#86 - BA

Since I started this blog, many people have told me that I am a good writer.  I have two people to thank for any skills that I have in this area.  The first person is my mom, who was an English teacher, and drilled writing from a young age.  The second person is #86, Brother Alfred Kolb.  For those of you who did not have the privledge to be taught by Brother Alfred, some of what I will say, may sound odd.  But for many of my blog readers, I know they will be remembering senior English in the last room, downstairs, on the Senior High hall.

He always had a stern face when teaching, but his twinkling blue eyes showed that he really was a softie at heart.  He loved to teach, and kept students interested in his classes, but was quick to slam down a book to get the class's attention when needed.  He also loved to call you by the name of the person who sat in you desk 40 years before you.  Jeff and I were discussing the specifics of this, but we may have gotten it wrong.  Whenever a student wrote or spoke a sentence that had a dangling participle, Brother Alfred would stop class and send that student to the windows to look outside.  "Do you see it?"  he would ask.  "See what?"  the student would reply.  "The flying pigs?  Because that's the only time you can end a sentence with a participle that does not have a direct object...when pigs fly."  (I'll be waiting for comments for those of you who remember this, or for those of you who had to go and look.)  Brother Alfred was also the moderator of the Terrier Times, which was our school newspaper.  He was a kind, but strict editor, and often would send back a story several times before he deemed it worthy for print.  After graduation, he kept alumni in touch by printing tidbits in the annual newsletter from all of his former students who wrote him.  Before he retired from teaching here, and moved back to Mississippi, he was a regular at all local weddings from VC alumni.  He would make his rounds to all of the tables, sampling food and putting names with faces of all of his former students.  Brother Alfred passed away at the age of 90 years old in 2007.  The twinkle in his eye is no more, but his legacy and the lessons that he taught his students live on.  He not only taught us English and writing, he taught us about dedication to his job and God, loving what you do and taking the time to do each job right.  What a role model!  Whenever I attend meetings or events in the Kolb center which was named after Brother Alfred, I remember this wonderful teacher, Brother, and friend.