New this year was Thursday night’s Grad Bash 2K18, a festival-style celebration for graduates, their families and the community in downtown Greenville. (Photos by Cliff Hollis, Rhett Butler and Cole Dittmer.)[/caption]
“Grad Bash was a lot of fun,” said Jessica Short, who received her bachelor of science in hospitality management from the College of Business. “It’s great that they did it, and it was really nice having all the different vendors and activities.”
Short said her favorite part of the event was the band — Spare Change. “They were awesome, and they played all kinds of covers,” she said.
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Spare Change plays at Grad Bash 2K18.[/caption]
At the evening ceremony, Chancellor Cecil Staton congratulated the graduates on their accomplishment and encouraged them to make a difference. “Today you become a part of the history and legacy of this great university,” he said. “We are counting on you to show us the way to a productive and meaningful future for our communities, our nation and even the world.”
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Chancellor Cecil Staton[/caption]
Joining Staton in greeting the graduates were La’Quon Rogers, SGA president; Dr. John Stiller, chair of the faculty; Kieran Shanahan, chair of the ECU Board of Trustees; and David Powers of the UNC Board of Governors, who presented the BOG’s 2018 Award for Excellence in Teaching to Dr. Jami Rhodes, associate professor of voice in the School of Music.
Introducing keynote speaker Linda McMahon, administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration, Staton said, “Today we are honored to have with us one of our own ECU Pirates, an eastern North Carolina success story, a public figure working and advocating on behalf of the 30 million small businesses in the United States.”
McMahon, a native of New Bern, earned her bachelor’s degree in French and her teaching certification at ECU, and went on to become the co-founder and chief executive officer of World Wrestling Entertainment.
In recognition of her leadership, accomplishments and service, Staton awarded McMahon an honorary doctorate of humanities degree, as approved by the ECU Board of Trustees.
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Chancellor Cecil Staton honors Linda McMahon with a honorary doctor of humanities degree.[/caption]
“I’m honored and humbled to share this special day with you,” McMahon said. “I look at your faces and see myself 49 years ago sitting as part of this sea of caps and gowns.”
McMahon was a newlywed when she arrived as a freshman, and she and husband Vince will celebrate 52 years of marriage this August.
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Linda McMahon delivers the commencement keynote address.[/caption]
She said she’s taken a lot of risks and had some failures amid success. She said she always asks questions because she likes to learn how things work. “Challenge the status quo. At work, treat everyday as if it’s your first day on the job,” McMahon said. “Your success will come from doing something better, smarter and more innovative than what’s been done before.”
She encouraged graduates to “find your passion, play to your strengths and never lose your curiosity. I think these apply to business or any path you take. While you can’t script your life, your values will drive your narrative.”
For the graduates, the ceremony dredged up a range of emotions, from joy and pride to nostalgia and anxiety.
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Graduates cheer during the ceremony.[/caption]
“It’s really bittersweet for me,” said Toni Abernathy as she led the biology graduates into Wright Auditorium for their departmental ceremony. “It feels like just yesterday that I was in Garrett as a freshman — it’s hard to believe it has really been four years.”
Abernathy, an environmental educator, will work at a science center in her hometown of Hickory before starting work on a master’s degree next spring.
Hannah L'Esperance, center, is surrounded by people wearing her face before the hospitality management departmental ceremony in Brody.[/caption]
“I was taking a picture with my friend, and my mom stuck it in the back behind us,” she said. “And I was like, wait, someone photobombed us … and it’s me. We did that at my grandmother’s birthday party, so that’s where they got the idea.”
New graduates Danielle Torrone and Taylor Maleska stopped to take photos with fireworks in the background while walking off the field.
Both said they liked the ceremony’s later start because it gave family the opportunity to travel without taking off an entire day’s work, a chance to sleep in and time to get ready for the event. “The fireworks were definitely cool,” Torrone said.
Joseph Berger (Submitted photo)[/caption]
Melissa Hardee (Submitted photo)[/caption]
Kaleigh Launsby (Photo by Cole Dittmer)[/caption]
UNDEFEATED
WWII veteran Nick Zuras ’43 conducts coin toss vs. USF
At 97, World War II veteran and former Pirate tailback Nick Zuras ’43 still remembers as much about tactics for college football as he does about D-Day.
This East Carolina alumnus conducted the coin toss as part of military appreciation at Saturday’s football game against the University of South Florida. In a way, it was his first play on the gridiron since he was a member of the undefeated 1941 team.
ECU alumnus Nick Zuras is pictured with the undefeated 1941 East Carolina football team. Zuras (No. 35) is on the back row, far left. (Photo courtesy of University Archives)
Nicknamed “the Greek,” Zuras helped lead his teammates in a classic single-wing offense to the Pirates’ only undefeated season to date before graduating in 1943. He then enlisted in the Navy and went on to storm Omaha Beach in 1944 and fight in the Battle of Okinawa in 1945.
“Of course I’m excited to come back to ECU,” Zuras said in a recent phone interview from his home in Annapolis, Maryland. “Yes indeed, I had lots of good memories at East Carolina. I got a great education.”
Zuras transferred to East Carolina from High Point College, now High Point University, where he actually played against the Pirates. After attending high school in the Washington, D.C. area, Zuras came to High Point on a football scholarship.
“High Point played ECU the year before I went there, and it was a very good game,” he said. “So I decided to go to East Carolina.”
Eventually, after sending a telegram to the college with his request, Zuras was able to transfer. “I was incredibly fortunate. East Carolina was a godsend,” he said.
Zuras is shown above, left, in a photo from the 1943 East Carolina yearbook and, right, while serving the country during WWII. (Contributed photos)
Zuras majored in physical education with a minor in history. He also had a job in the dining hall to help pay for his education.
“I had some terrific professors who gave me a lot of encouragement. The team was well-schooled and well-coached. I met a lot of wonderful guys, and girls too,” he said.
During the war, Zuras became commander of a rocket boat with a seven-man crew. Crews like Zuras’ were sent ahead of the first wave of Allied troops landing in Normandy to try to destroy German defenses during D-Day, the largest amphibious assault in history.
At the end of the war, Zuras was stationed in Japan. Afterward, he went on to earn his master’s degree at the University of Maryland and taught history and coached football in high schools in Maryland and Virginia.
“ECU helped me become a good teacher,” Zuras said. He added that the education he received at East Carolina “can’t be beat.”