Apr 12 2009
Inspired to Excel
Some days I really struggle with finding a topic to write about. On other days, the words just flow.
I was looking for inspiration when I thought about school teachers who had inspired me. I came up with four who played major roles in my life and career.
Bill Spahr was my high school Journalism teacher. He advised us on the school newspaper and the yearbook. He helped me learn to sell advertising for the yearbook and school paper because that was where I was needed. He taught me that there is always a contribution we can make regardless of our talents. Bill was sent home from Africa during World War II and given six months to live due to Sahara Desert sand in his lungs. He recovered and is still going strong.
Terry Radcliffe taught Speech Communication at a small private college. He helped me get a job as a disc jockey at a local radio station. Then he taught me the “art” of sportscasting “play-by-play” for basketball. I learned the importance of the rhythm of the game and the importance of the audience and I learned how to create a picture of the game in the listeners’ minds. My career in radio and television only lasted five years but always included sportscasting play-by-play, which paid extra in talent fees. That extra skill was worth extra money.
Jules Karlin taught Constitutional History and Diplomatic History at the University of Montana. His classes were small, only six to a dozen students at a time and he challenged us face to face each day. He was a taskmaster. He required us to OUTLINE our notes from the required readings each night. His handwriting was almost unreadable. He was also the volunteer tennis coach. He never drove an automobile. He only rarely rode in one. His day would begin at 4 a.m. and by noon he was done teaching classes and was off to a myriad of other activities. It was said that his recommendation could get a student into any Law School in the country.
Bill Wilmot taught Interpersonal Communications at the University of Montana. He was the most dynamic professor that I ever worked for. He wrote and published several books, some of which I still own over thirty years later. One specialty was “Dyadic Communication” and another was the art of Small Group Discussion as a way of achieving goals. I learned a great deal that I put to use for thirty years.
These teachers all inspired me to set and aspire to high goals, to become a more knowledgeable scholar and a better person. I tried teaching for one year and found that I did not have the patience. Teaching is a very difficult and valuable profession. The best teachers are also some of the best people. My world is a better place thanks to them.
