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For mom and daughter, a journey to remember UMW commencement a high point for mother and daughter
PHOTOS: Click here to view a photo gallery from the cereony
GRAD LIST: Click here for the full list of graduates
BY JEFF BRANSCOME
Wendy Darr of King George County had a front-row seat for her daughter's graduation yesterday from the University of Mary Washington. Mom even gave Sarah Beth Darr a hug after she walked off the stage. Another graduate asked Wendy if Sarah Beth was her sister. "You're my new best friend," she recalled telling him with a laugh. Wendy is 48 and Sarah Beth is 21, but each wore a cap and gown to the outdoor ceremony on UMW's Fredericksburg campus. Wendy received her master's degree in business administration from the College of Graduate and Professional Studies in southern Stafford County. Sarah Beth earned a bachelor's degree in linguistics. They were among the 1,125 to graduate. Virginia first lady Anne Holton delivered the commencement address to the graduates and about 5,000 others in the morning. Rain clouds hovered over Ball Circle during some of the ceremony, but it ended in sunshine. The fact that the moment came a day before Mother's Day made it even better for Wendy and Sarah Beth Darr. "It's nice to share something with her," Sarah Beth said. "I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for her." It's not the first time the two have bonded. Both ran last May's Marine Corps Historic Half race in Fredericksburg. And the two have spent hours studying together, including in Sarah Beth's former university apartment. Sometimes Wendy spent the night with her daughter. Sarah Beth never had the teenage angst that plagues some mother-daughter relationships. "They always say girls are harder than boys, but she's never been that way," Wendy said. Not that things have always gone as planned. Sarah Beth was born with congenital hearing loss, and had corrective surgery when she was 8. She now has about 50 percent hearing in her left ear. She wasn't accepted to UMW out of high school, and attended Bridgewater College for a year in 2005. She received her associate degree the following year from Germanna Community College and enrolled at UMW in 2007. "She never stopped pursuing her goal," Wendy said. Sarah Beth played field hockey at Bridgewater, which meant she had to move into her dorm early for practice. She was homesick the first day and called her mom, who traveled 2 hours to Bridgewater to spend the night with her. A lot has changed since then. During her first year at UMW, Sarah Beth joined Students Helping Honduras and traveled to that country's city of El Progreso. She recently moved into a Fredericksburg apartment with a friend and secured a temporary job as a speech pathologist for the city's school system. She plans to attend graduate school in speech pathology--a career her hearing loss helped inspire--and hopes to begin prerequisite courses online this year. Wendy was happy with her own accomplishment, but saved all her praise for Sarah Beth. "She's been the perfect daughter." Jeff Branscome: 540/374-5402
Date published: 5/10/2009
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