Congratulations on your commencement ceremony and honors!If it helps any, that all sounds quite similar to my graduation from Purdue. Spring commencement at that time was broken into 4 sessions over 2 days, with which session you attended depending on which school you were graduating from. As that led to smaller groups, our ceremonies were held indoors, in the 6K+ seat theater of the Hall of Music rather than the outdoor football stadium.
Good thing too. Our procession was to have had us parading around the Mall in front of the Admin building (where lots and lots of photos are taken), and then into the Hall's lobby through the side doors (the admin building and the hall of music are connected, through the miracle of WPA funding hijinks), and on into the theater. But it rained the morning of my commencement, and so we went from the bowels of the hall of music, through the corridors used by the band and choir programs, to the hall's lobby and into the theater. (no pretty photos for us)
My recessional was "every hand for themselves" too, as we all tried to meet with friends/family (who were in the balconies) and get the %$#@ out of there ASAP. Sorry I don't recall what the orchestra was playing.
I am sorry your celebration dinner was ruined, but you seem to have come out of it ok, and now you have another medical story to go with your Tales of the College Career.
Jeanne
