Nearly twenty years ago I printed off a speech that was made by John Grisham, the noted author of what we call “legal thillers”.

This particular speech was ten years old at the time.  It was made at the commencement of the 1992 graduating class of Mississippi State University.

A native of Southaven, Mississippi, not far from Memphis, John Grisham was a 1977 graduate of Mississippi State.  He got his undergrad in accounting before he trotted from Starkville northwest to Oxford and on to law school at Ole Miss.  In 1984, as a young trial lawyer, John Grisham took out a legal pad and began writing a story called A Time to Kill.  That story was published and by the time he made his commencement speech in Starkville for that 1992 graduating class, he had three books to his credit.  Today the number of books John Grisham has produced is over 40.  His books have sold more than 300 million copies and have been translated into more than 40 languages worldwide.

Enough of the John Grisham public service announcement.

So on a Wednesday, it was May 8, 2002, I printed that particular1992 Mississippi State commencement speech that John Grisham delivered.  Why I printed that speech is a mystery to me.  At the time I was not teaching seniors and I was a year away from seeing a high school graduating class to the finish line as a school counselor which is something I did for a long time.

For twenty years I have always known where I could put my hands on this speech.  Oh it has changed from cabinet to cabinet and from drawer to drawer, but I have always known where I could find it.  Why?  I have no idea.  But, believe it or not, it came in handy recently as I was teaching English in Room 104 at North Harrison High School in Ramsey, Indiana.  Things just work out that way sometimes.  When they do, you are thankful and you move on.

Above is the paper I printed off in 2002.  I suppose I can relate to the quote to the left of his picture.

“If you’re sitting out there now with a nice, neat little outline for the next ten years, you’d better be careful.  Life may have other plans.”

I often give a refrain that goes like this, “If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans.”

So as I was lesson planning, I looked for this speech and was delighted to put my hands on it in quick fashion.  Twenty years on, I knew where it was sitting.

Unaccountable with just this paper copy, I knew I needed more.  I told myself that if I was going to share this with my students, my reading of this speech (which I dearly love and appreciate) just wouldn’t do for me or my students.  Action was needed.  I wanted to find a video of this speech.  Even though google and youtube could not locate it, I knew it had to be out there somewhere.

A very simple “chat with someone” on the Mississippi State University Library page turned into a mission.  And to my academic, spiritual, and simple delight, I was shocked that folks in Starkville, Mississippi wanted to make it their mission too.  A call out to share with my students turned into an all out media history search at State.  Four days and an exchange of more than ten emails later, the video of this speech was found and yesterday I had the chance to share it with some of my students.

In earnest, I did not believe this would be pulled out of Mississippi State’s maroon hat.  Therefore, I had already showed my students John Grisham’s 2010 UNC-Chapel Hill commencement address.  Guess what?  With the additonal ability to view Grisham’s 1992 address to the State grads, we were able to….wait for it…compare and contrast!!!!  Get those Venn Diagrams flowing!

Yesterday we watched the 1992 Mississippi State commencement speech by John Grisham in Room 104 at North Harrison High School in Ramsey, Indiana. Under the QUOTE OF THE DAY, I added the names of Julie Shedd, Jennifer McGillan, Emily Harrison, Paul Huddleston, and Li Zhang.  These kind folks in Starkville, Mississippi went to work for North Harrison students and I am so grateful.

As an additional point of reference, I can easily lay my hands on a book by S.E. Hinton called The Outsiders.  There is a post it note that puts me right to one particular page whenever I need to read it.  The words I read, when life tells me to do so, are:

“There’s still lots of good in the world.”

Some kind folks at the Mississippi State Library reminded me of just that this past week.  I am so thankful.

Speaking the rights…

Danny Johnson