Illustration by Mike Padilla

A man dressed in a powder-blue shirt and jeans squints briefly as he leans over a boy's head, studying his hair for symmetry. The boy sits in a well-worn brown leather barber's chair, fresh clippings of hair slide down a smooth cloth resembling a large plastic cape encircling his small shoulders.

The steady buzz from the electric clippers in the barber's hand hangs in the air, mixing with the chatter of several customers bickering excitedly about the future of Lute Olson's Wildcats.

The customers - all loyal fans of the barber and Wildcat basketball - wait patiently for a haircut, seated beneath autographed photographs, posters and fading newspaper clippings of Arizona athletes. Sometimes the wait is short, sometimes it's long, but as customers know, it's always worth it.

Hector Bustamante - or just "Hector," as we all know him - has been cutting hair at Hermosa Beauty & Barber Shop, located on the corner of Grant Road and Campbell Avenue, for the past 40 years. The sights, sounds and smells in Hector's shop remain comfortingly similar.

However, a lot has changed in Tucson during Hector's long career. UA graduates have come and gone, entire generations of them. Wars, political struggles and sports triumphs - Hector has listened to heated arguments about them all. Hector often smiles pleasantly but astutely refrains from revealing any opinion.

One thing that hasn't changed is Hector's popularity. He has been a favorite of many students who begin coming to him when they were in high school and continue as clients throughout their years at the UA and beyond.

Remarkably, Hector greets all of these customers by name.

Dillon Fishman Columnist

Just a few miles east of Hector's barber shop, inside a store nestled he back of a shopping center away from the Grant Road and Swan Road intersection, a woman talks casually over the door to a dressing room.

As she removes a gray business suit, the woman looks into the mirror, admiring a new dress with shiny black sequins that she's considering buying to wear to her daughter's upcoming UA graduation.

The store's owner, Cele Peterson, at age 95, has chatted with thousands of customers such as this Tucson woman - selling them outfits from her Tucson clothing stores, named after herself, for more than 60 years. Like Hector, Cele has known generations of Tucsonans, dressing them for every occasion - from proms to banquets to business formals.

Cele is a popular figure in Tucson, often recognized for her prominent role in community service organizations, including several that she helped to found, such as Casa de los Niños.

Amazingly, Cele also continues to host a weekly radio program, interviewing Tucsonans for her dedicated audience.

The UA is fortunate to be surrounded by small businesses, such as Hector's and Cele's, whose modest exteriors don't reveal the impressive owners inside.

Their longstanding work has helped to create Tucson's unique, rich, community flavor.

With the onslaught of final exams, graduation and the hunt for summer employment, it can be easy for us, as students, to pass right by these Tucson locals and the long heritage they uphold. A respect for tradition and history are often the first fatalities of our busy schedules.

And for those of us graduating, distractions are magnified, with our sights turned elsewhere. For many, these plans include leaving Tucson and the UA behind.

Beyond our immediate goals and schedules remains this web of supporters, people and businesses whose financial, emotional and academic support have enabled us to reap the benefits of an undergraduate and graduate education within a vibrant network.

Along with Tucson's small-business owners, it is fitting and proper for us to recognize and salute our alumni partners, our friends and our families.

Usually unheralded, they are the lifeblood of the UA, enabling students to have the opportunity to earn a higher-education degree in a positive, enriching environment. All graduates, directly or indirectly, benefit from the gifts of their time, talent and treasure.

For those of us moving on to more education or transitioning into the workforce, a moment's pause for the lives of people such as Hector and Cele keeps us grounded.

Mindful of the example they and many others have set, we can aspire to cultivate a better community in Tucson, or wherever we end up.

From those of us walking across the commencement stage as part of the UA's class of 2005, here's a toast of gratitude to you, Tucson. Thanks for good memories, good times and your endless support.

Dillon Fishman is a third-year law student. He can be reached at letters@wildcat.arizona.edu.