My dad never had a new car

When I was in school, teachers didn't make as much as common laborers. They taught because they loved to teach. That, and the fact that paychecks were regular and could be counted on.

Dad, who started teaching grade schoolers as a recent college graduate, never made much money even when he became superintendent of The Plains Schools (just north of Athens, OH). He often mentioned that fact, and always added "but we never missed a meal." That was an accomplishment some families in our coal-mining community couldn't claim.

We lived close to the bone, as they say, never wasting a scrap of food, never throwing away any item that one day might be used again - a habit I maintain to this day. Dad's one extravagance was traveling, for which used cars served him well. I don't think he ever bought a new car.

Only once in his career did he veer from leadership of the community schools, and that was when he taught Industrial Arts a few years at Ohio University. He didn't like it and so returned to The Plains where he worked until retirement after a 50-year-long career.

The next year, Dad was called out of retirement and spent a year or so as interim superintendent of the newly consolidated Athens City Schools until a permanent leader could be found. But he was privately very critical of the state's meddling and consolidation of area community schools. It seemed he could foresee what was going to happen to modern education because of it.

After that, Dad worked several more years as an observer/teacher of student-teachers at OU. He finally hung it up after 65 years as an educator, but still traveled, painted his house when he was in his 80's, and kept nourishing his life-long interest in shooting snapshots.

Throughout his career, Dad was the go-to guy for whatever community cause came along because his motives were pure and people trusted him. He led the Athens County War Bond drive during WWII. One of his more memorable projects was his determination to see sidewalks installed for students walking to school. He almost single-handedly promoted, collected quarters and dimes for, and facilitated their construction.

He collected lots of accolades, as might be expected. A plaque honoring that career is showcased at The Plains elementary school, and the alumni created - and still annually award - the Herman Humphrey Scholarship. But the honor I've been most impressed by was that he never in all his years in education was turned down by voters for a levy request.

Times change and education isn't what it used to be.