The university community received an email announcement that a planning meeting for commencement would be delayed because Chancellor Dan Jones would be having a press conference at 2 p.m. on April 2, 2015.

We all knew that when only one party is scheduling a press conference, the Chancellor probably was not announcing a renewal of his contract.

So I walked to the Lyceum with a heavy heart and climbed the stairs with many others in the University community.

The Chancellor was introduced, and the room filled with applause as he stood at the lectern. Then we heard his reasoned presentation and careful responses to questions.

In less than an hour, the press conference conclud- ed, and I left the meeting for an appointment with Andy Lack, one of the leading media executives of the last several decades.

On the next Monday, Andy would begin his second tenure as president of NBC News. Tonight Blake Tartt III, a friend of the Meek School, had arranged a dinner for eight in the dining room at Rowan Oak in celebration of Andy’s new position.

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It is a unique experience to have dinner with Andy Lack. He is an amazing conversationalist with many years of media experience. He has served as chairman of the Bloomberg Media Group, was chairman and CEO of Sony Music Entertainment, and previously was president and chief operating officer of NBC, where, from 1993 to 2001, he was president of NBC News.

At CBS News, he was a prominent producer for “60 Minutes” and senior executive producer of “CBS Re- ports.” He has won 16 Emmy Awards and four Alfred I. DuPont-Columbia University Journalism Awards.

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The reception began at 6. Guests entered the long, winding walkway to the Faulkner house while a Blues band from the Delta entertained on one side of the lawn and drinks and hors d’oeuvres were served on the other side.

Guests were Dan and Lydia Jones, Andy Lack, Linda Spargo, Linda Brown, Susan Norton, Blake and I. As the sun began to go down and twilight eased into darkness, we entered the Faulkner home for dinner.

Blake recalled that it was 35 years to the day since he first visited Ole Miss as a senior in high school from Houston, Texas, and told us how thankful he was for his father who had encouraged him to visit. He said after his first hours on campus, he knew that this was where he was going to go to college.

Elizabeth Heiskell and her crew from Woodson Ridge Farms prepared and served an exquisite meal.

The conversation was as special as the menu with the chancellor telling stories of his years of service in South Korea and at the Medical School, and Andy Lack telling of his years as a media executive.

At 10 p.m., we rose from the table and made our way into the cool night air down the slow, winding path to Old Taylor Road. It was a magical evening. The next day would be Good Friday, and a university holiday. It would be a long weekend.

The initial sting of that 2 p.m. press conference would ease, but the warm memories of dinner at Row- an Oak will be with each of us the rest of our lives.