How can you help? It is simple. Go to the Advocate for Florida State website and register! By registering, you will be heard by the Florida Legislature expressing your support for President Barron’s plan! Follow the instructions on the link provided below and help FSU reach the top 25 in academic standing!

Advocate for Florida State

Please email max@tampanoles.com with any questions. Good Luck!

Wright, a longtime music professor, who joined the Florida State University faculty in 1949 and has performed concerts with symphony orchestras around the world, delivered a uniquely lyrical graduation address through a combination of piano music, sentimental recollections and song.

“Graduates, you’ll be happy to know that I’m not going to give you a long speech this morning,” Wright said. “Instead, I thought you might enjoy a couple of songs out of the many songs that I have written and especially the songs for FSU.”

Larry Gerber, an accomplished and talented tenor soloist and professor of voice at Florida State, accompanied Wright, who played the piano onstage. The pair performed Wright’s exquisite Florida State “Victory March” as well as the raucous “Fight Song,” which Wright wrote in his early years at the university.

The words were printed in the program so graduates, faculty and parents could sing along in joyful celebration.

President Eric J. Barron, who presided over the ceremony — webcast at campus.fsu.edu/graduation — presented Wright with an honorary doctorate of music degree.

“Your most important legacy is intangible: The love and admiration of tens of thousands of Florida State alumni,” said Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Garnett S. Stokes, who read a citation before Barron draped a doctoral hood over Wright’s gown. “Your dedication to Florida State University for 60 years is without equal.”

About 1,314 Florida State graduates participated in the ceremony. Of those students participating, 919 received bachelor’s degrees, 323 received master’s degrees and 72 were awarded doctorates.

Prior to the ceremony, Florida State’s U.S. Army ROTC commissioned four new second lieutenants on Friday, Aug. 10, at Harpe-Johnson Hall.

Also at the commencement ceremony, Nar S. Dalal was recognized as the Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry for the 2012-2013 academic year. A world-renowned physical chemist, Dalal is the Dirac Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Florida State. Dalal, who researches the workings of molecular magnets, is the 10th member of the university’s chemistry and biochemistry faculty to be selected as a Lawton Professor in the past 50 years.

The Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professor award is the highest honor faculty can bestow on a colleague.

Wright, who taught more than 50,000 students at Florida State, penned the ubiquitous Florida State fight song in 1950. While at the university, he established the Gershwin Festival Concerts, and over the years presented more than 400 concerts of “An Evening with Gershwin” nationwide. He also worked as a producer, musical director, guest soloist and staff pianist for the major radio networks in New York City, which then aired popular music shows across the country.

From the earliest days of television, Wright was intrigued with the idea of using the new medium to educate viewers. He served on a gubernatorial task force that created the Florida Educational Network. Wright, who was the first person to present live broadcasts on that network, expanded his communications expertise into academia and for more than a decade directed Florida State’s Interdivisional Department of Radio-Television (which later became the College of Communication). He was also instrumental in the planning and construction of the WFSU-TV public television station.

In recognition of his many contributions, the Florida Legislature proclaimed April 14, 2003, “Professor Thomas Wright Day,” and in 2008 Wright retired from Florida State.

The ceremony marked another special occasion for Florida State: It was the first time the university saluted its graduating veterans with red, white and blue honor cords. Florida State is one of the first universities in the nation to introduce the cords at commencement ceremonies. This summer, 32 veterans and graduates of the university’s Army and Air Force ROTC programs have earned the cords, which are being offered by the Veterans Center.

Each year the FSU Honorary Degree Committee, an advisory committee appointed by the president to represent the university community, considers nominations for an honorary degree. Any active or retired faculty member or any other member of the university community or friend of the university may suggest potential honorary degree recipients to the committee. Nominations are considered at any time of the year. In general, the committee intends to honor people of outstanding achievement who have gained national or international recognition or made a significant scholarly, creative, public, business, or humane contribution to the United States or to Florida State University.

“The years of service I’ve enjoyed with a great faculty at Florida State was the culmination of my whole academic career,” Wright told the crowd.

He also told the new graduates that he truly wished them well.

“I hope you will bring great credit upon Florida State University,” he said with a twinkle in his eye. “And don’t forget to join the Alumni Association. We have a lot of fun at meetings and there are chapters all over the country. And with that, I bid you adieu, Godspeed and goodbye.”

Florida State University’s head football coach, Jimbo Fisher, and his wife, Candi Fisher, created Kidz1^stFund after their younger son, Ethan, was diagnosed with the rare blood disorder in 2011. FA causes possible birth defects and bone marrow failure, and can lead sufferers to develop cancer years earlier than people in the general population.

In the first year of Kidz1^stFund’s existence, more than $500,000 was raised and donated to the University of Minnesota’s Amplatz Children’s Hospital, doubling that university’s current research budget for Fanconi anemia. The University of Minnesota was chosen because it treats more FA patients who need blood and marrow transplantation than all other hospitals in the country combined.

“The funds raised by Kidz1^stdirectly and immediately advance critical research for FA children,” said Dr. Margaret L. MacMillan, co-director of the Fanconi Anemia Comprehensive Care Clinic at the University of Minnesota. “We are seeing remarkable

In its short existence, the organization has not only raised a remarkable amount of money but has also used social media outlets to increase awareness about the rare disease. With almost 7,000 “likes” on Facebook and more than 2,200 followers on Twitter, Kidz1^stFund has been able to spread the word about ways people can contribute to the cause both financially and through bone marrow donation.

Through the efforts of the Fisher family, Kidz1^stFund has added 1,710 new registrants into the National Marrow Donor Program in just its first year. A handful of people have been notified that they are possible matches for a patient in need and, miraculously, at least one child’s life has been saved as a result of a bone marrow transplantation that originated from a Kidz1^stFund donor.

“Social media has been a key factor in spreading the word about FA worldwide,” said Candi Fisher. “We have been able to let people know about fundraising opportunities, as well as shared personal stories of families all over the country fighting FA. Once, we shared a picture of Olivia, who was recovering from her bone marrow transplant, and we were flooded with over 400 ‘likes’ and comments wishing the little angel a fast recovery. That is really encouraging for parents like us.”

Kidz1^stFund has not been in this fight to raise awareness alone; media outlets and others have joined in all year long to spread the word. Organizations including The Huffington Post, the Atlantic Coast Conference and ESPN have helped, along with numerous statewide newspapers, blogs and magazines. A multitude of individuals, businesses, universities, clubs and celebrities have joined in. One Tallahassee high school student event created a free public-service announcement for Kidz1^stFund that has now been distributed throughout the United States for use on radio and TV.

However, the organization’s mission doesn’t stop here. In February, the Florida House and Senate passed a resolution recognizing Kidz1^stFund’s efforts. And this past July, the Fishers went to Washington, D.C., to meet with various members of Congress and officials from the Federal Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health to start discussions about allowing phase I clinical trials on children with life-threatening diseases and to bring to their attention the challenges faced by doctors when treating children with rare diseases.

One of Florida’s members of Congress, U.S. Rep. C.W. Bill Young, has been known for his support of the National Bone Marrow Program and was one of the members of the House of Representatives to commit to support the Fishers’ mission.

“Families like the Fishers who are proactively working toward a cure for diseases like Fanconi anemia are not only providing hope for themselves, but also to all those who are affected by a multitude of disorders,” Young said.

As for Ethan Fisher, his bone marrow aspiration this past March showed no further decline, so for the time being he has been given the green light by his doctors to play on the local baseball team, hunt with his father and older brother, and participate in golf and swim camps this summer. While he continues to enjoy his childhood, his parents continue to create hope for him and thousands of others who are afflicted with the disease.

To learn more, visit www.kidz1^stfund.com or call Herbie Thiele of Ron Sachs Communications at (850) 222-1996.

 The Kickoff Party is FREE for Seminole Booster or Alumni Association Members (with official Membership Cards ONLY), $10 for everyone else. Attendance is limited to 250 so please sign up soon by clicking here.

 A cash bar is available. The Improv is located in Centro Ybor, at 1600 E. 8th Ave, on the ground floor across from the trolley tracks.

 You can stay updated by joining the event on our Facebook page here.

Tickets are $20 in advance (click here) or you can get them at the door ($30). Unlike in years past, starting this year there is no Tampa Bay Seminole Club membership fee. The Pub Crawl is the Tampa Noles’ biggest fundraiser, with proceeds going to support many FSU initiatives, local alumni events, scholarships, networking opportunities, the Seminole Boosters, and the FSU Alumni Association.

Registration for the legendary Tampa Noles Annual Pub Crawl begins at 4p at the Tampa Improv. The Pub Crawl is a ticketed event, and special wrist bands are required to gain access to stops along the Pub Crawl route. The 1st stop on the Tampa Noles Pub Crawl is Gameworks, immediately following the conclusion of the Kickoff Party.

You can keep up with the latest information, such as bar announcements, by joining our Facebook page event here.