Contact: Sammy McDavid
After anchoring his commencement theme on "the big rocks of success," the head of Eastman Chemical Co. urged Mississippi State graduates Saturday [May 13] to become adept at deflecting "the sand and gravel life throws at you."
Macon native Earnest W. Deavenport Jr. said sand and gravel represent "the little stuff" of life. "But that's not what counts and it's not what will make you a success," he added. "Success depends on the big rocks."
As for the "big rocks" of his own life, the 1960 MSU chemical engineering graduate listed family, faith and core values. He encouraged those joining him in MSU's alumni ranks to "constantly re-evaluate and reaffirm those big rocks of life that are the most important.
"If you do that, you will look back on your life and judge success not by the kind of car you drove or the size of the house you lived in," he said. "You will judge success by the only criterion that really matters: by the difference you've made in the lives of other people."
Deavenport is chairman and chief executive officer of the world's leading producer of polyester plastics packaging. The 62-year-old Kingsport, Tenn., resident reminded those in caps and gowns that "the rewards for being among the learned in society, the rewards for getting to this point, are so much more than you can imagine."
He said today's world "is wired, it's connected, it's a 24/7 [24-hour, seven-day-a-week] world with virtually no borders and certainly no lack of opportunity. To realize that opportunity, however, you must be persistent in your pursuit of new knowledge. As the pace of change continues, you must be flexible enough to keep up."
MSU also honored another chemical engineering graduate at commencement by awarding an honorary doctorate to Dave C. Swalm of Houston, Texas. The 1955 graduate from Brookhaven is a retired entrepreneur and petrochemical company owner now involved in philanthropic work. With more than $20 million given to date, he is MSU's leading donor.
More than 2,000 Mississippi State students were spring semester graduates. Of 1,420 receiving bachelor's degrees, 13 had perfect 4.0 grade-point averages.