Class of 1960

GUESTBOOK

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RHEA!

Mrs. DeHart 1957

Mrs. DeHart 1958

Mrs. DeHart 2010

Dear Mr. Casada,

 My mother sends me a lot of mail. Recipes for beef stew. I'm a vegetarian. Articles about the evils of too much exercise and sun exposure. I'm a runner and sun worshiper. Copies of her lab work after checkups. I never get mine checked. Newsletters from charity groups that she supports with pre-addressed and stamped envelopes, so that I am guiltily pushed into donating. There is a subtle trend here that you may see developing.

 I have a special prayer that I say before I open mail from Mama. I said the prayer today. Large envelope in the box, from Mama. She doesn't need a return address to tip the recipient off as to whom the sender is. "Jewel- Be SURE you read this!" is scrawled across the back. What lesson is she going to teach her 50+ year old daughter today?
 

Inside is a photocopy of a letter. Stuck in the middle is a post-it with the "READ THIS" declaration in all caps. I begin to read, as ordered. Your wonderful letter. I am so touched by your words about my Dad. He loved teaching, loved kids, and had such a passion for language. He hammered my siblings and I with grammar tools, punctuation, vocabulary. He would correct your speech in mid sentence. He read classic stories to us on trailer trips in the summer.  We would all have to get in bed and
 then he would read a few chapters. Always making us crazy by stopping at a cliffhanger moment. We all had many opportunities to get "six of his best," just as you experienced.

He would have shaken his head in disbelief at your letter. His feeling was that many students would have skipped English altogether, if given the choice. Your words would have meant so much to him. The mean a tremendous amount to my mother and my siblings. Yes, they all get Mama Mail too.
I wish Mama had been able to attend the fiftieth class reunion. That would have been a real treat for her, but I believe your letter was an even bigger treat.

Thanks from the bottom of my heart for your kind words. Pledge to encourage those around you to pursue their God-given gifts.

 Much Love,

 Julie DeHart Criswell