On Tuesday, February 8, Headmaster Shanahan sent an email to the student body naming Mr. Chris Matthews as Commencement speaker for the class of 2011. The email was addressed and first sent out to the sixth form, and relayed to the rest of the school a few hours later.

A well known commentator for MSNBC, Mr. Matthews visited Choate Rosemary Hall last May while doing research for one of his books. He is a news anchor for his MSNBC nightly talk show “Hardball with Chris Matthews”, as well as for the NBC-News produced panel discussion program The Chris Matthews Show. Mr. Matthews has spent 15 years in politics and government, working under President Jimmy Carter, in Congress as staff for two U.S. Senators, and as a top aide to Speaker of the House, Tip O’Neill. He was also involved for 15 years in journalism, writing for The San Francisco Examiner and The San Francisco Chronicle. His Commencement speech will discuss the current geopolitical landscape and its role in the future for the rising generations. Commencement is scheduled to take place on June 5.

A full piece on Mr. Matthews and the speaker selection process will run in the February 25th issue of The News.