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Who Could Fill His Shoes?John was such a presence--so passionate, so funny, so down-to-earth, so kind--it’s hard to imagine the world without him. For over a decade, I worked with John in ECCTYC, TYCA, and CCCC’s and what I so admired*among many other things*is that I never saw him play backdoor politics. He was straightforward--if he liked an idea, he embraced it; if he didn’t, he said why. But he kept personalities out, and we all knew that what you saw is what you got and what you heard is what he meant. He didn’t seem to care who agreed with him or if he pleased. And I so admired that. I always thought it was one of the strengths of his working class background, a background he embraced, and by so doing made those of us from similar backgrounds more comfortable and confident in sharing ideas and, yes, to voice disagreement, even with him.
He was extraordinarily open and kind to those of us coming up after him, serving as a mentor who introduced us to new opportunities and creating opportunities for those always younger folks who wanted to contribute something to the profession. John’s commitment to the two-year colleges, his advocacy, his celebration of our students inspired all of us, made us look more closely at what it was we were doing inside and outside of the classroom and why we were doing it and how we could do it better. He never quit innovating, embraced technology, designed assignments for multicultural students, and lived the principle of inclusion. I didn’t know he was ill. Just last week, I managed to convince my administration and department that we needed to bring him to Santa Barbara to share his ideas on teaching with technology. I can’t quite imagine that he’s gone, and I can’t imagine anyone who could take his place.
In the ten years I knew him in our organizations, his humor and story-telling made the long meetings shorter, the after meetings lively. One of my most cherished memories was the NCTE Summer Institute in San Francisco two-years ago. I attended his workshop with Marshal Hattori and stole at least a dozen ideas. But it was his kindness to me and my friend Sandy and Paul Bodmer and Patti Harkin I most remember. He drove us around his beloved city, pointing out the sights, then took us to his brother’s condo that had a beautiful view of the city, and we ended up at a great restaurant in the heart of the City. Over the course of the evening, we shared stories of our childhoods and our families. John’s love for and pride in his wife and his children, his total commitment to them and joy in having had a lifetime of such strong loving ties was evident in all he said--with humor, with gravity, with a matter-of-factness. My thoughts are with them.
Jody Millward
Santa Barbara City College
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