Several months ago friends gave me a new edition of "Lend me Your Ears, Great Speeches in History," selected and introduced by William Safire.

It includes speeches by Abraham Lincoln, Maine's Margaret Chase Smith and Daniel Webster. There's Mark Anthony's eulogy of Julius Caesar and Jesus' Sermon on the Mount and many more.

Not surprisingly, none of the speeches in the book was presented at a high school graduation. Perhaps someone, maybe even more than one person, has given a memorable speech at a high school graduation. If so, I'm not aware of it.

I graduated from Franklin High School in Seattle 49 years ago; plans are underway for our 50th reunion next year. I've never been to a high school reunion, but I plan to attend this one. Maybe someone there will remember who spoke at our graduation and what was said. I can't recall either.

I graduated from Franklin High School in Seattle 49 years ago; plans are underway for our 50th reunion next year. I've never been to a high school reunion, but I plan to attend this one. Maybe someone there will remember who spoke at our graduation and what was said. I can't recall either.

I offer these thoughts as a preamble to what has become an annual column: My suggestions to the men and women who have been invited to address this year's graduates.

My first suggestion to the speakers: Be brief. Ten minutes. No more. After that, your audience will start to squirm. They're far more interested in the diploma giving and getting than in your message, whatever it is.

Recognize that your audience is -- and should be -- filled with ideas and ideals about life. Capitalize on that with advice that builds on the excitement of the day. You might tell those who plan on college that there's more to education than attending classes. Getting the full value of a university experience requires mining a college for all it has to offer. There are clubs, lectures, concerts and opportunities to volunteer. Added to classes, they can make the time in school truly exciting.

You can congratulate those planning to attend community colleges on starting a path that -- if followed -- can assure success. It's not an easy trail, but it leads in great directions.

Some of your audience may be preparing for military service. They deserve your special praise, not because they may face danger -- which they will -- or because they plan to serve the nation -- certainly praiseworthy -- but because they have chosen a direction that will bring maturity and a sense of accomplishment. They may be high school kids today but putting on the nation's uniforms will transform them, almost instantly, into adults.

You might offer a few thoughts for those planning to enter the workforce without military service or further education, often those who have found high school difficult or even unpleasant. Encourage them to take just a class or two at a community college. Remind them that lifetime earnings are far greater for those who continue their education after high school. Explain that community college is not just high school, a little more grown-up, but an adult experience where high school troubles don't matter.

You can recognize the idealism of the graduates by urging them to get involved in something -- anything -- that benefits the community. Volunteering can change lives, both those who benefit from the volunteer work and those who give something of themselves.

You can offer a few words to the parents in the audience, too. For them, graduation is both thrilling and a bit shocking. It's a time to celebrate and a time to begin to come to the realization that their little boy or girl has morphed into an adult; a young adult, but nonetheless, an adult. That's a tribute to the graduate, but also to parents who nurtured them through from infancy to cap-and-gown. How much have they grown? Just look at their freshman photos in the school yearbook.

There's one final thing I suggest you propose to the new graduates. I've offered this idea in the past. I'll probably never know if anyone has accepted the suggestion

Here's the most important thing I'd tell the Class of 2008 if I were the speaker:

Today, while you are still excited about graduation and all it means, think of the teachers who helped you the most. Go back in memory -- to kindergarten or first grade -- and then through middle school and high school to pick one or two teachers who did just a little extra, whose ideas and spirit made a difference, whose kindness or intellect or caring mattered the most to you.

Before these thoughts are lost in the excitement of getting on with life write a letter -- just a short note -- to one or two of these teachers. Tell them how much they meant to you, how much you appreciate all they did.

Imagine the joy and pride that sort of note will bring to a man or woman who dedicated his or her professional life to helping children grow to be successful adults.

Do it today as part of your graduation celebration.

Long after you have forgotten your graduation speech -- maybe even forgotten the name of the speaker -- you will remember the pleasure that came from bringing happiness to someone else.

That will make graduation day really special.

Finally, end with a warm note of congratulation to the new grads. They've done something important. It's worth celebrating.