More Than 3,000 Brooklyn College Graduates Brave Gray Skies at 84th Commencement Ceremony
6/26/2009
Under rainy skies for the first time in the last 23 years, 3,332 Brooklyn College undergraduate and graduate students, along with their family members, friends and acquaintances gathered on the campus quadrangle at 2900 Bedford Avenue in Midwood for the college’s 84th annual commencement ceremony 
on Thursday, May 28.
The rare cloudy weather did not dampen the optimism of many graduates.
“As a graduate of Brooklyn College, I’m looking forward to using the tools I learned here,” said Noam Rubinstein, who said that he wants to work for one of the Big Three accounting firms one day. “Between what I learned in my business classes and my core course, I feel that I’m well placed to capitalize on new opportunities as the country’s economy is being transformed.
“That’s what’s really impressive,” he added. “I feel like Brooklyn College prepared me not only for the world we live in, but also for the one that we’re transitioning to.”
Christoph M. Kimmich, who was making his final commencement appearance as president of Brooklyn College, said: “Year after year, Brooklyn College graduates highly educated, civic-minded students who make significant contributions to New York City and the world. Together, our students, faculty, and alumni make significant and enduring contributions to initiatives both at home and abroad. As I graduate one last class here at Brooklyn College, I am honored to be in the company of the City’s finest educators and students and am humbled by the generosity of so many alumni who give back to our college community from which they came.”
Renowned mathematician and computer scientist Lawrence H. Landweber, a member of the Brooklyn College Class of 1963, delivered the commencement address. Landweber, who is considered the father of the Internet as we know it today, also received the honorary Doctor of Science degree. In his speech, he encouraged the graduates to learn perseverance, explaining that three times in two years he tried to gain funding for the first computer network using Internet technology and three times was refused before the National Science Foundation finally agreed to underwrite his CS Network.
Presidential Medals were awarded to Howard “Woody” Tanger for his innovative, highly successful career in radio broadcasting, his unwavering commitment to classical music, and his bountiful philanthropy and to Barry R. Feirstein (’74) for his achievements during his exceptionally productive career in finance, and for his deep commitment to Brooklyn College and his leadership and financial support.
Two other extraordinary individuals along with Landweber were awarded honorary degrees for their significant impact on our local and global communities. Douglas C. Steiner, president of Steiner Equities Group, received a Doctor of Humane Letters for his far-reaching belief in Brooklyn by constructing and opening Steiner Studios at the Brooklyn Navy Yard: the studio is the largest film and television complex outside of Hollywood. Alexander (Sandy) Howe, a senior designer at the Boston architectural firm of Shepley Bulfinch Richardson and Abbott, received a Doctor of Fine Arts honorary degree for his internationally recognized achievements in academic architecture and for his beautiful, valuable, and greatly loved new Brooklyn College Library.
Distinguished Alumni honors were presented to Don Buchwald (’59) for his long and principled career as a talent agent, his enduring belief in artistic potential, and his steadfast loyalty to and support of his alma mater; Arne L. Kalleberg (’71) for his important contributions to sociology and to our understanding of work and its impact on society; and Nancy A. Lynch (’68) for her broad knowledge and creative insights, and for the impact she has had on the lives and careers of her colleagues and students in the fields of theoretical mathematics and computer science.
