| ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y., May 17, 2009 — Wolf Blitzer might sound like a prototypical football name, but the Buffalo native told St. Bonaventure University graduates Sunday that he was ultimately better served to chose journalism as a trade.
As a freshman at the University at Buffalo in 1966, the Kenmore West graduate tried out for the football team. In a scrimmage with Syracuse, an imposing running back for the Orangemen pointed his finger at Blitzer — “a linebacker, of course, what other position could I play with that name,” he said — and made a slashing motion across his throat.
 Blitzer gulped, then “made a life-or-death decision” to avoid a legitimate tackle attempt. The back sped past him for a touchdown. The running back was three-time All-American Floyd Little, who went on to star with the Denver Broncos from 1967-1975.
“The lesson is, if at first you don’t succeed, try something else,” Blitzer said, drawing a laugh from the 351 undergraduate and 259 graduate students taking part in the 149th Commencement, which closed the sesquicentennial celebration of the university.
Blitzer said he understood the likely angst graduates must feel, especially in this troubled economy. He stressed the need to remain upbeat and positive “because it’s contagious,” and told students to search for professions they truly love.
“I only hope and pray that you end up with a job you love, that you are passionate about,” Blitzer said. “I really look forward going to work at CNN every day because I know I’ll be a little smarter by the time I go to bed. That’s the great thing about journalism — you’re always learning something.”
Blitzer encouraged graduates to accept that they will make mistakes along the way, “but you can’t overly dwell on them. Don’t compound them. You just have to accept them and move on.”
Blitzer said he still marvels occasionally that a young boy from Buffalo could grow up to have the opportunity to report on such history-altering events, like the election of Barack Obama on Nov. 4, 2008.
“It dawned on me later that evening when I was walking back to my hotel in New York, after I reported his election at 11 p.m. when the West Coast polls closed, that CNN was on in cities all around the world, and I had probably just told a billion people that Barack Obama had just been elected president,” Blitzer said.
Also during the ceremony, Blitzer received an honorary doctorate of humane letters, along with John B. “Jack” Butler, SBU class of 1951 and an all-pro defensive back for the Steelers in the 1950s; and Marcia Marcus Kelly, a niece of renowned Olean poet Robert Lax.
 Butler was named to the 1950s All-NFL team, and only Hall of Famers Dick “Night Train” Lane and Emlen Tunnell had more interceptions when he retired in 1959. Butler never played high school football, and only tried out for St. Bonaventure’s team at the urging of Fr. Silas Rooney, a campus friar and the school’s athletic director.
Undrafted out of college, Butler was recommended by Fr. Silas to his brother, Art, the founder of the Steelers. Butler finished his career with four consecutive trips to the Pro Bowl from 1956-1959, but a devastating knee injury ended his career. He was named to the Steelers’ 75th Anniversary team in 2007.
Marcus Kelly has worked with others on local environmental issues, including: researching the dangers of spraying pesticides for mosquito control and lawn care; the dangers of locating a landfill or industry over the local water supply; and understanding the impact of wind energy.
Marcus Kelly also has been dedicated to preserving the legacy of Lax and Thomas Merton, the revered 20th century spiritual writer whom Lax roomed with at Columbia University in the 1930s. Merton, who spent summers with Lax in Olean, taught English at St. Bonaventure in 1940-41.
Marcus Kelly and her husband, Jack, who live in New York City but maintain their family home in Olean, are writers of their own note. Over the years they have written about hundreds of monasteries and retreats, including Mt. Irenaeus, the Franciscan sanctuary in West Clarksville. The series is called “Sanctuaries: A Guide to Lodgings in Monasteries, Abbeys and Retreats of the United States.”
Senior Ellen Grimes of Clinton, N.Y., also addressed her classmates. She echoed Blitzer’s sentiments. {Read a copy of Grimes's Undergraduate Student Speech}
“We need to make an obligation to ourselves to make sure that we always love what we do and that we do it with love,” Grimes said. “Everything else will without a doubt fall into place.”
Sunday’s Commencement ceremony was the final event of the University’s 15-month celebration of its sesquicentennial. Graduates wore special bronze medallions in honor of St. Bonaventure’s 150th anniversary. __________
About the University: St. Bonaventure is in the top 25 percent of institutions in U.S.News & World Report’s 2009 ranking of Northern Universities – Master’s. It has a history of accomplishment and service that extends back 150 years. At the heart of St. Bonaventure University is the Franciscan affirmation of the dignity and worth of the entire created order. Fundamental to this vision is an awareness that it is within relationships and community that individuals discover and develop their potential.
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