The reason I liked him was his kindness, even more than his scholarship, which was certainly there. He had a sense of humor too, with none of the "rough edges" that you normally see in a teacher who has been teaching for many years. I remember a particular a day when an upperclass female asked him for help in moving a large piece of equipment. (Probably a large adding machine.) He actually rushed over to oblige her, and you could see on his face that he realized that he should have offered her help before she had asked. A real class act of a man!
A close second favorite was my Spanish I and II teacher, Alex Bravo. He bopped the males on the head with a light piece of paper when they goofed, but it was not done with any sort of malice. And everybody- including the "boppee"- would laugh. He could look stern and unsmiling- until you got to know him. Though he was an ex-football player, he had a gentleness underneath, and an intense desire to help. I believe he taught like a good coach, drawing your own abilities out of you.
Kathy Hamler Purchase, Class of 1968
