Jacox found his fit at Chadron State College

“Each of us is a puzzle piece and, as such, each of us is absolutely unique,” Jacox said. “Relish the fact that of the more than 7.1 billion residents on this planet, you are the only one of you. Furthermore, you never proceeded yourself, and you will never succeed yourself. The only way that the continuum of mankind can properly function is that you, each of you, find your fit.”

Jacox, a native of Scottsbluff, Nebraska, who worked more than 30 years in the design, testing, manufacturing and management of aerospace weapons systems used in the defense of the United States, spoke candidly about his fond memories at Chadron State College, as well as his struggles at Texas A&M, to a capacity crowd at the undergraduate ceremony in the Chicoine Center.

“My degree at Chadron was a portal, one of three, to my career, and to the rest of my life.”

Like many of the undergraduates in the audience, Jacox chose Chadron State based on affordability and familiarity. Since he paid for most of his classes, he could afford his education, and he was comfortable with the school because his mother and an older sister were graduates.

“I came here focused on getting an education; nothing more and absolutely nothing less,” he said. “This focus, discipline and sacrifice would pay off. My time at CSC was an investment that was absolutely critical to my future.”

Jacox also explained to the graduates how one of his biggest struggles turned into a major blessing. After three years at Chadron State, he decided to finish his education at Texas A&M in the aerospace engineering program. However, in his own words, he took extreme overloads in courses both semesters he was there, and was put on academic probation.

He realized in order to continue his dream of being an engineer he needed a bachelor’s degree and that led him back to Chadron State. He had quite a spring semester. During one of his classes he met his wife, Karyn Foster of Alliance, who also graduated from CSC. He also was granted a deferment to be drafted to the war in Vietnam and decided to pursue a second major in physics.

Despite setbacks, he graduated from Chadron State at the top of his class and was inducted into several national honor societies. Following his graduation, he returned to the site of his earlier failures and earned a master’s of science in aerospace engineering.

“In retrospect, coming to Chadron State College was one of the very best decisions that I have ever made,” he said. “From Chadron I received a solid education, and a relevant, empowering degree. I also found my soulmate. These things set in motion the events that have colored the rest of my life and have fostered any subsequent success that I have enjoyed.”

Chadron State conferred bachelor’s degrees to 265 graduates during the undergraduate ceremony in the Chicoine Center. Earlier Saturday morning, 96 master’s degrees were granted during a ceremony in Memorial Hall.

In addition to Jacox’s address, graduates Alyssa Peters of Bridgeport, Nebraska, and Jorge Flores of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, delivered moments of reflection.

Six graduates and cadets with the CSC ROTC program received their commissions as Second Lieutenants in the U.S. Army during the commencement exercises.

 

—Alex Helmbrecht, Director of College Relations

“Each of us is a puzzle piece and, as such, each of us is absolutely unique,” Jacox said. “Relish the fact that of the more than 7.1 billion residents on this planet, you are the only one of you. Furthermore, you never proceeded yourself, and you will never succeed yourself. The only way that the continuum of mankind can properly function is that you, each of you, find your fit.”

Jacox, a native of Scottsbluff, Nebraska, who worked more than 30 years in the design, testing, manufacturing and management of aerospace weapons systems used in the defense of the United States, spoke candidly about his fond memories at Chadron State College, as well as his struggles at Texas A&M, to a capacity crowd at the undergraduate ceremony in the Chicoine Center.

“My degree at Chadron was a portal, one of three, to my career, and to the rest of my life.”

Like many of the undergraduates in the audience, Jacox chose Chadron State based on affordability and familiarity. Since he paid for most of his classes, he could afford his education, and he was comfortable with the school because his mother and an older sister were graduates.

“I came here focused on getting an education; nothing more and absolutely nothing less,” he said. “This focus, discipline and sacrifice would pay off. My time at CSC was an investment that was absolutely critical to my future.”

Jacox also explained to the graduates how one of his biggest struggles turned into a major blessing. After three years at Chadron State, he decided to finish his education at Texas A&M in the aerospace engineering program. However, in his own words, he took extreme overloads in courses both semesters he was there, and was put on academic probation.

He realized in order to continue his dream of being an engineer he needed a bachelor’s degree and that led him back to Chadron State. He had quite a spring semester. During one of his classes he met his wife, Karyn Foster of Alliance, who also graduated from CSC. He also was granted a deferment to be drafted to the war in Vietnam and decided to pursue a second major in physics.

Despite setbacks, he graduated from Chadron State at the top of his class and was inducted into several national honor societies. Following his graduation, he returned to the site of his earlier failures and earned a master’s of science in aerospace engineering.

“In retrospect, coming to Chadron State College was one of the very best decisions that I have ever made,” he said. “From Chadron I received a solid education, and a relevant, empowering degree. I also found my soulmate. These things set in motion the events that have colored the rest of my life and have fostered any subsequent success that I have enjoyed.”

Chadron State conferred bachelor’s degrees to 265 graduates during the undergraduate ceremony in the Chicoine Center. Earlier Saturday morning, 96 master’s degrees were granted during a ceremony in Memorial Hall.

In addition to Jacox’s address, graduates Alyssa Peters of Bridgeport, Nebraska, and Jorge Flores of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, delivered moments of reflection.

Six graduates and cadets with the CSC ROTC program received their commissions as Second Lieutenants in the U.S. Army during the commencement exercises.

—Alex Helmbrecht, Director of College Relations