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Posted on Mon, May. 05, 2008

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Recovering Greensburg marks milestone

Bush urges grads to lead lives of service

BY ROY WENZL AND JILLIAN COHAN

The Wichita Eagle

Seldom has such a small graduating high school class in Kansas received such a rousing sendoff from such a large crowd or in such strange and evocative circumstances.

In the first high school commencement speech he has given, President George W. Bush on Sunday called upon the 18 teenagers of the Greensburg class of 2008 to consider a life of service to others. His speech came exactly one year after the town was leveled by a tornado.

Their perseverance in completing school while helping their parents and others rebuild will shape their character all their lives, he told them.

"I ask every member of the class to devote your lives to a cause greater than yourselves," Bush said. "You can never predict what tomorrow will bring... (but) you can be certain that serving others will always make your life more fulfilled."

He commended senior Aaron Widner for his decision to enlist in the Marine Corps, earning a round of applause when he told the young man, "I wish you the best at boot camp, and I look forward to serving as your commander in chief."

Bush, in a 15-minute speech in a small, sweltering high school gym filled with more than 1,000 people, reminded them of the many things the students in this class endured since a tornado destroyed most of the town:

Graduation last year took place at the golf course just outside town.

School was held this year in trailers.

"And there was the shock of seeing your entire town in ruins.

"You have given this community stability in a time of desperate need, and today we give you thanks," the president told the students and their parents.

"We celebrate the resilience of 18 seniors who grew closer together when their world blew apart."

Bush's words were echoed in speeches by co-valedictorians Lane Allison and Cassie Blackburn.

"We are strong," Lane said. "Nothing can keep us from achieving our future."

Blackburn noted the class' ability to continue living, calling out Logan Waters, the class clown, for his many antics, and commending the five senior basketball players who led their team to the state tournament.

"I would not have wanted to brave the world with any other classmates," she said.

Bravery, determination

While addressing the students, Bush told them also about the bravery of their fellow townspeople.

One woman he met when he visited last year told him as he walked up to her shattered home: "I would have invited you in for coffee but I didn't have time to dust."

The co-owner of the local John Deere dealership, Kelly Estes, had greeted Bush last year knowing that he had lost $18 million in merchandise, Bush said. But Estes is rebuilding, staying in town, providing jobs and money for the local economy.

"Often in life you are dealt a hand that you did not expect," Bush said. "The test is how you play the hand.

"In the past I've seen how people in our country have been dealt some tough hands."

He spoke of Hurricane Katrina, the California wildfires, and of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

"I see the same determination in Greensburg," Bush said.

An emotional bond

Bush first came here five days after the tornado, and spent hours comforting people who lost their homes. What he saw evidently touched him.

Marvin George, a local minister, said he has heard evidence that the plight of this town struck emotional chords with the president. A woman he knows, with ties to Greensburg, lost her son in the Iraq war. She visited Bush at the White House months ago.

She saw a photo hanging on the Oval Office wall, of Bush praying in a prayer circle beside a destroyed church in town. Bush had hung the photo there, he told her.

Cheers and a joke

When he arrived in the gym Sunday it was to cheers, and with a joke.

Greensburg's teams call themselves the Rangers. Bush once owned the Texas Rangers.

"From one Ranger fan to another," Bush said, "Beat 'em up! Beat 'em up! GHS!"

Graduates will return to school for one week. Commencement had been set for May 10, but was moved up to accommodate Bush's schedule.

His daughter, Jenna, is getting married May 10.

"I could have suggested changing the date of the wedding instead," Bush told the crowd, "but I think we all know how that idea would have turned out."

Diplomas and photos

After his speech, the graduating seniors lined up -- boys in blue caps and gowns, and girls in red, the school's colors.

Bush stood to the side of the podium, and the seniors received their diplomas from him, stopping long enough for Bush photographers to take a photo of each student with the president.

When they stepped away from Bush, every senior got a hug from Principal Randy Fulton.

Outside the gym the graduates lined up again to receive the best wishes of their neighbors.

Doug Sprecker had come in from Salina to cheer for his cousin, Logan Waters, who had given the class of 2008 so many laughs. Sprecker, 29, said goofball antics run in the family, but that the last year had been tough for his cousin.

About the president's speech, Sprecker said, it's definitely something his cousin will remember.

"I was just telling my girlfriend, I can't remember who the graduation speaker was at my high school graduation," he said.

"It was good of him (Bush) to recognize them and their continuing effort."

A few feet away, Kasha Charlton stood at the front of the receiving line, holding her mortarboard to her chest. Wichitan Emma Grace Smith, 5, stood beside her, taking it all in.

Right after the storm, Emma and her siblings took their wagon around their neighborhood and raised money for Greensburg's recovery.

The Smiths soon became more personally invested in the town when Emma's mom, Denell, a nurse at Via Christi Regional Medical Center-St. Francis Campus, helped Kasha's stepdad, Danny Trent, recover from his tornado injuries during the two months he was hospitalized.

Emma's dad, Scott, works for McCluggage Van Sickle & Perry, an architectural firm that is designing seven of Greensburg's new buildings.

What happened in Greensburg "shows us the true meaning of life," Denell Smith said. Watching the well-wishers, she added, "There's no strangers here."

In the fall, Charlton will have a full scholarship to Newman University, Denell Smith said. When she does, she will be closer to her "foster family," including little Emma.

As Charlton fielded congratulations and "good lucks," Emma peppered her with questions:

"Why are you shaking hands with everybody?"

"Because they know us all."

"Why?"

"Because this is Greensburg."

Reach Roy Wenzl at 316-268-6219 or rwenzl@wichitaeagle.com.