President Dr. Kyaw Moe Tun dedicates 2026 commencement address to Dwight Clark’s legacy

Parami President and undergraduate students visited Dwight Clark following the 2024 summer program in the United States.

What an extraordinary occasion for the graduating students, and for the university! Thank you very much to everyone who has come here, near and far, to be part of this memorable occasion to celebrate the achievements of our graduates. I really wish that I could be there with you all in person. 

Today, I want to share the story of a man with our graduates today.

What do you need to test this Parami University idea? That was the question posed by our late trustee, Dwight Clark, at one of the breakfasts that I had with him at a hotel called Panorama in Yangon. Now, let that question sink in. 

What do you need? 

What do you need? 

What do you need? 

As a giving person, Dwight always put other people’s needs first. Dwight was the first supporter of Parami to test out this idea. With his support, I spent nine months meeting potential supporters and donors, developing a university development proposal, and testing out the feasibility study. That was how Parami was turned from a dream into reality. 

Dwight was a quaker. Quakers are a group of protestant christians who live a very unique lifestyle with a set of core values that they call testimonies. It is known that there are six Quaker testimonies. Remember the mnemonic, SPICES - Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, Equality, and Stewardship. Dwight embodied all these testimonies.

Simplicity - Dwight lived a very simple life, always focusing on social, intellectual, and spiritual development over material possessions. He avoids living a luxurious lifestyle, using only what is needed to sustain life. I am quite certain that he had never flown on business class ever in his life, even when he was getting old.

Peace - Dwight was a pacifist. He was a student organizer of the first anti-nuclear testing demonstration at Stanford University in 1957, where he got his Bachelor's and Master's degrees. To him, intercultural understanding was an essential element of building peace, and promoting that intercultural understanding was reflected in all the work that he did throughout his life.

Integrity - Dwight’s integrity surfaces, unapologetically, in all the things that he said and did. His outer actions were true reflections of his inner thoughts. He would be soft-spoken and perhaps even diplomatic, but he never failed to add into the conversation what he actually believed in. 

Community - Dwight loved making communities. Wherever he traveled, he formed inclusive communities, bringing people together across different cultures and backgrounds. It was not surprising that people from across the world, as far away as Japan, would visit him in his last moments in California.

Equality - Dwight’s every single interaction with people shows his belief in equality, that everyone has their inherent self-worth. If you were ever lucky enough to be in a classroom with Dwight, you couldn’t help but notice that he would sharply look into the eyes of each student for at least 2 seconds as he gazed around the classroom. 

Stewardship - Dwight’s goodwill stewardship of natural and financial resources was exemplified by his simple way of living. Whenever his basic needs were met, while having a simple meal with ice-cold water or settling into his living room with a Japanese futon on the floor, his usual response would be, ‘I am very well taken care of, thank you. One would never see Dwight wasting away resources for any excessive material pleasures. He didn’t own much in his life. Yet whatever he owned, he left almost all of it, in fact, more than 90% of it, to Parami, and for you. 

Dwight passed away in the morning of February 22, 2026, peacefully, in Channing House, a retirement housing in Palo Alto that he unwillingly called home for the last four years. Unwillingly because everyone who has the privilege of knowing Dwight would know, Dwight would rather be in Asia with you all, connecting with the people and thinking about what he could do in the service of humanity.

And I pray, May we be as human as Dwight. May we be as generous as Dwight. May we be as kind as Dwight. Now hold these thoughts in your heart, and let us have a moment of silence for about a minute to honor Dwight and his legacy.

Now, to the graduates, I shared the story of this man with you because I want you to ask yourself a VERY important question. How do you wish to live out your life? Dwight certainly led a life of impact worth remembering to all those who had the privilege of knowing him. Think of that question as you move forward with your life. 

You may remember that I asked you at the matriculation ceremony when you first joined Parami to pick one Parami value, and wrote a brief essay on it. After today, I want you to go back and read that essay. Humans are bound to change, yet there are some fundamental human values that must stand the test of time. In your journey of change, you will face rather compromising situations in which you may have to make tough calls. Never forget these fundamental values when the time calls. Now, go and lead a life of positive impact! 

Congratulations, Graduates!