Capuano wins over crowd at BU commencement

Yesterday, Capuano, a former Somerville mayor, faced his critics.

"I know that I am no Bono or Tom Cruise . . . my daily life is more like yours than you can imagine," Capuano told more than 6,000 graduates and their relatives and friends who gathered under gray skies at Nickerson Field. "The very fact that this incredibly average person is now a member of Congress and is your commencement speaker, it actually screams my message to you.

"My message is very simple," he added. "You do not have to be extraordinary, you do not have to be rich or famous to change this world. Anyone and everyone can make a difference."

The crowd erupted into applause. With some self-deprecating humor, Capuano appeared to prove his critics wrong, moving the crowd to repeatedly clap, laugh, and cheer. He even invoked the memory of his grandmother, who grew up a few blocks from BU and would come to the field where he spoke yesterday to watch the Boston Braves on ladies' night. At the end of his speech, the crowd delivered a standing ovation.

Among Capuano's biggest fans yesterday was 22-year-old Mario Mitrano, who, like Capuano, is from Somerville.

"I'm trying to be unbiased, but I think he gave a great speech," Mitrano said after the commencement. "I'm just proud to see someone from Somerville speaking at my commencement."

Some class members complained that BU officials gave Capuano the coveted speaking spot as a political favor for the congressman, who has secured millions in federal dollars for various university projects. It prompted one class member to create a Facebook group called "Your Money is Not as Important to BU as Mike Capuano's."

The controversy, Capuano said yesterday, forced him to learn more about Facebook, but it also prompted him to ask graduates to look within themselves.

"I realize in today's pop culture world it seems that fame is all that matters, with American Idol, the Bachelorette, and all the other so-called reality shows," Capuano said. "But I ask each and every one of you, in your life, who has made more of a difference?

"The person who created 'Grand Theft Auto?" Capuano said, referring to a popular video game. "Or a high school teacher and a college professor who might have opened your mind?"

He then offered another choice.

"The Janet Jackson Super Bowl halftime show or your own parents, as they trudged to work every day?" he asked, eliciting a round of applause.

"Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with fame and fortune and pop culture as long as we do not undervalue the vast majority of us who live and work in obscurity," Capuano later said.

Capuano said that everyday people can still achieve great success in helping a neighbor or the poor, building a playground, or fighting for human equality.

Neither Bird nor Spielberg addressed the crowd. Faculty and Robert A. Brown, BU president, praised their careers, accompanied by flashing footage on two big screens of Bird's days with the Celtics and some of Spielberg's most successful movies, including "Schindler's List" and "Saving Private Ryan." Then Bird and Spielberg did as any of the other graduates did after receiving degrees: They smiled, shook hands, and returned to their seats.

Other honorary recipients included J Allard, who as a senior vice president at Microsoft Corp. oversees its entertainment and devices division; Alan M. Leventhal, chairman and chief executive of Beacon Capital Partners; and the Rev. Gloria E. White-Hammond, a pediatrician and co-pastor of Bethel AME Church in Boston.

Emmy Richmond, 22, a recipient of a bachelor of science in communications who is worried about the job market, said that at the start of the ceremony, Bird offered a few words of wisdom as he marched to the stage in cap and gown: "Larry Bird walked by us and said 'The party's over.' "