Back to AJ Online Volume 2, Issue 3

Editorial

by Henry K. Yeo '68

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Farewell the neighing steed and the shrill trump,
The spirit-stirring drum, th’ear-piercing fife,
The royal banner, and all quality,
Pride, pomp and circumstance of glorious war!
 William Shakespeare
 OTHELLO: Act III, Scene III

It has been written that on the evening of May 10, 1901, composer Edward Elgar announced to a friend in his study, “I’ve got a tune that’ll knock ‘em flat!” before sitting down at the piano and playing it for her. This account may, of course, have been apocryphal, but the tune became the famous trio of his first Pomp and Circumstance Military March No. 1, which would subsequently be incorporated into the Coronation Ode for the crowning of King Edward VII in 1902, and later known the world over as the second British national anthem, Land of Hope and Glory (with words by Arthur Christopher Benson).

At the June 28, 1905, Yale University commencement, to which Elgar had been invited to receive an honorary Doctorate in Music, the recessional was his Pomp and Circumstance Military March No. 1. In the following years, other distinguished institutions of higher learning (Princeton, Chicago, Columbia, etc.) also used this stirring March in their ceremonies. Today, playing the March is de rigeur in graduations from high school to universities.

The original celebration of glorious war has, of course, been long ago abandoned for the more preferable sentiments of accomplishment, joy, and hope.

On May 29, 2011, Loma Linda University School of Medicine graduated 163 doctors of medicine in its 98th class (also to the strains of Elgar’s March). In addition to the United States, graduates also came from Croatia, Nigeria, Canada, Uganda, Bermuda, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

There was no mistaking the pomp in the processions, ceremonies, colors, and sounds. Celebration was everywhere, and it was well-earned.

But what about the circumstances?

With the congratulations settled, the newly minted physicians must now face the daunting circumstances of reality. There is now a multi-decade career ahead which will be what each individual graduate makes of it. Preparation will be lifelong, whether in academic learning or life experiences. Errors and achievements will be the best teachers.

A fulfilling postgraduate life may very well be summed up in the qualities of integrity, responsibility, and loyalty: to God, self, family, friends, and the people for whom they assume care.

From those of us who have engaged in the profession and appreciated its privileges, we offer our support as you embark on a very special calling and lifework.