This commencement provided a special thrill
Our 11,690 new graduates — who were able to celebrate with a ceremony at Ohio Stadium in its centennial year — included two Calhouns, adding to a rich family tradition.
All smiles on commencement day are, from left, family members Mo Ranz Jennings, Casey Calhoun, Molly Ranz Calhoun, Cody Calhoun and Norb Ranz. (Photo by Logan Wallace)
While our campus moves into another productive summer semester, I’m still reveling in our recent commencement celebration and the privilege to welcome more Buckeyes to our ever-growing alumni family.
This spring’s graduation will always shine for me, as a beautiful day to cheer our 11,690 new alumni in historic Ohio Stadium — and because two of those grads were my sons. Cody, now Dr. Calhoun, earned his MD, and Casey his bachelor’s degree from Fisher College of Business.
Every event in the ’Shoe is memorable, and members of our Class of ’22 were able to make their mark in another way, as the only graduates to have their ceremony in Ohio Stadium during its centennial year. It was a pleasure to share more of my own family’s story at commencement, and that beloved venue is an integral part of it. I grew up hearing stories my dad, Norb Ranz ’49, ’52 DDS, shared about living in the Stadium Scholarship Dorm.
My parents met and fell in love at Ohio State 75 years ago. Though my mom is no longer with us, I know she was there in spirit, alongside Dad and my sister Mo Ranz Jennings ’80, to watch Casey and Cody graduate. They expanded our family’s number of alumni to 12, with 16 degrees among us. I was a pretty proud mom and daughter with such a great gift for Mother’s Day, when commencement fell this spring.
Whether through the family you were born into or the family you make here, Ohio State is a special place that bonds so many of us. That includes more than 600,000 graduates who call this their alma mater — which fittingly means “nurturing mother” — and the many fans and friends of our university across the country and around the world.
Speaking of destinations where Buckeyes can be found, as you’re traveling this summer — maybe to distant locales or in the great state of Ohio — consider sharing your adventures with me. You’ll find me on Twitter @BuckeyeMolly or you can email me at OSUAAPresident@osu.edu.
