Comedian to grads: Chase those butterflies

Imagine calling your parents with the message, “Mom and Dad, I’m dropping out of college to become a clown.” Nearly 30 years and a bachelor’s degree later, comedian Brian Regan has come full circle.

During commencement on Sunday, Regan, who’s become a household name on the national stand-up comedy circuit, recounted his famed Heidelberg experience for about 340 Heidelberg graduates as this year’s keynote speaker. He made the critical decision to leave school in 1980, just 10 hours short of his degree, to pursue his dream of becoming a stand-up comedian.

He told the Class of 2008, numbering about 340, that he arrived at Heidelberg before most of them were born. “When I went to school here, tuition was $26. I still owe $12,” he joked.

Then, the funny man he turned serious. It was at Heidelberg, he said, where he first started to dream. Although he was recruited to play football and he planned to study accounting – “I was an economics major for about eight minutes” – it was in a speech class that he got the “crazy idea” that he wanted to be a comedian. That was one of the first times he made people laugh.

But laughter and success didn’t come without a few nervous, uncomfortable moments and “butterflies in my belly” – like when Regan arrived at Heidelberg from Miami, Fla., as a football recruit never having visited the campus, the first time he had to give a speech in class – and other “firsts” leading to experiences that opened doors.

His message to the Class of 2008 was simple: “I’m sorry I didn’t teach you about Thermonuclear Fission in the Post Industrial Revolution Age (the tongue-in-cheek title of his address), but I hope I’ve conveyed something worthwhile here today. Don’t worry about going after your dreams. That will come. I say, go after those little butterflies.”

Regan also received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree for distinguished career accomplishments. More butterflies. “I’ve never given a commencement speech, and I’ve certainly never received an honorary degree,” he said. When he heard about Heidelberg’s plans to give him the degree, he chided, “First, I had to look up what Doctor of Humane Letters meant.

“Then, I instantly started cranking out some humane letters … To Whom It May Concern, Please be nice to puppies.

All jokes aside, Regan said he was proud to have been honored by his alma mater. “This may sound corny, but I love this school.”

He returned to Heidelberg in 1995 as a Lifelong Learning student and completed his degree, earning straight A’s. Then came another phone call to his parents with the good news. Their response: “Who is this?”

Regan shared the stage with two other honorary degree recipients, the Rev. Paul Rohrbaugh, ’40, a United Church of Christ minister and leader of a Heidelberg legacy family; and Victor Casebolt, a successful businessman and the father of ’85 alumnus Mark Casebolt.

Graduates also heard from classmate Luke Sundermeier, who was selected as the undergraduate speaker. His remarks, titled A Heidelberg Moment, focused on the unforgettable moment when things clicked. Sundermeier, who received his degree in education and history, encouraged his classmates to reflect on their Heidelberg moment and respect it. “Apply yesterday to today and tomorrow will be yours,” he said.

Click here to view photos of this event.

Posted on May 12, 2008