Among recipients of honorary degrees is commencement speaker Lily Haseotes Bentas, CEO and chairwoman of Cumberland Farms, the convenience store chain.

01:00 AM EDT on Monday, May 22, 2006

BY JOHN HILL
Journal Staff Writer

NEWPORT -- On a morning when there wasn't a cloud in the sky, Salve Regina University graduates were told to keep hold of their faith in themselves and their love of humankind for the times when the skies won't be that clear.

The school's 56th commencement was held yesterday on a lush field overlooking Easton Bay and the Cliff Walk. About 5,000 graduates, friends and family were seated in a circus-size tent while about 1,000 more sat in chairs in the sun.

The surface of the Bay glistened. Parents and friends of the graduates posed by the fence along the Cliff Walk overlooking the shore as local residents went past, some jogging, some with children in strollers and others with their dogs bounding along.

Besides the 449 bachelor's degrees that were awarded, 107 master's degrees, seven certificates of advanced study and seven doctoral degrees were awarded.

Nuala O'Donnell Pell, wife of former U.S. Sen. Claiborne Pell and a 10-year member of the school's board of trustees, and former Newport Creamery president Peter W. Rector, a trustee since 1992, received honorary doctorates.

An associate of science degree was awarded posthumously to Danielle LaFerriere, a member of the Class of 2006 who died in a December 2004 car accident. Her sister Nicole accepted the degree, to more than a minute of sustained applause.

Also awarded an honorary doctorate was commencement speaker Lily Haseotes Bentas, chief executive officer and chairwoman of Cumberland Farms Inc. She told the graduates that fairness and the esteem of colleagues were goals they should pursue as avidly as profit and success.

"If your associates trust and respect you, they'll be with you when the going gets tough," she said.

Bentas got into the convenience store business from the bottom, working at one of the family's stores in Massachusetts and rising through the ranks. College was important to her Greek immigrant parents -- three of her sisters had already gone to college, one of them to law school and another to medical school, when she graduated from high school.

"I wanted to go -- don't laugh -- to hairdressing school," Bentas said. But her parents said no, she could either go to college or work in the family business. She opted for the business and started work in Bellingham, Mass.

It wasn't a punishment. She said she found she liked it.

"But if anybody had told me I'd be here today" addressing a class of college graduates as the head of a $3.5-billion corporation with more than 7,000 employees, "I'd have thought you were on something or smoking some funny stuff."

Bentas graduated from Cumberland High School the same year as Salve's current president, Sister M. Therese Antone. She recalled delivering milk to the Sisters of Mercy in Cumberland, and that the sisters would give her and her sisters cookies.

The two high school friends were together again on the Salve stage yesterday, urging a new generation to value respect and compassion for humankind.

Sister Antone spoke of the November visit of the Dalai Lama to the university. She recalled how powerful his message was of replacing anger with compassion for those who heard it that day. She reminded them that "the more compassionate you are, the more it will bring justice."

"Your only guides will be your inner compass -- faith -- and your lodestar -- love," she said. "If you practice using them often, they will be enough."

The local graduates are:

Bachelor of Arts

Sarah J. Allard

Tara A. Badway

Nathan D. Capalbo

Brandon M. Carlos

David R. Charest Jr.

Dayna M. Cianci

Meghan Cook

Jeffrey I. Cooley

Joshua E. Costa

Shauna L. Crounse

Jason T. Dalton

Daniel L. Demars

Michael A. Fisher

Erin E. Flaherty

Tania R. Francisco

Michael A. Gigliotti

Kaitlin R. Glynn

Ryan P. Hanna

Felicia C. Harris

Margaret M. Kelly*

JR King

Kyriaki Kyriakides

Parthena Kyriakides

Siobhan E. Laporte-Cauley

Andrew K. Loftus

Mary E. Luzitano*

Mary-Jayne MacDonald

Morgan A. McKay*

Lindsay A. Medeiros

Justin R. Mitchell

Daniel A. Neal

Travis J. S. Nichols

Diane M. Patrella*

Danielle C. Pelletier

Stephanie L. Rafael

Patricia L. Reis

Brad M. Russo

Christine M. Ryan

Eldon D. Santiago

Lisa M. Silveira

Peter M. Simons*

Courtney H. Sisk

Brett C. Sousa

Nicole K. St. Laurent

Daniel P. Titus

Daniel R. Turpin**

David L. Zannelli

Bachelor of Arts and Science

Heather L. Boshold

Laurie A. Bradley

Meghan J. Bryson

Ryan N. DeWolfe

Alicia J. DiMezza

Allison C. Fontaine

Bachelor of Science

Kathleen T. Bergeron*

Sarah E. Boucher

Stephen J. Boucher

Alyson M. H. Burke

Alex W. Bush

Bianca F. Caetano**

Janice M. Caianiello

Krystal L. Carcieri

Danielle N. Castonguay*

Casey M. Cincotta

Andrea L. Clark

Emira Conceicao

Sarah L. Cook

Matthew R. Coute*

Esther M. Daniels*

Rosemarie A. Desnoyers

N'Italia DeAngelis

Alyssa M. Dube

Barbara A. Dubois

Shannon M. Dufault**

Laurie S. Ferreira*

Alan T. Frey

Cristy L. Golden*

Frances J. Grady

Kristen M. Graveline**

Stephanie S. Hevenor*

Joellen M. Horowitz

Robin L. Iannuccilli

Kathleen L. Knowlton*

Cheryl A. Kowal**

Kristin M. Leskowitz

Teri E. Linton

Christine Markopoulos

Gail J. McKenna

Kristin L. McLimans

Gail M. Moran-Dowler

Gail M. Mosher

Shaun J. Nicholson

Kathleen M. Nottell

Mary S. O'Neil

Debra A. Panizza

Jocelyn D. Pucci**

Jessica M. Sarmento

Maureen A. Sherman

Nicole F. Stone**

Meghan A. Strauss

Rhonda M. Taddei

Heather A. Taratuta

Mary Tatro

Kate E. Trepanier**

Emilee-Rose Vanmeter

Marianne S. Woodruff

Katie E. Wright*

Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies

Emily J. Allen

Rosamaria Carlozzi

Craig M. Conover

Catherine M. Cummins

Nancy Ferreira

James A. Lamberti

Barbara I. Mey

Master of Arts

Coral E. Brown

Natasha Devine

Sarah A. Dexter

George R. Ebarb

Alexis G. Heitman

Susan B. Hurd

Kathleen Laroche

Joseph A. Lomastro Jr.

Kerry A. McCartney

Jenny McClendon

Brandon L. Murray

Murray C. Norcross Jr.

Emily S. Ryan

Richard F. Santopietro

Laura R. Silverman

Cristian F. Subiabre

John S. Walker

Rosemary J. Wentworth

M. Catherine Wharton

James N. Williams

Master of Business Administration

Kathleen L. Beckley

Thomas G. Chekouras

Rita M. Fornari

Ruben Galvan

Eric N. Moyer

Riley W. Murdock

James A. Seveney

Michael D. Vogl

Scott A. Washburn

David P. Wroe

Stephen Ziegelmayer

Master of Science

Jason M. Boss

Diana G. Caron

Alison L. Chvatal

Ralph W. Costantino

Ashley D. Cottrell

Sara F. Demeo

Rodel H. Divina

Thomas J. Faiola

Christine Fruggiero

Joseph A. Grimard III

Kenneth W. Haynes

Susan K. Kelly

James H. Magellan

Erin E. McKenna

Christopher J. McManus

Juan A. Montalvan

Carol A. Rafanelli

Cynthia H. Simon

Scott A. Travers

Joyce M. Williams

Doctor of Philosophy

Raffaele Florio

Sandra J. Flowers

David S. Magill

Anice M. O'Connor

** -- magna cum laude

* -- cum laude

jhill@projo.com / (401) 277-7381