In spite of his musical experience, Hicks admitted he was not familiar with the original version.
"I actually don't know the real words myself," said Hicks, who said he would not have written the ode if he had to perform it by himself. The ode is usually performed by a group of singers from the senior class.
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Hootnick said the process of selecting the speakers was especially difficult this year due to an unusually large applicant pool.
"They were really all outstanding speeches," Hootnick said. "We had a difficult time deciding."
In addition to the three speeches and the ode, Institute of Politics Director Alan K. Simpson will address the class of 1999 June 9.