Boston University Class of 1970 celebrates graduation, and more

Boston University Class of 1970 celebrates graduation

Forty years ago, amid campus strikes, sit-ins, and building takeovers, Boston University administrators decided to cancel finals and graduation ceremonies and send everyone home. Last week, members of the Class of 1970 were invited back to campus for the ritual they never had, and 300 of them showed up, many with children and grandchildren in tow. “Forty years ago I probably never would have gone to graduation because I was such a hippie,” said class member Peter Simon. “Time has mellowed me.” Still, true to form, the class broke into a spontaneous rendition of John Lennon’s, “Give Peace a Chance.”

16 year-old sailor sets new around-the-world record

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Jessica Watson, 16, became the youngest person to ever sail alone around the world when she arrived back in Sydney last week, 210 days after she set sail. Tens of thousands of people lined up at the harbor to greet her, including Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who called her “Australia’s newest hero.” During her first attempt at the feat last year, she crashed her yacht into a supertanker on the first night, prompting calls for her and her parents, who backed their daughter, to abandon the plan. But she persisted. “I don’t consider myself a hero,” Watson said. “I’m an ordinary girl who believed in her dream.”

Couple finds $20,000 in estate sale armoire

Washington state couple Liz and Mark Thompson discovered $20,000 in an armoire they purchased at an estate sale and promptly returned the money to the ailing 78-year-old widow to whom it belonged. Unbeknown to the unidentified woman, her late husband had stored the money in the wardrobe cabinet because he didn’t trust banks. Her brother, Ron Davidson, expressed the woman’s gratitude. “She’s had a lot of stress in her life these past months,” Davidson said. “This money will make a wonderful difference. The timing was just a blessing.”