Central High commencement speaker Patricia Washington told seniors that serving mankind should be a goal as they proceed into life.

On Friday the Class of 1994 graduated, lead by valedictorian Kimberly Pulley and salutatorian Aaron Bruening.

Washington is a Central graduate, and press secretary to St. Louis mayor Freeman Bosley. She is also a regent at Southeast Missouri State University.

She told the students at the Show Me Center, "Graduation is symbolic. It represents a turning point in your life."

Washington referred to the controversy over Friday's commencement -- whereby seniors shy of all requirements were allowed to make the graduation walk.

"I want to take a few minutes to talk to those at the center of the controversy," she said.

She quoted Martin Luther King as saying, "Everybody can be great because everybody can serve.

"You only have to have a heart full of grace and a soul full of love," she said. "That's what this ceremony is about. It's not about picking up a diploma. It's about becoming a better human being. All of you have worked hard to get here. Some of you have fallen short of your goals.

"Tonight you get a clean slate," Washington continued. "Up until today, everything has been like a scribble on a canvas. Tonight that image begins to take shape."

Washington said today's graduate must be aggressive and bold. "Have the courage first to fail and then to succeed," she said.

Superintendent Neyland Clark, whose son graduated Friday night, told the graduates, "I've been in the business 22 years and perhaps this is the most difficult of these speeches. You are very unique to me, to the faculty and to the community.

"You are unique in terms of your compassion for your fellow human beings. While adults have lost their heads in charge and counter charge, you have held fast in your compassion for your fellow students."

Pulley, the valedictorian, said, "We have achieved greatness in the four short years we've been here. We've also learned lessons in life. There will always be those people who depend on others for their success."

Bruening, the salutatorian, said, "The Class of 1994 is not one to just sit there. We will go out into the world, and we will make a difference."