To the sounds of cheering, applause and air horns, approximately 750 students received their Eastern degrees during commencement ceremonies Saturday in Lantz Arena.

In all, 1,604 students graduated this semester, including a 90-year-old Monticello resident.

Student Body President Hugh O’Hara told the graduates he hoped that the best years of their lives are still ahead of them.

“You go into a world forever changed by Sept. 11,” O’Hara said. “This new world will be much easier for you to navigate, though, because you are armed with the greatest tool of all: knowledge.”

The commencement speaker, Dr. Glenn Williams, former vice president for student affairs, offered graduates advice on life after college.

Glenn peppered his speech with quotes from figures ranging from Charles Dickens, Horace Mann and Aristotle to country singer Kenny Rogers.

Paraphrasing Dickens, Glenn said that “these are the best of times, and these are the worst of times. But whatever times they are, they’re your times, for better or for worse. And as a popular song says, you have to know when to fold them, and know when to hold them.

“We count on you on utilizing your time to doing your best … and becoming somebody special,” he said. “Use time well – it’s the stuff life is made of.”

Interim President Lou Hencken congratulated the graduates, saying “this is a wonderful accomplishment for which you should be very proud.

“Please remember what you learned here inside and outside the classroom, and use what you learn to achieve success,” Hencken said. “We’re all very proud of you today, and we wish you well.”

The oldest graduate was 90-year-old Richard O’Dell, who graduated from the Board of Trustees’ continuing education program.

O’Dell, who left his freshman year of college in 1932 to manage his family’s farm, was given a standing ovation when he received his diploma.

“I feel like I got a lot of accolades that I didn’t deserve,” O’Dell said. “But I’ll take them anyway.”

Asked if he was now going to work towards a master’s degree, O’Dell said, “Maybe by the time I’m 100.”