Louis Zamperini: My Nominee for an Honorary Degree

With commencement approaching next month in universities across the nation, I decided it would be timely to discuss my nomination for an honorary degree at the University of Southern California.

I was recently introduced to the work of James Freedman , former President of Dartmouth College and University of Iowa. He mentions that, “in bestowing an honorary degree, a university makes an explicit statement to its students and the world about the qualities of character and attainment it admires most.” According to the USC Honorary Degrees website, this recognition is granted to those individuals “who have distinguished themselves through extraordinary achievements in scholarship, the professions, or other creative activities, whether or not they are widely known by the general public.” Past recipients include Neil Armstrong, Robert Zemeckis, and Andrew Viterbi. The recipient of this degree is also to speak at commencement and impart their insight and advice to the graduating Trojan class.

I imagine Louis Zamperini (pictured below) as an ideal candidate for this degree not only because of his success as a runner, but also for his humanitarian efforts. I believe that Zamperini exemplifies the qualities of faith, skill, ambition, courage, and scholarship highly regarded by the Trojan family. Quite frankly, it would be a shame if a former Trojan with such heroic like accomplishments could not even address the graduating students of his own alma mater.

Zamperini a Southern Californian native, is an All American runner, two-time NCAA champion, Olympic athlete, a survivor of war, and now an inspirational speaker. The “Tornado from Torrance” as he was nicknamed, participated in the 1936 Berlin Games wherein his speedy finish commanded the attention of none other than Adolf Hitler, who singled out the runner and shook his hand. “Aha! The boy with the fast finish!” Hitler said to Zamperini through an English interpreter. After the Olympics, Zamparini was enlisted and served as a bombardier in World War II. During a mission his plane crashed into the Pacific waters, leaving him and two other men (one of whom passed away in the raft) stranded on a small life raft for forty seven days with nothing to consume but chocolate. The duo finally reached land starving, dehydrated, and unable to walk, only to find themselves in the hands of the Japanese army as prisoners, for two years. During his time as a POW, Zamparini was subjected to starvation, physical abuse, medical experiments, and threats of being beheaded. For Zamperini to survive consecutive catastrophic situations is truly miraculous, and unexpected of someone outside of a Hollywood blockbuster film. He finally returned home feeling understandably estranged, lost, and revenge seeking. After attending a lecture series about religion, Zamparini was a changed man. He then dedicated his life to becoming an inspirational speaker.

Perhaps even more significant than Zamperini’s athletic accomplishments, is the unwavering service he has provided for humanity, and this is why I nominate him. As an inspirational speaker to the youth, he bestowed hope upon the dejected sharing the lessons he has learnt through his journey as student at USC, Olympic runner, and prisoner of war. In addition Zamperini visited the guards who had abused him during his time as a prisoner. He informed them that he had forgiven them and moved on. “I threw my arms around him [the former Japanese guard],” Zamperini recollects. His ability to transcend the extreme negativity he experienced as a POW, and channel it into a positive outlet is indeed very motivating. Zamperini also wrote a book entitled Devil at My Heels, a memoir which reveled the austerity of war and also the persistence of our human nature. Moreover, he is the founder of the Victory Boys Camp, “an organization that each year brought life skills and confidence to thousands of high school dropouts through outdoor skills such as repelling, skiing, water-skills and horsemanship.”

While others may argue that the man is rather archaic and will neglect to captivate or relate to his young audience, I beg to differ. I have had the privilege of meeting Mr. Zamperini and can say that the 88 year old is still as sharp and witty as ever. Today Zamperini reaches an estimated 30,000 youngsters yearly, communicating his themes of resilience, a positive attitude, and forgiveness as he leads by example. The values Zamperini imparts through his discussions are both timeless and universal. His boundless energy is contagious, and I honestly believe he will be a terrific commencement speaker who will motivate the graduating class of 2007 in their endeavors.