, 1959-07-01
Honorable Waller I'M. Hodge. President Of the Legislature
Of The Virgin Islands At the Commencement Exercises
Of the christiansted High School on Wednesday.
June "a. 1859
Concluded)
Now the Fallouts:

AS you all know there are many of US and some of you
who are probably not particularly interested in nor adopted
to a college education for one reason or another. To those Of
you I want to say that you now have an excellent basic edu->
cation, you have touched on many subjects throughout your
school life, and you have probably found that though educa-
ton is OF paramount importance to all Of us, that there are
tying to one self and to ones family and neighbors. I am
thinking of Character of the Search of Truth, the satisfying
feeling Of a job well done, the mastering of one or more skils,
When you look around in your community today each one
of you will have in mind one or more persons whom you adj
mire, and to whom you look up, and whose advice you would
take in confidence. On a night like tonight it may surprise you,
that many Of these persons to- whom you look with such feel
ings are not college educated PRISONS. They are mostly selfrnade
men or women who have come up the hard way, and who
have probably had much less schooling than you have had.
What | say to you tonight IS that there are tremendous
opportunities in our islands here for practical men and wo-
men; we are going through a booming construction period
where there is a premium on qualified Carpenters, Masons,
Electricians, PIunnOers and practically all artisans and trades
men. In many cases these tradesmen are now making a high
er income than college educated men, and those of them who
have outstanding abilities have excellent opportunities for
establishing their own business, z create something which
they alone own, and where they are the sole boss. There are
excellent opportunities in the hotel trade, the fastest GROWING
business we have ever had; and as the Islands grow there will
be need for endless service industries, small industries prob
ably operated by the owner and his family with one or two
helpers could mention many of these opportunities here:
Furniture making, contract painting, general plumbing and
repairing, well digging, refrigeration and air conditioning,
automobile repair shops, small boat building and repair,
modern machine operated shoe repairing, dry cleaning, laun-
dry establishments, growing Of fresh Vegetables and Fruits, a
modern Deicatessen Store, in fact the list is as long as your
imagination can reach, and in a growing community such
IS the Virgin Islands the opportunities are popping up every
day, and what are we sseeing here? In at least 75g Of the cases
you will find that the initiative is being taken by people from
elsewhere who come here and who see the opportunities
which are lying at our feet to be taken up. I want to say to all
of you graduates and / mean the Junior High School gradu-
ates as we'll as some Of you may have in mind going into prac-
tical work rather than continuing with Senior High School
4 say to you all: The island here is your home, and unless YOU
plan to dig down where you are and take the opportunities
offered right here in oursnome, you will wake up one day and
fnd that St. Croix is no longer our home However, do not
make the mistake and decry the fact that people from out
side are coming in and ~thatthey are taking the bread out Of
your -mouth-rather sit up, wake up and take notice and do
your part to make this island a better place in which to live,
give IT your work, honest and hard work, and you will And
your reward right here in our home island, and through that
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