Remembering teachers

During the holiday season a year or two (or maybe five, who knows) after Cliff started working at the job he now holds, I was feeling extra-thankful: I had cute little grandchildren, we had a steady and ever-growing income, and I was at an age where I realized that if I wanted to express my appreciation to certain people, I had better be doing it, because some of them were pretty old. I had a word-processor at the time, and I typed out letters of thanks to people from my then-present and my distant past: The lady who had helped Cliff secure his job, people Cliff had worked for in years gone by, an uncle and a brother-in-law (for their service in World War II). I'm telling you, I was overflowing with gratitude that year and determined to share it!

Somehow, I found the address of my first-ever school teacher, Mrs. Eighmy, and wrote her, telling things I remembered about her and how much I adored her as a child. She wrote a reply that warmed my heart.

There was another teacher whose words had influenced me strongly: Miss Dedman. She taught English at North Kansas City High School, and I had her in my junior and senior years.

All this thankfulness was, I believe, long before my discovery of the Internet (maybe 1995?); so I must have gone through the Kansas City telephone book looking for the name "Dedman" with addresses north of the river.

The person I contacted, it turns out, was her sister; she sadly informed me that Miss Dedman had Alzheimer's and wouldn't benefit from my letter, because she no longer had knowledge of anything. I believe I sent the letter I had written to her, in hopes she would appreciate hearing about a life that had been touched by her sister.

Yesterday morning in one of my meanderings down memory lane, I decided to do a Google search on "Mary Ellen Dedman"; yes, I remember her full name.

I was amazed to find two pictures of her.

Above, she is the third person from the left in the third row from the back; now, if this had been the only picture I found, I wouldn't have been sure it was her.

In this one, however, there's no doubt it's her... just a younger Miss Dedman than when she taught my Senior Literature class. I didn't know she had ever been a principal.

I also found she had written a book about her Church: "A Spire to God: A history of the Christian Church, Plattsburg, Missouri , 1843- 1968"

I thought to myself how wonderful it would be to have a book Miss Dedman wrote, even though it's about a subject that really isn't of interest to me.

Alas, although it came up in a search on half.com, it was unavailable.

As I sat here typing this entry, I realized all I have to do is contact the Church; if anyone has an old, extra copy of the book, it would be a member of that church!

I'm back from a trip to Google now: ah yes, they have a website.

Do you see why I never get anything accomplished? This wonderful Internet leads me on chases like this all the time!

Do you suppose they'll let me have a computer when I'm in the nursing home? Because the older I get, the more things I have to Google!