Vol. 38, No. 18

4-6-2004
By: Joni Bentz Seal

Lessons will help you scale life's mountains

Lonnie Thompson tells nearly 1,600 graduates

At Winter Commencement March 21, Lonnie Thompson, Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Geological Sciences and research scientist with the Byrd Polar Research Center, released nearly 1,600 graduates into the world with four life lessons learned during his 28-year career at Ohio State, which he began as a graduate student in geological sciences.

Sharing a story from the early days of his career, which has included 47 expeditions to the highest mountains in 15 countries, Thompson illustrated to the graduates in the Schottenstein Center the lessons that became evident to him as a young researcher.

“The challenges I’ve faced over the years to recover ice cores from the world’s highest mountains are analogous in many ways to those you will face as you climb your own mountains and seek your destiny — whatever that may be,” he said. “The mountainous terrain ahead can seem daunting at times, but it is by meeting and overcoming hardships that you confront your strengths and weaknesses, your beliefs and your fundamental values and thereby gain a much better sense of self.”

In the first lesson, Thompson encouraged graduates to expect to experience failure and learn to turn it into success. Setting the stage, Thompson explained that he was still a graduate student when he first considered drilling ice cores on tropical mountains, rather than Antarctica and Greenland. The Quelccaya ice cap in southern Peru had piqued his interest, but the National Science Foundation (NSF) — who preferred the traditional zones of glaciocology at the time — rejected Thompson’s funding requests for such exploration.

Disappointed, Thompson continued his work on the polar ice caps. But shortly after, by what Thompson called serendipitous luck, the NSF created a new department that was willing to fund ice core research outside Antarctica and Greenland, and accepted his proposal to drill the Quelccaya ice cap — even though such a drilling project had never been attempted.

“This is an example of being in the right place at the right time,” Thompson recalled. “Clearly, the first failure of my career actually resulted in my first success.”

When the elevation made it impossible for helicopters to hoist the necessary equipment to the site, ingenuity prevailed. “We were faced with two choices: admit defeat, give up the dream of working on tropical ice cores, and return working in the polar regions, or stay with it and explore other options to solve the problem,” Thompson said. “We chose option two and decided to build a new light-weight drill driven by solar power that could be broken into smaller pieces and carried by horses to the edge of the ice. We had now turned our failure into a plan that I felt guaranteed success.”

The anticipated success, however, was not shared by all, Thompson said, as he proffered lesson two: those who question your ability may do you a greater service than those who offer faint praise. Thompson said the project — and his renewed excitement — suffered a serious setback when one of the world’s pioneers in polar ice core drilling questioned the accessibility of the ice cap and the technology needed to complete the mission.

“That early criticism from an icon in my field of study served to solidify my resolve to overcome the many obstacles that lay ahead,” he said. “In fact, it took us the next four years to design, test, then redesign and retest our new solar powered ice core drill — the first in the world.”

In lesson three, Thompson encouraged graduates to believe in themselves, but be flexible and seize any opportunity that creates other options. “Before leaving for Peru on the trip that would determine the ultimate direction of the rest of my life, I took the exam to enter the MBA program at OSU,” he said. But the success of the project — including the use of the first solar-powered ice core drill — made his contingency plan unnecessary. He also ultimately teamed with his skeptical colleague during the project, launching a collaboration that has lasted for decades.

The Quelccaya ice core drilling project started in 1974 as a “wild” idea according to Thompson, and finished successfully nine years later with international recognition and the development of the Ice Core Paleoclimate Research Group at the Byrd Polar Research Center. “The ultimate task is to fail, to learn and to start over; to fall, to reflect and to rise again. Reaching your goals must become a habit.”

Thompson told graduates that one of the most important things a person can do in life is to figure out what it is he or she wants to do more than anything else and then work to accomplish it.

“Most of you have or still are struggling with this, and it can be draining, both emotionally and financially,” he said, but added that achieving cosmically lofty goals, such as the success of Bill Gates or the power of Alan Greenspan, are not necessary for fulfillment. “Success and happiness in life will come only when you find a purpose that extends beyond yourself. It means knowing not only how to do what you do well, but also why you are doing it,” he said.

Thompson recommended the graduates write down their purpose, store it in a safe place, and pull it out occasionally to reflect on it, “especially at times when you run up against your own personal mountains,” he said. He also encouraged graduates to challenge both themselves and those around them; to be persistent and flexible; possess a willingness to work hard; and nurture a strong trust in instinct and insight. “Remember your purpose and it will serve you as your focus to help you make choices along the way.”

And finally, Thompson shared lesson four: learning to appreciate a common humanity. “If there is one thing I have noticed in my years of traveling, it is that all people on Earth have the same basic goals: security, peace and better lives for themselves and especially their children,” he said. “We live in a world where people live separate lives, in separate cultures and with different religions, but we are bound together in a common humanity. We are truly a global community and the problems of one are the problems of all. Education is an essential key to raising the standard of living and hopes of all humanity.”

Commencement
Awards

Four individuals were honored with commencement awards for their contributions to society and academics, and their dedication to the university.

Honorary doctorates were presented to:

• Avery Cardinal Dulles, S.J., the Laurence J. McGinley Professor of Religion and Society at Fordham University, a Doctor of Humane Letters; and

• Durbin D. Feeling, who has devoted his professional life to the description, preservation and teaching of the Cherokee language, a Doctor of Humane Letters.

Distinguished Service Awards
were presented to:

• Rodney J. Harrison, associate vice provost of student affairs emeritus at Ohio State; and
• Robert F. Reusché, retired vice chair of the Northern Trust Co., a large multi-state trust and banking corporation headquartered in Chicago.

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