In order to profit from good fortune, a person has to be bold enough to recognize it and seize it, Oregon Rep. Peter Defazio told 175 law students during his commencement address Sunday.
The ceremony, held at the Hult Center, honored the achievements of the class of 2002, as well as the contributions of past graduates and a current faculty member. The class also gave the law school two gifts: a contribution to the Wayne Westling scholarship fund and a new program to provide student loan relief to graduates who pursue careers in public interest law.
Defazio’s speech highlighted various ways the courts make important contributions to society and gave several examples, including that of the 2000 presidential election — which was resolved in the U.S. Supreme Court.
“You’re graduating in extraordinary times by anyone’s measure,” Defazio said.
Before Defazio, D-Eugene, spoke, student speaker John Courtney Olive recounted some humorous incidents, which he called “war stories,” involving his classmates.
One such story involved a classmate checking his e-mail during a lecture, as Olive said law students often do. He said the student opened a file that “took over” the computer and blared from its speakers, “Hey everybody, I’m watching porno over here.”
Olive introduced staff members Shirley Dotson and Pearl Morgan, who have worked for the law school for 15 and 16 years, respectively. The pair stepped to the podium wearing yellow pompoms on their heads, donning rain gear and conical “UO” party hats.
“Don’t be fooled and think you’re done,” Dotson and Morgan said in unison. “You still have the bar, and that ain’t fun.”
The event returned to the serious, and law school Dean Rennard Strickland presented Mary Christina Wood with the faculty teaching award, which has been awarded annually since 1990 to an outstanding teacher.

Strickland also presented past graduates Norman J. Wiener and Minoru Yasui with Meritorious Service Awards, which are presented annually to people who have made extraordinary contributions to legal education and the law.
Wiener, a 1947 graduate who spent his career in complex litigation and forest products law, accepted his award with a quick speech. He repeated what he said when dedicating a chair lift named after him at Timberline Lodge, saying he has learned three things since he began law school.
First, Mount Hood hasn’t changed. Second, skiers don’t change, and finally, “skiers waiting to ski don’t want to hear any speeches,” Wiener said.
The second award will be formally presented to Yasui’s widow in Denver this summer. Yasui died in 1986. Strickland said that in 1939, Yasui became the first Japanese American to graduate from the University of Oregon School of Law.
Strickland said Yasui is an “American hero” who challenged the constitutionality of restrictive laws against Japanese-Americans during World War II. Yasui also helped lay the groundwork for a federal apology and reparations payments to internment camp survivors, according to a May 7 news release.
When Strickland introduced Defazio, he said the eight-term representative has made possible more than 100 scholarships for displaced workers by donating money from his congressional raises.
Defazio’s remarks dealt mostly with the idea of embracing the unexpected and knowing how to position oneself to know which path is right for each individual.
When Defazio was earning his master’s degree in public administration and gerontology at the University, he didn’t have a career in politics in mind.
“A lucky person sees opportunity where others don’t,” Defazio said. “Keep your eyes open to those opportunities. But don’t worry, they’ll come around.”
Kevin H. Kono graduated as the top student in the class. Kono won the Derrick A Bell Jr. Scholarship, the D. Ben Tesdahl legal writing award and was executive editor of Oregon Law Review, among his achievements and activities.
Olive, the class speaker, also said in his portion, “I know some of you may feel like we are spreading like seeds in the wind. But this world’s not such a big place. I know our paths will cross again.”