Oh how my mother loved baseball! Even on the day that she died she wanted to watch a few innings of an Astro’s game. She thought of baseball as an all American sport, almost an inspirational game with heroes whose faces donned cardboard collectors’ cards. The reality is that once upon a time baseball had a very ugly side. Years after the Emancipation Proclamation African American players were denied access to the big leagues. Instead they were relegated to all black minor league teams despite their talent. All of that changed on this day, April 15, 1947, when the Brooklyn Dodgers debuted their newest player, Jackie Robinson. Continue reading “Play Ball!”
Category: Tribute
A New Star
I love to hear stories about people who work at jobs that they truly love. Too many people go to work day after dreary day, dreading everything about their occupations. Sometimes they feel trapped in professions that don’t suit them. Changing careers means making great financial sacrifices that they are not willing to endure. They simply remain miserable. Then there are those who risk everything to follow their dreams. Those are the people that I really admire.
At Mike’s fiftieth class reunion I finally had the opportunity of meeting someone of whom he had often spoken. The man was Ken Magee. It seems that Ken had gone out to Hollywood shortly after graduating to try his hand at acting. He never became famous enough that anyone would quickly recall his name but he did make enough of an impression on the powers that be in the movie industry that he earned a living doing small parts. Hollywood became his home and acting his lifetime career. In fact, he had hundreds of roles in movies and television over the years. His filmography is extensive and even impressive. He played in The Shawshank Redemption, Seabiscuit, Human Nature, The Majestic, E.R., Cold Case, and so many more. He portrayed everything from a scoutmaster to an intellectually deficient murder suspect. He possessed a somewhat forgetful, everyman kind of face that made him perfect for a variety of character roles. Over the years Mike had fun spotting him in different films. Mike liked to brag that he had known Ken before he was famous. Continue reading “A New Star”
Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory
According to the Miriam Webster dictionary a hero is:
a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability
an illustrious warrior
a man admired for his achievements and noble qualities
one who shows great courage
I’ve had a number of heroes in my lifetime, starting with my father, but if I were challenged to quickly name a single individual whose life demonstrated as many of the aforementioned qualities as possible it would have to be Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I have been fascinated by him and his work from the time that he walked among us here on earth. He was in reality an imperfect man like the rest of us but he somehow found an inner resolve again and again to carry out a mission from which he sometimes wanted to run. In the end his dedication to an incredible cause lead to his violent death, a particular irony given that he was always determined to bring about change through passive resistance and peaceful demonstrations. Continue reading “Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory”
Losing Greatness
When I first met Ina I was admittedly in awe of her. She had the reputation of a rockstar, a teacher who somehow transcends all of the complications of a classroom and soars above the rest of us mere mortals. It would take time before I found myself on a team of teachers with her, time when I was finding my way in an educational environment that was far more difficult than any that I had ever before encountered. Luckily I had the opportunity to enjoy a kind of apprenticeship with some of the finest teachers in the school, especially Ina.
The years when I was on a team with Ina were some of the best and happiest of my career. I learned much but mostly I found an endearing and generous friend and unofficial mentor in her. She helped me to understand that a classroom is so much more than just a place for learning facts and ideas. She taught me by example how to elevate my instruction and to understand and love my students. She was a gifted and generous woman who had been blessed with an abundance of talent that she wanted to share with the world. Continue reading “Losing Greatness”
A Guardian Angel
My connection to South Houston Intermediate runs deep. Both of my girls attended that school in their junior high years. Eventually I began teaching there and spent more of my professional life within its halls than any other place. All in all South Houston Intermediate was a constant in almost two decades of my life and they were good, very good times.
Long before I worked at South Houston I heard about the assistant principal who struck fear in the hearts of the students. His name was Buddy Gillioz and my eldest daughter spoke his name with a mixture of fear and reverence. She often told me that she would not have wanted to attend the school had it not been for Mr. Gillioz’ presence. He was the disciplinarian and he ran a tight ship. She always knew that she would be safe with him at the helm. Still she worried that she might one day become the object of his ire, a state that no student wanted to experience.
My youngest daughter also knew of Mr. Gillioz’ reputation. She towed the line lest he one day call her to the office. She often mentioned how much students quaked whenever a runner came to the door of a classroom with a request for some poor soul to visit the assistant principal’s inner sanctum. When the day came for her to be one of the invited guests she almost passed out. Continue reading “A Guardian Angel”
All It Takes Is A Little Love 