of arts, which means we can now practice artsy medicine. It also means we can malpractice it. Anyway, take two friezes and call me in the morning.”
Do you have a project that is most influenced by your time at Dartmouth?
“Probably Strays from Universal Pictures, only in theaters this August! Dartmouth is where we met and learned to work together. So, honestly, every single project.”
Take care and keep sending your news.
—Jason Casell, 19018 Salado Canyon, San Antonio, TX 78258; jhcasell@gmail.com
Chris: “It doesn’t matter if you’re going into finance, consulting, medicine, teaching, or basketball. Every field is a creative field. They all need your imagination.”
Phil: “That’s why we want to ask you to continue to make space in your life for art, much like this campus and this Green make space for it. And make space for silliness. And playfulness. It will keep your mind from turning flabby. It is a dumbbell for your soul.”
Chris: “Art is often very silly but it is not frivolous. People have been going into dark caves to see paintings and hear stories for 30,000 years, at least, longer than people have been eating bread.”
Phil: “We have lost three Oscars, one Emmy, we have been made fun of by Chris Rock at an awards ceremony and mocked by David Fincher at a funeral.”
Chris: “But don’t worry. You’re not going to fail like we did and hopefully not on the CNN ticker. You’re each going to fail in your own unique, beautiful ways. And it’s going to really, really suck.”
Phil: “And that is all right. That is what is supposed to happen. When that happens, just know you are right where you are supposed to be.”
Chris: “You’re going to go out there and build your own messy network of people who will help you when you fail, who will help you look at the world in a new way, and make your good ideas better, and last you a lifetime.”
I caught up with Phil by email (Chris was out of town), who responded with characteristic humility and wit to the following questions.
How did it feel to be up on stage delivering the Commencement address 26 years after graduating?
“We felt like charlatans because we were the least accomplished people getting degrees of any kind that day. The other honorees are dynamos of humanism, altruism, and scholarship. Many actual doctors just graduated. We write doody jokes for talking animals. (Please see Strays only in theaters this August!)”
What do your honorary degrees mean to you?
“We are going to see if it gets us better tables at restaurants. We are doctors of arts, which means we can now practice artsy medicine. It also means we can malpractice it. Anyway, take two friezes and call me in the morning.”
Do you have a project that is most influenced by your time at Dartmouth?
“Probably Strays from Universal Pictures, only in theaters this August! Dartmouth is where we met and learned to work together. So, honestly, every single project.”
Take care and keep sending your news.
—Jason Casell, 19018 Salado Canyon, San Antonio, TX 78258; jhcasell@gmail.com