Friday, July 13, 2018

Nancy Jane Sides - 
9th Grade Salutatorian Address  
May 16, 1967

 {Note: a bit of nostalgia as I was spending time going through Nancy journals and saved things I came across this address given to her Owasso OK Jr. High graduating class.  I proofed it a few times and the wording is exactly what she wrote and delivered in 1967.  The photo was from the news paper clipping that she saved.}

            I consider it an honor and a privilege to stand before you as a representative of my class.  These last three years of my education have helped me prepare for the future.  The future will be a challenge to me and all of my classmates.  We must and will conquer all that we possibly can.
            There was a time when men were faced with conquering a wilderness.  That was a real venture in faith and high ideals.  Men were willing to endure hardships because of their convictions.
            Did they leave us anything to conquer?  They never thought that the conditions of life ought to be anything but a challenge.  They did not subscribe to the philosophy that power is the goal of government and pleasure the goal of the people.  Work was honored as a virtue.  With every man on his own they grew up a feeling of equality and the right to self-government.
            They left us everything to conquer!  We must conquer self!  We must be industrious; we must continue to mold our characters by self -reliance, courage, and faith in God.
            We live in a day of crisis!  But not of economic power.  We have potential power!  This is not a crisis of defense.  We have potential strength if God is on our side.
            This is a crisis of the inward spirit of man! Will we as a class have the spirit of greatness?
            Fellow classmate we must dedicate ourselves to freedom and to greatness in our generation.  But we must remember that such a dedication carries with it stern discipline and unavoidable responsibilities.
            It means a challenge to each individual to strive to make the most of his abilities and talents.
            Such a dedication would demand self-reliance and self-discipline.
            John Adams stated that freedom requires that each individual conduct himself so that his life demonstrates the dignity of man and the noble rank men hold among the works of providence.
            This is the meaning of freedom and these are its responsibilities in our time.
            I want to thank all the teachers who have helped instill in each one of us these responsibilities.  I consider it a privilege to stand up to the responsibilities and be a citizen of a free country.


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