1950 - June 11
Alben W. Barkley
Barkley, U.S. Vice President, was the speaker at the ROTC Hangar, also known as "the cage". Due to the influx of G.I.s following World War II, this was the first dual ceremony for the increasingly large graduating class.
1951 - June 10
Albert N. Jorgensen
Jorgensen's fifteenth commencement address had the title "Message to Graduates."
1952 - June 8
Albert N. Jorgensen
Jorgensen again presented a "Message to Graduates".
1953 - June 14
Albert N. Jorgensen
Jorgensen's message to graduates was titled "The Challenge of Commencement Day." The first University Scholars were recognized during this ceremony.
1954 - June 13
Albert N. Jorgensen
Again called the commencement address, Jorgensen's 1954 address was titled "The State University and the American Dream".
1955 - June 12
Albert N. Jorgensen
Jorgensen's address was titled "Integrity, Tolerance and Security"
1956 - June 10
Albert N. Jorgensen
Jorgensen marked the 75th anniversary of the University with an address titled "Public Education: Reaffirmation or Recession".
1957 - June 9
Albert N. Jorgensen
"It is for us the living...." was the theme for Jorgensen's penultimate commencement address.
1958 - June 15
Maj. Gen. John B. Medaris
Medaris was a major general commanding the Army Ballistic Missile Agency. He worked with Wernher von Braun to launch Explorer I in early 1958. He delivered an address titled: "The Challenge of the Technological Revolution". The ceremony was held outdoors in Memorial Stadium.
1959 - June 14
Reuben G. Gustavson
Gustavson, Chancellor of the University of Nebraska and director of Ford Foundation's Resources for the Future, posed the question "What About Tomorrow?" to the graduates.
Information on the History of Commencement pages was researched and compiled by Mark J. Roy