Commencement
exercises in Rinker Outdoor Ampitheater are a signature part of the Eureka
College experience. In 1992, the former president added a little
extra magic to the special annual event in the life of the college.
Ronald
Reagan visited campus for the last time in 1992. His only visit in
the 1990s, Reagan appeared on campus, either as a student or as an honored
guest in each of eight consecutive decades. In the photo to the left,
the former president is greeted by Eureka College President George Hearne.
Commencement
exercises in Rinker Outdoor Ampitheater are a signature part of the Eureka
College experience. In 1992, the former president added a little
extra magic to the special annual event in the life of the college.
Here,
Reagan holds a chain of ivy with the graduating Reagan scholars.
When students enter Eureka College, they participate in an ivy ceremony,
in which sprigs of ivy are placed into a common container, symbolizing
the talents that each student brings to the college. Upon graduation,
students hold onto a chain of ivy which is then cut between each of them.
The section of ivy each individual carries away represents the gifts developed
and refined by the Eureka experience that will be planted in the larger
world.
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