Above: School of Public Health graduates hoist aloft water bottles marked "Clean water for all!" Below: John Eames '22 proudly displays his graduation year as he marches in the Alumni Procession. Photos by Jon Chase

Perfection is a notoriously elusive state, but it was very nearly achieved on Thursday, June 10, in Harvard Yard as the early morning sun filtered through the leaves onto a profusion of color, noise, and movement. As officials, honorands, reunioners, professors, musicians, photographers, and graduates of all ages bustled around to be in exactly the right place when Commencement commenced, the sheriffs of Middlesex and Suffolk counties high-stepped through the crowd on their elegant white horses. A mild breeze wafted through, students cheered, bands tuned up, the governor arrived all was well with the world.

At precisely 7:45 a.m., alumni/ae, parents, and friends started pouring into the Yard. And by 10 a.m., when the ceremonies began, Tercentenary Theatre was filled to its capacity of 30,000 celebrants. That makes 30,000 Commencement stories, from which the following few were gathered by Gazette writers Alvin Powell and Ken Gewertz.

Twin Destinies

Linda Metakis positioned herself along the route that Pforzheimer House seniors would take into Tercentenary Theatre. She wanted to get a good look at her twin sons, Marc and Jason Metakis, who not only roomed together but who also both concentrated in economics.

Marc and Jason, the family's first Harvard graduates, are both going into investment banking in Manhattan, where they grew up. They both played Harvard football and had grade point averages just a tenth of a point apart, Metakis said.

"They're identical twins," she said.

Metakis was first in line among the proud parents when the gates to the Yard opened in early morning.

"I was here at 6:55. And it was a pure joy. I didn't mind [the wait] at all," she said.

Jet-Lagged and Loving It

Some parents came farther than others. Certainly few came farther than the parents of Partha Mohanram N.S. Mohanram and Vijaya Mohanram who flew from India to New York and then drove up to Boston to see Partha receive his Ph.D. in business economics.

"We are still somewhat jet-lagged, somewhat bushed," said N.S. Mohanram, who joked that his son's mortarboard didn't quite fit right, but that pride might take care of the situation. "He's very comfortable, but his cap is a bit loose. He thought it would fit because when he gets a Ph.D., he'll also get a swollen head."

From Our Class to Your Class

Members of the 50th Reunion Class of 1949 got a pleasant surprise during the morning procession when they were applauded by members of the Class of 1999, who lined the route.

"Nobody realized the graduating class would be lining the walkway as we passed. That was a really nice tradition," said Steve Washburn '49, chair of the 50th Class reunion. "I congratulated them. I told them it won't be that long until your 50th reunion."

There she is!

The quote of the morning came from a parent standing on a chair straining to get a glimpse of her graduate, like so many other parents straining to get a glimpse of their graduates:

"She has her back to us now!"

Information, Please

The folks manning the Information Booth in the Yard did their part in sorting out Commencement Day confusion over who lines up where and when for the various processions into Tercentenary Theatre.

"The Question of the Day is just, `Where do I go?' " said Hector Bove '00, an Information Booth staffperson.

The second most popular request was for directions to the restrooms.

99 Years and Still Counting

The oldest returning alumnus was 99-year-old John Eames, a member of the Class of 1922, who led the alumni/ae procession for the Afternoon Exercises. Eames, a fine arts concentrator who is today noted for his etchings, said there have been a lot of changes since he graduated in exercises held on the east side of Sever Hall.

When he was a student at Harvard, he said, Widener Library was new, and Appleton Chapel stood where the Memorial Church is now.

"I wanted to be a painter, but they didn't teach painting [then]. They taught the history of art," Eames said.

Ambulatory Care

Patrolling a patch of grass near Thayer Hall, Paul Cook and Larry Stone of the Professional Ambulance Co. watched with alert readiness as the crowds streamed through the Yard. Parked behind them, their red and white emergency vehicle stood poised for a quick exit.

The day had been fairly quiet, however, thanks to ideal weather conditions.

"When you get a lot of elderly together, there are usually a lot of heat problems," said Stone, the owner of the company. "But this has been pretty quiet. You couldn't ask for a better day than today."

Cook reported that there had been a couple of knee injuries, the result of people falling down. And there was "a gentleman from Indiana" who had to be taken to Cambridge Hospital to be treated for "seizure and head lacerations." But on the whole, disasters were in short supply.

"The cooler the weather, the less we do, and today's a perfect day," Cook said.

Dueling Diploma Framers

Up until Commencement Day, most students, when they think about the diploma they have worked so hard to earn, think only of holding it triumphantly in hand and brandishing it overhead perhaps as a proud relative snaps a picture.

But after that glorious moment comes and goes, another consideration becomes uppermost what to do with this treasured object? Two people were on hand to answer that question.

Maura Minkel-Frackleton of Framing Success displayed her wares at a table in the Yard in front of Grays Hall, a favored spot which her company merited through its association with the Alumni Office.

"It's been a great day," she said brightly. "I love Harvard graduation."

Brian Peyser of Diploma Display, a private company associated with Harvard Student Agencies, manned a table outside Meyer Gate, ready to answer the questions of people strolling between the Yard and the Science Center.

Peyser would not apply the term "rival" to Framing Success, but he did refer longingly to its position inside the Yard. "They get to set up in the inner sanctum. We have to stay outside."

But Peyser's exile from the Yard did not appear to hurt his business. He had taken orders for "about 20 units," and expected to sell many more through direct mail offers to seniors as well as through the brochures he handed out to passersby. There were two styles, traditional and premier, both fashioned from Brazilian marupa wood. With the premier style, graduates get a choice of either a photograph or a pen-and-ink drawing of Widener Library positioned above their diploma.

Minkel-Frackleton would not reveal how many orders she had taken, but she did say that the majority of her sales were by mail. Her frames were made from mahogany or burrow wood and feature the seal of the graduate's school emblazoned on a crimson mat.