Over the weekend, Ron Howard made his ninth trip to the Cannes Film Festival to debut his latest documentary, “Avedon,” about the legendary photographer Richard Avedon. But, en route to the French Riviera, the Oscar-winning director made a pit stop at the University of Oklahoma to receive an honorary degree. The recognition was more profound than your average salute: it’s the culmination of his family’s history with the university, where Howard’s parents met as students and fell in love.
“Neither one graduated from OU because they ran away together to be in show business,” Howard says of his late mother, Jean, and father, Rance. “But lo and behold, they made it work.”
Thus, the commencement ceremony was one of those rare opportunities to “pause and take a look at the cause and effect of life,” he says. “I believe in the philosophy of the movie ‘It’s a Wonderful Life.’ That ripple effect you have on other people, or other people had on you, is something that rarely goes recognized, unless it’s obvious. So, here’s a chance to go back and remind people how much an institution like the University of Oklahoma can mean. It makes us wonder how many stories like [my parents’] are being launched today.”
