Method to Hencken’s speech writing

Hencken wrote most of his speech while on an airplane after a visit to California for fundraising.

“Some of the better speeches I have given I have written on an airplane,” said Hencken. Hencken was in California to collect a $2.5 million dollar check from Jan Tarble, for the New and Emerging Artists series at Eastern.

Tarble was awarded an honorary degree at the ceremony, but was unable to attend.

Eastern President Lou Hencken’s first audience for his graduation speech was the bugs in his backyard.

Hencken practiced his speech while sitting on the back deck of his Charleston home.

“Normally when I give speeches, they are from the heart but I practiced this one 10 or 15 times,” said Hencken.

Hencken’s wife Mary Kay warned him not to look like he was reading the speech.

“She said I do best when I speak from the heart, but she has to say that, she’s my wife,” said Hencken.

Hencken’s next audience was the two student workers that work in his office.

“I had them listen to the speech. They didn’t like one part, so I took it out,” Hencken said.

Thanks to the student workers’ help, Hencken got his speech down to 12 minutes, a time he maintained for three of the four ceremonies.

When Vice President for External Relations Jill Nilsen told Hencken that he was going to be the commencement speaker, he was surprised. Hencken repeatedly asked Nilsen who was going to be the graduation speaker, and in March Nilsen finally told Hencken that it was him.

“I asked Jill, which ceremony do you want me to do?” said Hencken. “And she said all four.”

After Hencken found out he was the commencement speaker, he began collecting the concept and themes he wanted in the speech. One concept he wanted in his speech was from former Eastern President Livingston Lord.

“I enter Old Main every day and see Livingston Lord’s eight final words; I knew I wanted to end with that,” said Hencken.

The words Hencken sees every day are, “Not who is right, but what is true.” Lord delivered these words during his final speech at Eastern.

But Hencken left his last graduating class with 10 words instead of eight.

“I believe if you follow these words you will gain a great amount of wisdom. Listen closely. If I could leave only 10 words with you, they would be these: Treat other people the way you want to be treated,” Hencken said.

Wisdom was the main theme of Hencken’s address to new graduates.

“It was something I wanted people to remember,” said Hencken. “There is a difference between a degree and wisdom.”

Hencken hopes the graduates take away the experiences they gained at Eastern, the good times they had here and use what they learned at Eastern in the real world.

Hencken thought that giving the commencement address at his last graduation ceremony was a fitting end to his 40 years of service to the University.

“It meant a lot, I didn’t realize it meant a lot at the time, but it did,” said Hencken. “When I was out there speaking, I really think they were listening. I was trying to stay right on the graduates.”