Rev. Betsy Draper, MIT Baptist chaplain, gave the following invocation at the commencement exercises:
"O God, our Help and our Hope,
"I come in prayer today knowing that you are present here for you are God with us. I ask for your blessing because that is what you like to do, to bless your creation and your people. I offer thanksgiving for the accomplishments and the achievements of each graduate, for the support and love of family and friends, for spouses and children who have endured lonely hours, for faculty, administration and staff who exist not only unto themselves, but to multiply the pursuit for truth.
"God, our Help and our Hope, I ask you to guide each graduate to clothe their intellect with compassion and concern for good. Help them to prize a personal standard so strong and so dear that when they arrive at the crossroads of decision, they will know the just and the right thing to do. Help them to love their families, both present and future, with a selfless and committed love, and to love their neighbors as themselves, for this is the springboard of true success. May we savor this moment as a representation of all that has gone on before. And help us to remember this moment as an inspiration of what is to be. In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit I pray. Amen."
A version of this article appeared in MIT Tech Talk on June 21, 1995.
