The rain began to fall a week ago Sunday as my brother and sister-in-law and I entered Kenan Stadium for UNC's 2008 Commencement ceremony.
It was an historic occasion for a couple of reasons.
First of all Catherine Adamson -- MY NIECE -- was accepting her bachelor's degree with a double major in anthropology and Asian studies -- with highest honor.
It was also likely the shortest commencement in the history of the university.
A few drops of rain peppered us as we entered at 9 a.m. By 9:15, we were huddled under umbrellas in a driving rain.
It was worth every soggy minute.
Because of the downpour, organizers cut much of the music and the commencement address by vocalist Jessye Norman and individual announcement of master's and doctoral degree recipients.
Bachelor's recipients do not walk the stage. They were to have been recognized as a group even without the rain.
Rightly the ceremony maintained a memorial to Eve Carson, student body president, who was gunned down for some as-yet unknown reason while jogging several months ago.
She was referred to as a change agent, a description used to describe the hope for what the entire Class of 2008 can be. They will need to be to face the challenges of the future as they becomes leaders in this world.
Catherine has a good start at being a change agent by virtue of her upbringing and training and experiences at UNC.
She also has an astonishing amount of courage.
To start with her parents read to her since before her birth. Bedtime always meant reading of a story. Words and language have been her forte.
Before she was 12, she had lived and gone to school in Sweden where her mother was and engineer with Volvo. She speaks English, Swedish and is reasonably good in Japanese, a language she wanted to learn in part because it is so different from any other language she knew.
She makes some of her own clothes and costumes for theatrical performances she enjoys, and she likes gardening.
If I didn't mention it before, she graduated from UNC with highest honor.
Her interest in Japanese culture has taken her to that country twice and will likely take her back.
Here begins my consideration of one of her courage.
I would have been terrified to travel to a foreign country alone at her age. I would still be very tense about it.
I'm sure she had concerns but she worked through the details of planning, raising money, making the contacts and figuring out her needs along the way.
In her senior year she served as co-chair of the UNC's Gay Bisexual Lesbian Transgender Straight Alliance (GBLTSA).
Catherine is a Lesbian. It is part of who she is. It is not something she chose. Neither is it something she would choose not to be. It is just the way she is.
I don't know much of a Gay or Lesbian lifestyle, but I've tried comparing it to who I am.
If somebody wanted me to not appreciate women, I'm afraid they'd just be out of luck.
Catherine enjoys her lifestyle and intends to live her life as she is.
That has not been easy, but she says she intends to live her life as if she had the rights she was supposed to have.
GBLTSA is an organization that promotes understanding and works to reduce discrimination based on sexual orientation.
Her co-chair in that organization worked mostly with relationships with the university and other organizations.
Catherine's tasks involved programming, leading discussions on issues concerning the membership and making public statements through activities like the Valentine's Day "Kiss in" on the campus.
Such activities put you in the way of considerable criticism. Catherine has faced down her share of in your face opponents to her lifestyle.
She believes she is who she is, however. No way around that. She lives honestly. How many of us can say that? It takes courage.
Adamson is managing editor and lives in Elkin.
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