Graduation at Yankee Statium

Wednesday, May 22, Day 30

John and I took the tram from Roosevelt Island  over to Manhattan to get to Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. 

We arrived, along with zillions of other happy families to witness the graduation of their  children.

I am looking at the view beyond the billboards and jumbotrons on  the other side of the field.

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The graduation venue was set up around the perimeter of the baseball field. 

We were expecting beating- down sun and heat.  The heat is there, but the sky is overcast, and we are under a shaded area, so we are pretty lucky.

The graduates are spread out below us, each according to the school from which they are graduating.

The President of NYU John Sexton bestowed a Medal of Honor on Edith Schlain Windsor, the woman whose case is pending before the Supreme Court.  She had a lesbian relationship for 40 years and married her partner in Canada two years before her wife died.  The marriage is not recognized under the Defense of Marriage Act and Edith faced a $350,000 estate tax.  At 83 years old she took on the legal battle. The outcome is expected this June.

Oliver Stone received an honorary degree.  No speech, but he was recognized for creating uncompromising, award-winning films.  Like all of the honorees, he is an NYU alumnus. 

And Claire Marie Frasier, a renowned scientist known for  her  human genome sequencing research. 

Omara Khan Masoudi, the director of the National Museum of Afghanistan who saved thousands of antiquities and kept them hidden during the Iraq war. 

And an honorary degree and the graduation speaker, David Boies, whose cases before the Supreme Court (like Bush V. Gore) have earned him international fame.  Boies currently has a case pending before the Supreme Court, Hollingsworth v. Perry, which would overturn California's Proposition 8, regarding marriage equality.  Although no one knows which way the court will rule, should they rule for marriage equality, it would be landmark civil rights decision.  Boies spoke to that case almost exclusively.  Many of the graduates were disappointed with Boies, since they have had both Clintons and Sonia Sotomayor as recent graduations speakers, and the rumor was the speaker would be Michele Obama.   However, if Boies wins this case, this may be a speech that the graduates remember and their lives will definitely be affected by the outcome.   

There were school entertainment groups , including this one that sang "New York, New York. "

And at last, all of the graduating classes were recognized and they became official alumni of the university. 

We went over to Babe Ruth Park and took pictures of our proud and excited graduate.

Cassy and Maria

Jack, Maria, Cassy, Mary and Cesar.

Cassy and Joel Fullerton

Cassy in her pretty graduation dress.

It was also Joel's 25th birthday, so we celebrated both occasions at a restaurant called Rebar, which is in the DUMBO part of  New York.  Dumbo stands for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass.

Afterwards, we took a stroll along the waterfront.  You can see the new World Trade Center in the background.

 A beautiful, peaceful sunny day, with a slight breeze coming off the water.  It was a great way to decompress.

The Manhattan Bridge and the Brooklyn Bridge were above us.

Cassy and Maria took a ride on Jane's Carousel.  Built in 1922, the carousel was been restored and housed in a new pavilion.  The carousel was a victim of Hurricane Sandy, which flooded the electrical components underneath.  The owner, Jane Walneta, whose husband was the developer for Dumbo, watched from their apartment as the water rose.  Fortunately the damage was minimal, and the husband says, "We can fix it.  This place takes a beating everyday.  A couple thousand kids with ice cream and lollipops - that's like a hurricane."

May all your princess dreams come true, Cassy Bear!  And congratulations!  The torch at NYU has been passed to another generation.