Mr. Rowe

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

October 16, 2018

Dear Mr. Rowe,

I won’t bore you with another rehash of my wonder years. They were detailed in my letter to Ms. DeJésus and that’s available on my blog to read at your leisure if interested. But I do want to personally thank you for your voluntary involvement in my life during my 7^th - 8^th grade stint at Thomas Jefferson School.

My memory may be failing me, but I don’t recall taking any of your classes. I took Latin under Mr. Colston and, if I’d stayed at TJ, your Greek would have been next. I’m ashamed to admit it, but the intimidation of learning a new alphabet on top of a new language might have played a minor role in my personal decision to high-tail it back to Texas for 9^th grade. Spanish there was a breeze after Latin.

You weren’t my advisor, either, but something compelled you to reach out and do some shepherding during that period. I remember you taking me birding on a couple of occasions, offering a refreshing escape from my everyday world, which consisted of the TJ campus and weekend excursions to shopping malls. It was a chance to breathe and think about something other than school work. On top of that, your son introduced me to the peanut butter and American cheese sandwich. Quite a revelation!

I remember you as kind, patient, gentle, and firm at the same time. You had the perfect temperament for a teacher and mentor of youth. Thank you for your investments, large and small, in me and so many others over the course of your career.

Sincerely,

Daniel Loffer