Tom Hanks continues to spread positivity during the global pandemic.
America’s dad surprised students graduating from Wright State University in Ohio, who weren’t able to celebrate due to the coronavirus crisis. Tom sent a taped message to the class, congratulating them on their success and offering inspiring words in an uncertain time.
“Congratulations to you chosen ones… You are the chosen ones because of a fate unimagined when you began your Wright State adventures,” the Oscar-winning actor began his message, which was posted to the University’s social media page just before their virtual graduation ceremony.
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“You started in the olden times, in a world back before the Great Pandemic of 2020,” Hanks continued. “You will talk of those earlier years in your lives in just that way: ‘Well, that was back before the COVID-19. That was before the great pandemic.’ Part of your lives will forever be identified as ‘before,’ in the same way other generations tell time like, ‘Well, that was before the war,’ or ‘That was before the internet,’ or ‘That was before Beyoncé.’ The word ‘before’ is going to carry great weight with you.”
The 63-year-old actor, who himself had contracted COVID-19 in March, said the students were “enlightened” from the crisis and underlined that they were part of a “new world.” “You will be enlightened in ways your degree from Wright State never held in promise,” Hanks said. “You will have made it through a time of great sacrifice and great need and no one will be more fresh to the task of restarting our measure of normalcy than you, you chosen ones. You chosen ones are going to form the new structures, and define the new realities and make the new world.”
“The world after all that we have been through… the future is always uncertain, but we who celebrate what you have done, we are certain of one thing on this day: You will not let us down,” he concluded his message. “Thank you, congratulations, way to go!”
Hanks and wife Rita Wilson were some of the first wave of celebrities to contract COVID-19. The “Won’t You Be My Neighbor” star fell ill while shooting Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis biopic on location in Australia in March. The couple were quarantined for two weeks in Queensland and returned to Los Angeles after making a full recovery.
Earlier last month, Hanks appeared on NPR’S “Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me” and revealed that he and Rita were donating plasma to aid coronavirus research efforts. “We have not only been approached; we have said, do you want our blood? Can we give plasma?” He continued jokingly, “and, in fact, we will be giving it now to the places that hope to work on what I would like to call the Hank-ccine.”
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Rita added a pic on Instagram of her at UCLA getting blood drawn and captioned, “a photo of getting tested for antibodies in preparation of donating plasma. Thank you Dr. Anne Rimoin at UCLA for the study you’re working on to help patients heal from COVID-19.”
Hanks showed off his blood donation in a tweet, exclaiming, “Here’s last week’s bag of plasma. Such a bag! After the paperwork, it’s as easy as taking a nap. Thanks @arimoin and UCLA. Hanx”
Here’s last week's bag of plasma. Such a bag! After the paperwork, it’s as easy as taking a nap. Thanks @arimoin and UCLA. Hanx pic.twitter.com/15WblGiVwe
— Tom Hanks (@tomhanks) April 29, 2020
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