Rick Graduated from Law School!

We are so proud of our oldest son, Rick, for completing Law School!
Below, we have included some pictures from this momentous occasion, as well as a speech, by Rick Sr. to Rick Jr. , that he gave at his graduation party.

Dad's Speech:

Today, May 15, 2010 marks the culmination of three years of hard work. The diploma that you received today proclaims you now to be a Doctor of Jurisprudence. That certainly sounds impressive. Most people understand that it means you have endured a very rigorous course of study that never fails to tax the abilities of even the brightest students. But in your case, it means even more. So much more, in fact that only those who know you personally can really appreciate it.

For you, law school wasn’t just a demanding course of study; it was a 3-year forced march. The public knows that you graduated second in your class from one of the most respected law schools in America. Your family knows that you accomplished this while working full time, taking care of a wife and two children with whom you somehow managed to spend enough personal time that they still adore their daddy. Further, despite the demands of a physically taxing job, endless hours of study and family responsibilities, you miraculously found time during those three years to team up with your brothers and many friends to wrest control of the Republican Party in the Fifth Congressional District from "Compromisers" and put it back in the hands of Patriots. In the process, you were instrumental in the election of your brother, Nate, to the chair of the Bedford County Republicans and an 18-year-old home school graduate to the corresponding position in Prince Edward County. You and your team helped place 11 conservatives, mostly Christians, in the chairs of eleven of the 21 local Republican parties in the Fifth District. Perhaps now that you’re done with law school, you can get down to some active politicking.

You don’t need me to remind you that your successes in life and learning are in large part due to the contributions of others. Your mom gave you your early education and a love for learning. Your extraordinarily patient wife has been a rare blessing. Your teachers have been many and their influence profound. You’ve had many political mentors along the way. Your old man taught you to be a hard worker, though I’ve heard you paraphrase Lincoln in saying I never taught you to like it (My defense is that it’s hard to teach a skill if you don’t have it yourself). Your siblings have worked for you in your elections and helped you recruit and elect other candidates. They have also helped you on the drywall job, mowed your grass and babysat your children at sundry times, making your hard life a little easier.

It would be fascinating to know just how much of your makeup is hereditary. On your mother’s side your ancestors include a Minute Man, several accomplished musicians, entrepreneurs and a WWII veteran. They came from the Boston area, so your patriotic roots go deep.

On the Boyer side, which until my generation was pronounced Booyer, you are likewise descended from some very interesting characters. Some so interesting that they’re better left unmentioned. Your ancestors on my side were mostly mule-driving Ozark mountain farmers, hard-working, hard-drinking, fiddle-playing, bass-fishing, coon-hunting, pistol-packing, bib-overall types. Both my grandfathers built log cabins as homes for their families. Your great-great-grandfather was Tobe James, a contemporary of Jesse James and some say, a blood relative. A friend of mine once observed that that fact would explain your interest in politics.

You are, as far as I can ascertain, the first Boyer to graduate from college, certainly the first to obtain a Doctorate degree, and the first to practice a white collar profession. Your forbears tended more toward collars of blue, or in some cases hemp. And though you are the first lawyer in the clan, perhaps your tendency to gravitate toward the company of magistrates and judges is partly to the credit of your DNA after all.

I can’t claim that much of your ability came from me, but I know some of it came through me. Your ability to win friends reminds me of my gregarious, life-of-the-party father. And your seemingly boundless energy reminds me of my mom, who at 78 still climbs trees with her grandkids and can scarcely walk from the house to the garage without breaking into a trot. No wonder she managed to raise four kids in a difficult situation without burning out. She’s a wonder, and you’re like her. I guess diligence, like twins, skips a generation.

With all due credit granted to those who have helped you, still you know that it is, above all the grace of a loving God that has brought you this far in life and will under-gird the success we all anticipate will be yours in the future. His Word has pervaded your thought structures since, at age two you memorized over fifty Bible verses and when at five your were memorizing whole chapters of Proverbs, the book of wisdom. May you always look to Him for guidance and strength. All other sources will eventually eventually run dry, but He never.

But Ecclesiastes tells us that there is a time for every purpose. And today, as it is a time to celebrate your accomplishments, it is also fitting that we should recognize the personal qualities that you have developed and demonstrated. God as blessed you, others have helped you along, but your own hard work and determination must be factored in.

Did I say determination? Davy Crockett claimed to be part horse, part alligator and part snapping turtle. I wouldn’t use that description in your case because I don’t see that much “horse” in you. Horses spook easily and are afraid of unfamiliar situations. I would adjust the recipe to say equal parts of alligator, snapping turtle and pit bulldog on steroids. That’s the determination side of you, and those who are old enough to remember Bugs Bunny cartoons will think of you every time the Tasmanian Devil makes an appearance.

To your friends you are known for your fierce dedication to principle. To your enemies you are known as a formidable and relentless opponent. Your approach to politics, as to all problems, is overwhelming and irresistible force. Being old enough to remember the Viet Nam war, the term that comes to my mind is “scorched earth policy.” When you were very small, your mother and I researched the meaning of your name, Richard Dean. Richard means brave, strong ruler. Recently however, I traced it further and found that in the earliest Sanscrit manuscripts, Richard means Hero. Dean means Shema. (Hero-Shema....feel free to chuckle)

It’s fortunate that the choleric prophet in you is balanced by the other side of your personality. Your political adversaries would be surprised if they knew the other side. Your humility goes unnoticed in the heat of battle, but was obvious in your visible delight in the honors heaped on your friend, the only one who bested your second-place finish in your class. Wouldn’t you know it, another home school kid.

Gentleness is another trait that you keep well hidden when necessary, but the mother lode of it is revealed to those of us who see you interact with your children—or with anyone who is hurting.

Diligence—in you it’s proverbial. No ordinary man could have done what you’ve done for the last three years as well as you’ve done it. I certainly couldn’t. Proverbs tells us that a diligent man shall stand before kings. We all know that’s where you’re headed. And we know that you will serve Jesus faithfully when you get there.
~Dad