Magna Cum Laude

Reader Dear, it's a title of academic achievement and means "with high honors" or "with great distinction".  So it was exciting to get this invitation to celebrate with a niece of mine by attending her graduation ceremony, complete with a celebratory brunch hosted by the college, a garden party following the main event, and a celebratory dinner at a nearby restaurant (the dinner hosted by my brother,  honored with the title Father Magna Cum Laude of a Magna Cum Laude Graduate

[I'll have to admit, I bestowed the title myself, and there was no official paper or pomp associated with it, but of course it was earned, and he is very deserving of it!*]).

My niece's graduation was with a degree in Linguistics from Bryn Mawr College in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, roughly an hour-and-a-half's drive from where the HM and I live (I'll just tell you right now, in case you are interested, Dear Reader, that the name means "Big Hill" and the college was established in1885 as a Quaker institution.  By 1893 it was a non-denominational women's college.

Further: 

When Bryn Mawr College opened its doors in 1885, it offered women a more ambitious academic program than any previously available to them in the United States. Other women's colleges existed, but Bryn Mawr was the first to offer graduate education through the Ph.D., a signal of its founders' refusal to accept the limitations imposed on women's intellectual achievement at other institutions (deserving of at least three exclamation points, wouldn't you say, Reader Dear?)!!!

Moving along: Yesterday (the culmination of four years of earnest work by my niece) the weather in Bryn Mawr could not have been more spectacular for this joyous event.  There was a gigantic tent on the spacious campus lawn, with chairs outside the tent for the overflow crowd.  I've got lots of photos of the whole day, so I will start with introductions to The Graduate Magna Cum Laude and  her celebratory bunch of family and friends:

Here are Lydia (The Graduate Magna Cum Laude [term I will continue to use off and on, as it gives me great pleasure]) and her father:

This photo was taken at The Brunch, where all graduates were offered a rose, followed by a lavish and extensive assortment of foods and drinks (the foods and drinks, to our good fortune, were also offered to all family and friends of the graduates, as well).

If I were to list every food and drink offered, it would fill this blog post, so I'll refrain (though I can't help but mention the made-to-order omelettes, the make-your-own fresh waffles with whipped cream and fruits, the mimosas and Bloody Marys, and...[I must interrupt here to say that after vowing to refrain, it's time to quit the list]).  I may be able to assert that it was the most elaborate brunch I've ever attended (barring any long-time-ago-now-forgotten ones)! And did I mention it was a help-yourself, eat-all-you-wish affair?    Needless to say, it quite handily carried us over to the post-graduation garden party.

Omelette Maker par excellence

Celebratory Eating and Drinking, Indeed!

Next we've got Hattie, dear family friend, with a sunny personality extraordinaire!

Here's Hattie, following the brunch, on the lawn with Lydia, who has slipped into her regalia (official term for the cap and gown), and prior to lining up for the biggest part of the big event of the day.

Below, The Graduate  is pictured with her Aunt Nita (sister of mine, thereby making her sister of my brother, who is the Father Magna Cum Laude of a Magna Cum Laude Graduate [I may as well go ahead and use the title a second time, Reader Dear, making it that much more official]).
Aunt Nita is deserving of a better photo, as she is an Aunt Cum Laude, but it's the best that I've got  to show you.

 

And, speaking of photos, I took a quasi-infinite number of them (I'm certain I could count them if it were a necessity; I do not feel it's a necessity, Dear Viewer [and since I'm not sharing all of them with you, you will have to be satisfied with merely knowing I've got a lot!])  

Of course, I wasn't the only one taking photos.  Heavens, no, there were hundreds! Here's a small collection of folks photographing folks:

Marching right along, another member of our celebratory bunch was Cousin Molly.   She's pictured here assisting with the proper placement of the full regalia:

And there was Molly's husband, John, with his delightfully British accent and his sense of humor.  You'll see him again, Dear Viewer, pouring champagne at the Garden Party (but that's still a few hours away as I'm telling the story).








 Lastly, but by no means least, we have Aaron, another close friend of the Magna Cum Laude Graduate.  How pleasing to have this pleasant and super-helpful member of the graduate's own generation to also be a member of this celebratory group, to assist with finding our way around the campus, and to be a professional photographer, as well as just being an all-around nice guy!

Quite obviously [I'm assuming you know this already, Reader Dear] I was a part of this bunch.  HM was there, too, and can be seen in the background of this pic, as well as the foreground in the brunch table photo
(what an oversight--no individual photo with the Magna Cum Laude Graduate!)






















 As for  myself, here's the official "Photo with the Graduate who Makes her Extended Family so Proud!":
















Now that you've met all nine of us,
Dear One,
I'm going to leave you milling around with the graduates until I can get the celebratory group to the tent, and to the official  opening of Commencement exercises at Bryn Mawr College, 2019.

(to be continued...)









*Mother Magna Cum Laude of a Magna Cum Laude Graduate (likewise deserving of the title) was tragically unable to attend the event, due to health issues.