February in Southwest Ohio: Time to give thanks
It’s the middle of winter in Southwest Ohio — not a time of peak energy and optimism, but nonetheless a good month to reflect on our many blessings, especially the people who have had a positive impact on our lives.
I will start with Donald Nooks, whom I befriended in 1969, right after high school, when we both attended a life-changing five-day retreat which influenced our religious beliefs and future direction. Don’s warmth, his insights into our complex human nature, and his sense of humor carried on throughout his life, including the many years he endured muscular dystrophy until his death in 2019.
Three teaching colleagues — Mr. Jim Davis, Fr. Paul Marshall, and Marcus Colvin — have shown me everything I needed to know about how to be Christian witnesses and lead youth. Jim was the consummate professional classroom man, Paul the epitome of joy and Gospel values, and Marcus the prototype of a teacher/ coach.
In the realm of poetry, I pay tribute to Dr. Herb Martin, my grad school professor at UD. He gave me my first opportunities to write and publish and instilled in me a love of language, not to mention a deep appreciation for Paul Laurence Dunbar. As a teacher, I have been fortunate to have many inspiring student poets and performers, including Rachel Chandler, Lyndsay Strahorn, Rachel Strahorn and Thomas Ellison, all of whom competed for state titles in a program called Poetry Out Loud. Had she been a little younger, Sade Dike may have won a state title as well. A Howard University grad and now entrepreneur, business consultant, motivational speaker and writer, she contributes to the advancement of many in Dayton and the broader world.
I have been around some inspirational student athletes. Tamika Williams always came into my classroom with a great smile and a willingness to talk and write about great books, and she achieved great things in basketball at UConn and in the WNBA. She lives close to home now and coaches at Wittenberg. Three other students I have taught and coached — Danielle Nyirandutihe, Didier Hirwantwari and Joseph Hangana — are members of Rwandan families who reached our country after surviving a disastrous genocide in 1994. They are now in their 30s with advanced degrees.
Teaching great books is my vocation, and I have been in the presence of a few excellent writers, including Alex Haley when he spoke at Ohio University in 1972 on the fascinating discovery of his own ancestry, which he developed into the novel “Roots.” He also co-wrote “The Autobiography of Malcolm X,” a mind-bending book for me. Another fine author, James McBride, stood in my classroom in 2006 and talked to my creative writing students about their work and his. We were teaching his memoir, “The Color of Water,” and one of our teachers, Mrs. Erin Ketch, contacted McBride. Because he was writing an article for National Geographic on hip hop, he came to our school to interview our students. What a treat it was to meet this man who went on to win the National Book Award.
What do these people have in common? They are some of the many African Americans I am thankful for, especially during Black History month, for their influence on me and so many others.