ATHENS, Ga. -- U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas told graduating seniors at the University of Georgia that he wanted to be a Bulldog. But the nation's second black high court justice said he couldn't attend the school in his native Georgia because of lingering racial tensions in the South when he graduated high school in the late 1960s.

Attending UGA was "not an option," Thomas told the crowd of student and parents at Saturday's UGA graduation. "Thankfully much has changed in my lifetime."

"Monumental advances in constitutional and civil rights have made it possible for me to stand here today when I could not sit there as a college graduate," he said.

Thomas grew up in Pin Point, near Savannah, but went up North to attend the College of Holy Cross and Yale Law School. UGA began admitting black students in 1961 after a federal court order.

The conservative jurist reminisced Saturday that he'd traveled a long road "from the black soil of South Georgia to the white marble of the Supreme Court."

Thomas beamed as he took to the stage in the center of Sanford Stadium under sunny skies. His address was frequently self-deprecating.

"I promise I will not clutter up your special day with ruminations on jurisprudence," he said to scattered laughter.

Thomas urged the 4,600 UGA graduates to stay true to faith, family and friends.

And he told the students to thank those who had helped them earn their degrees.

"None of you made it here on your own," he said.

He offered a personal tale to make his point, saying he never thanked the grandparents who raised him before they died. He called the omission "a burden I will carry to my grave."

Thomas recent memoir "My Grandfather's Son" was described by many reviewers as "angry," taking shots at the Northern liberals and others who had attacked him during his 1991 Supreme Court confirmation. Nonetheless, he implored graduates on Saturday to stay positive and avoid cynicism.

Thomas' appearance drew opposition from some faculty and students because of the sexual harassment accusations leveled against him at his highly publicized confirmation hearings. Critics said he was an inappropriate guest following a year of sexual harassment scandals on campus.

Three UGA professors have resigned since September because of accusations of sexual harassment. There were no signs of protest by students on Saturday.

Thomas has enjoyed a warm relationship with University of Georgia President Michael Adams. He offered the UGA's law school commencement address in 2003. And Adams said the justice had cheered on the Bulldogs twice in his box.