Committee Picks Speakers For Class Day Ceremony

"Since my parents shelled out thousands and thousands of dollars for me to go to Harvard, I figured it would mean something to them if I went out with a bang," George Christulides '79, one of three seniors selected yesterday to deliver Class Day addresses, said yesterday.

The senior class committee chose Christulides to deliver the Harvard oration, Leda Cosmides '79 to deliver the Radcliffe oration, and Thomas Gammill '79 as the Ivy orator.

The committee also chose Adam Finkel's version of "Fair Harvard" as the class ode.

Aaron J. Alter '79, Harvard first marshal, said the three orators were chosen from among 40 competitors to give the five-minute speeches. "We listened to everybody--presentation was just as important as content," Alter said.

The Ivy oration is traditionally humorous, Alter said. "The other two are more traditional--kind of high school valedictories given four years later," he added.

Cosmides's speech "deals tangentially with the Radcliffe centennial," Alter said. "That was a big factor in the selection," he said.

The Harvard oration will be "a plea not to be self-indulgent," Christulides said. "I'm trying to get people to appreciate our status. A Harvard graduate carries esteem and responsibilities," he added.

The three speakers will join author Theodore H. White '38 on the Class Day podium. "I'm sure he'll give a very nice follow-up to my speech," Christulides joked.