“Education is What Remains”: A Cum Laude and NHS Induction Talk by Dr. Amos Raymond

[It is just about Spring Break here at St. George’s Independent School. You can feel the momentum pulling us toward a well-deserved time away from school before the run toward the end of another school year. Before we let completely go though, we had our Cum Laude and National Honor Society Induction Ceremony on Thursday to celebrate outstanding students, as well as to celebrate the role of scholarship in our school. We were fortunate to have Dr. Amos Raymond speak to our assembled Upper School community. Dr. Raymond is a former Board member at SGIS, and it was in that role that I got to know him a bit. Here is the introduction Tom Morris, Upper School Director, provided in advance of Dr. Raymond’s reflection: 

“For the past decade, Dr. Raymond has maintained relationships with multiple medical facilities and is currently devoted to the Veterans Affairs Medical Centerand Lakeside Behavioral Health. After finishing his undergraduate degree in biology at Emory University, Dr. Raymond completed his medical studies and graduated from the University of Tennessee-Health Science Center College of Medicine. In addition to his practice and medical consulting, he serves on the advisory boards of both St. George’s Independent School and Hope House, the only facility in the state of Tennessee designed to meet the unique needs of HIV-affected children by addressing their educational, social, psychological, and health needs. His deep passion for young people and education led him to create an educational program called Urban Whiz Kid,which strives to motivate students to take charge of their educational endeavors. Dr. Raymond and his wife, Chevida, have two daughters, both of whom attend the University of Memphis Campus School. The family is active at Coleman Avenue Church of Christ.”

Dr. Raymond is a wonderfully thoughtful and caring man who has led a professional life dedicated to the health and well-being of others. I aspire to have much in common with him. I have copied his remarks below.]I want to first thank all of you, the steadfast and selfless Board of Trustees and Head of School, Ross Peters for this very special opportunity. In particular, Ross, you are a smart, heady but well-measured and compassionate educator who’s presence is greatly valued and appreciated by the St. George’s community.I am even more grateful for this immense privilege in sharing a few words with you students in this National Honor Society Cum Laude Induction Ceremony.It is Albert Einstein that inspired my words today and in this spirit, I open with a profound and befitting quote: “Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school.” Our life’s journey is indeed our true path to learning.Some have said that we are taught, educated and placed in a classroom for the first 25 years of our lives, then we work for 40 years and then we live the remaining 10 years or so of our lives, relishing in our golden years, riding off into that proverbial sunset. Well, this over-simplification of our life journey leaves out the many colorful stories of family, relationships, adventure, misadventure, love, laughter, grief and the exuberant feelings conjured during an awesomely plain game of stickball or handball.Growing up in Brooklyn holds for me so many meanings. They all are significant though some more than others but if I may, this badge that I have carried with me has ultimately shaped me into the individual that I am today. I am the sum of all of my experiences, good and bad. My upbringing in an immigrant household and community, my fondest recall of my teachers and classmates, my introduction t0the violin in the 4th grade and even my rough and tumble experiences have all chiseled me into this God-fearing, emotionally intelligent and sentient being. Back to the quotation… “Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school.”Albert Einstein was a German born, Jewish theoretical physicist who influenced philosophy of science and also credited for the theory of relativity, yielding probably the most widely recognized equation in the world, “E=MC2”. However, a few highlights of his incredible journey affords us an opportunity for reflection.

He was forced to leave his home in Germany and formally renounced his citizenship during Adolph Hitler’s rise to power. Believe it or not, his cottage was raided and seized by the Nazis and converted to a Hitler Youth camp. Despite being politically left-leaning and a pacifist, Einstein is on record for having written a letter to President Roosevelt, urging that the US look into Nazi Germany’s efforts in making advancements towards building an atomic bomb. By way of well executed machinations, this resulted in the birth of the famous Manhattan Project.Albert Einstein was also known for his stance on civil rights in the mid 1900’s. He openly spoke and wrote against racism in the US where he regarded it as America’s worst disease handed down from one generation to the next and that those who bought into such ideologies “suffer from a fatal misconception.” He was a member of his local NAACP chapter in Princeton, New Jersey, had close ties to W.E.B Du Bois and received an honorary degree from the Historically Black College, Lincoln University in Pennsylvania.Albert Einstein was also instrumental in founding Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He was friends with Charlie Chaplin, Niels Bohr, the Bengali polymath & winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature Tagore and other luminaries and intellectuals. He loved music and was an accomplished violinist where he played chamber music with well known ensembles of the time. J. Robert Oppenheimer, a fellow theoretical physicist, reported in a 1965 lecture that many of Einstein’s early writings were peppered with errors which helped delay the publishing of some of his work for nearly a decade. Imagine that, the genius’s writings had flaws.

Will Rogers said, “Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.” #aintthatthetruthBy no means have I completely chronicled Einstein’s life, but I believe imagining the full dimensions of his personal journey, one can see how it may have shaped him into the historical icon that he is.My medical studies and training span a host of topics which include anatomy, pathophysiology and pharmacology. I have studied long and hard. I am well equipped and empowered to diagnose and treat a patient dying from the ill effects of a heart attack, but what I have keenly learned was how to calm the excited and frightened patient or temper the frenetic medical staff as the environment in the emergency department will most times seem uncontrollable.Another example of an incredible man and their journey was The Apostle Paul. As we know it, he was no saint in his prior version of himself. In fact, this son of a Pharisee and tent maker was a staunch opponent of the Christian people during his time as Saul. However, his notable road to Damascus led him down a path of mutability. With the help of Ananias and faith, Saul became Paul, a fervent follower and advocate of Christ. By far, Paul is considered the most prolific author of the New Testament. His journey was long, arduous and ultimately led to martyrdom. Again, attempting to understand the fullness of his journey and to encourage you, I will read the KJV of Philippians 3:13 &14: “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” You all will traverse the many long and arduous roads, prudently navigate the forks, decidedly make headway towards your goal and along the way, you will learn. 

As you all are being groomed as life long learners, it is with the God gifted ability to think and learn will you all forge paths, relationships and the soul of your fellow brothers and sisters. I want to congratulate each and every one of you on your journey as all of you will find your own special paths.To those of you who finds yourselves…Cum Laude, Magna Cum Laude, Summa Cum Laude and lastly, Thank You Laude…Congratulations!