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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 7th - 8th
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 9th 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
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