Thanks

Today marks the end of an era for a good friend. After thirty-three years as a teacher and administrator in the public schools, Bob is retiring and he is proud to say that he has no idea what he's going to do now that he doesn't have to get up at 5:45 every morning to be at the office. I have a feeling there will be some very happy orchids and plantings around the house that will now get some attention.

It takes a special kind of person with a dedication beyond that of the vast majority to devote a career to serving others, but that is what he has done. There are not a lot of material rewards in being a teacher; there is no big office, no expense account, and quite often you face a hostile envrionment of students who would rather be doing something else and parents who either do not participate in their child's education or who seem bound and determined to make your life miserable because you had the temerity to demand excellence from their child. And yet there are countless people who find the dedication and the drive and who spend the time, the effort, the sweat and the exasperation to give of themselves to the next generation. We owe them the gratitude they deserve, and there is a true sense of loss when they leave. My friend gave more than just the workweek to his students. He gave himself and he did it because he never forgot that through all the bureaucracy in both the schools and downtown, it was all for the kids. Nothing else mattered.

On a personal level, I will miss him as a colleague, confidante, teacher, and, best of all, comic partner in our often raucous stand-up routine here in Buzzard Central. We have perfected the art of comic timing to the point that people coming into our office know that they cannot leave without being made to laugh at something, even if it's us. Talk about a tough act to follow...

I'm going to miss the puns, the Mel Brooks film references, the frequent outbursts, and the sage advice that comes from knowing how the system really works. The good news is that he taught me well, and I know that I can rely on one thing that really works in this or any business: you make it up as you go along.