Of the hundreds of poignant moments from Commencement Weekend, the video clip below from Alan Register’s speech to Brock School of Business graduates is near the top of my list.  Alan is a very successful business executive, currently serving as city president for BBVA Compass. He graduated from Samford in 1986.  He offered an outstanding speech to the graduates, with meaningful content and flawless delivery.  Near the end, he began to speak of his father, who earned the money to support the Register family by supervising the delivery of Coca-Cola products to stores in their Florida community.  In this clip, you’ll encounter many of the elements that make this place special:  an abiding faith in God, through the life and witness of a person who practices the highest standards of ethical behavior in his profession; the gratitude of a son for parents who enabled him to reach beyond his circumstances; the impact of faculty members who caused a diamond to reach a high level of brilliance; the sacrifice of a family, offered with joy, not grudgingly; and an enduring love for an institution that nurtured the best qualities in a graduate.

The world is better because of Alan Register—and his parents.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbHwcRp8ozg&feature=youtu.be

 

 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 5,791 students from 49 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.