Author and rock 'n' roll journalist Ben Fong-Torres will be the keynote speaker at SFSU's 104th Commencement, to be held at 12:15 p.m. Saturday, May 28.

For the past four decades, Fong-Torres has interviewed hundreds of world-famous musicians and actors for stories in Rolling Stone and other magazines and newspapers. The 1966 SF State radio-television-film graduate has also been part of Bay Area radio with his programs on KSAN and KQED as well as appearances on local television stations. His memoir, "The Rice Room: Growing Up Chinese-American -- From Number Two Son to Rock ‘N’ Roll," was published in 1992 and received rave reviews.

Today Fong-Torres, 60, continues to freelance for a variety of newspapers and magazines and serve as master of ceremonies for community events. Since 1997 he has co-hosted KTVU's Emmy Award-winning coverage of the San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade.

He was SFSU's 2003 Alumnus of the Year.

Commencement will honor the 7,763 graduates in the Class of 2005 -- the largest in the University's history and representing 117 countries -- before an expected audience of about 20,000 people.

The ceremony begins with the traditional procession of faculty and graduates in caps and gowns. President Robert A. Corrigan will preside. The ceremony will be broadcast live on San Francisco cable channel 27. There will also be a live Webcast on the SFSU home page the day of Commencement.

-- Matt Itelson