In Rome, Charles B. Watson ’03 spent a summer working in the Vatican with the secretary who oversees the correspondence of Pope John Paul II—in Latin. In Cambridge, he revived the Harvard Classical Club, which had been dormant for a decade. Today, Watson is poised to fulfill a dream he has pursued since he first set foot in the Yard—delivering the Latin Oration at Harvard’s 352nd Commencement.

“Four years ago, I said, ‘I am going to do this,’” Watson says. “I wanted to do it from the get-go.”

A classics concentrator, Watson has been studying Latin for nine years. His senior thesis examines the Roman orator Cicero’s use of comedy to enliven audiences.

Watson’s six-minute speech, which he must deliver from memory, is entitled “De Ignotis,” translated as “On the Forgotten.” The address discusses how the most important monuments of success are the people of today, for they represent their ancestors’ accomplishments.

Watson says he represents a triumph for his own family. His blue-collar grandparents gave up their dreams of graduating from college in order to earn money to support their families.

Watson’s speech emphasizes the continual process of achieving success.

“You’re not a culmination of these efforts, but a continuation,” he says.

When writing his speech, Watson called on his extensive research into Cicero’s rhetorical techniques. For example, as Cicero once did in the Roman Forum, Watson uses references to his surroundings to enhance his speech. His flourishes today will include pointing to buildings such as Widener, Weld and Emerson, which he says serve as monuments to the success of the families for whom they are named.

“His delivery is improving by the day and his oration will be well-received,” says Richard F. Thomas, professor of Greek and Latin, who selected Watson’s speech from the two submissions he received. “It will be a very dramatic and rhetorically impressive presentation.”

A Scholar and a Neat Freak

Watson may imitate Cicero, but he won’t sound quite like him. Born and raised in South Carolina, Watson speaks with a slight Southern drawl.

An only child from a “morally and religiously conservative family,” as he puts it, his meticulous approach to studying ancient texts carries over into all aspects of his life.

Neatly dressed in a buttoned shirt and khakis, with a brown belt matching his shoes, Watson keeps his academic planner close at hand. He reaches for it as he writes himself reminder notes and as he checks his daily commitments. The planner is a whirlwind of blue ink and yellow highlighter, as each academic and social engagement is written neatly in its proper slot.

His Currier House room echoes this precision. As Watson explains, his books are systematically arranged and his drawers are divided by clothing type and color—his socks are sorted by whites and colors and then further sub-divided.

Burnett F. King ’03, who has lived with Watson since their first-year days in Stoughton, emphasizes his passion for the classics. He recalls Watson’s excitement after getting a good price on an unabridged Latin-English dictionary.