By Matt Sepic, KWMU
St. Louis – Dick Gephardt gave graduates of Washington University some time-honored advice Friday as this year's commencement speaker.
The former 14-term Missouri Congressman looked back on his career in public service as he told graduates to value their own lives, have courage, and treat others with respect.
"It's no accident that every known religion in our world revolves, at least in part, around some version of the Golden Rule," Gephardt said. "It has been the most important rule in my life."
Gephardt pointed to the fall of communism and the civil rights movement as the defining events of his generation. And he urged the graduates to meet the challenges of theirs.
He also received an honorary doctorate, and the new Institute for Public Service at Washington University is named for him.