continuing education
sitting at george fox's commencement ceremony last weekend watching my former students receive their diplomas, i couldn't help but think that more and more of my own professors had graduated to heaven. while the band tuned, i imagined colleen there in a celestial lecture hall sharing profundities with gerard manley hopkins, chaucer and william blake (shakespeare too, should you believe he's there!) susan delessert would be singing psalm 139 in french with multitudes of others; her head thrown back in joy with those unruly tresses flying.
and, yesterday, i learned that john aka "doc" bowman is now with them as well. he will be in the choir loft next to bach, beethoven and handel by now taking notes on polyphony. his last moment? standing with his wife waiting for a train in germany (also one of the countries he took us students to back in 1995). no one could conduct our choir and orchestra's messiah through the years quite like doc. he learned fast, moved fast, talked fast...and was just starting to enjoy retirement years by fixing up rental homes and traveling. knowing him, once outside of time and space, he's probably already composed several original heaven scores.
thank you, graduates, for your lives devoted to people by way of literature, french, and music. not only are you continuing to learn, i'm sure, but are very much alive in us, our lives and classrooms. we miss you. and congratulations.
who was one of your favorite teachers/professors and why?
and, yesterday, i learned that john aka "doc" bowman is now with them as well. he will be in the choir loft next to bach, beethoven and handel by now taking notes on polyphony. his last moment? standing with his wife waiting for a train in germany (also one of the countries he took us students to back in 1995). no one could conduct our choir and orchestra's messiah through the years quite like doc. he learned fast, moved fast, talked fast...and was just starting to enjoy retirement years by fixing up rental homes and traveling. knowing him, once outside of time and space, he's probably already composed several original heaven scores.
thank you, graduates, for your lives devoted to people by way of literature, french, and music. not only are you continuing to learn, i'm sure, but are very much alive in us, our lives and classrooms. we miss you. and congratulations.
who was one of your favorite teachers/professors and why?
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