Speakers

Rabbi James Rudin
Commencement speaker

Download or view the commencement speech in QuickTime format.

For more than thirty years Rabbi James Rudin was a key staff member of the American Jewish Committee. During his tenure as director of Interreligious Affairs, the organization became the internationally acknowledged leader in Christian-Jewish and Muslim-Jewish relations. In the course of his work, he participated in ten meetings with Pope John Paul II, as well as meetings with the World Council of Churches in Geneva and with Eastern Orthodox Christian leaders in Greece.

He currently serves as a member of the New York State Task Force on Life and the Law, an interdisciplinary group that focuses on bioethical legislation and issues. He was a member of the Camp David/ Presidential Retreat Interfaith Chapel Committee and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Federal Holiday Commission.

In 1997 the Polish Council of Christians and Jews presented Rabbi Rudin with its “Person of Reconciliation Award”. Two years later he received the Golden Medallion Award from the International Council of Christians and Jews.

He is the author of eight books including, Twenty Years of Catholic Jewish Relations and his latest work, The Baptizing of America: The Religious Right’s Plans for the Rest of Us. A prolific writer, his articles have appeared in numerous publications and he has lectured around the world. He has appeared as a frequent guest on television and radio programs, including NBC, CBS, ABC, BBC and NPR.

He was a United States Air Force chaplain in Japan and Korea. In 1964 he participated in an interreligious, interracial voting rights drive in Hattiesburg, MS. He attended Wesleyan University and graduated with academic distinction from George Washington University. He received his master’s degree and rabbinical ordination from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion and has done graduate work in American history at the University of Illinois. He has received honorary degrees from HUC-JIR and Saint Leo University in Florida where he is a distinguished visiting professor.

Katelynn Marie Blume ’07 
Co-Valedictorian

Download or view the valedictory speech in QuickTime format.

Katelynn Marie Blume ’07, a native of Whitefish, Montana, graduated as the Valedictorian in 2003 from Timberline High School. At Saint Martin’s, she majored in Chemistry, with a minor in Biology, and is graduating with a 4.0 grade point average. An avid runner, she has been a member of the track and cross country teams. Katelynn is married to Gary Downing and is the daughter of Christopher and Pamela Blume of Lacey. In the fall, she will begin graduate studies at the University of Washington School of Pharmacy.

Reyana Corazon Glass ’07 
Co-Valedictorian

Download or view the valedictory speech in QuickTime format.

Reyana Corazon Glass ’07, graduated in 2004 as Valedictorian from her high school in Salem, Oregon. She had a double major, sociology & anthropology and community services, at Saint Martin’s University and she earned a 4.0 grade point average. Reyana was involved in numerous co-curricular activities, including extensive volunteer work. She plans to pursue a master’s degree in social work from the University of Washington at Tacoma. Reyana is the daughter of Rita Glass.