Today I attended an all day workshop on Performance Coaching. Along the way we watched a video that asked us to think about “all those people” who guided us in some helpful way. My swisscheese memory keeps me from providing a full list, but I wanted to publicly acknowledge some folks I have clear memories of. Especially those I am not in touch with anymore and who may have passed on.
My mom and dad - I don’t want to forget the obvious. They raised me, clothed me, fed me and taught me that family was important and that I had gifts to offer the world. My mom has been dead for two years now, but she always believed in me. My dad still does. They’re not perfect, but I’ve come to realize that not every child has the sort of faith in them that my parents have in me.
Mrs Mildred Mauer of Brainard Elementary in Los Angeles. Mrs Mauer was my fourth grade teacher and greatly encouraged my curiosity and budding interest in science. She once bought me socks.
Mr. Seagal of Brainard Elementary in Los Angeles. I can’t remember his first name, but I remember his face. He gave me my first book on nuclear physics in third or fifth grade. He always had time to talk.
Mrs Brigham of Brainard Elementary in Los Angeles. She was the gifted and talented teacher for the elementary school. She taught me that “From whom much is given, much is required” and that intelligence is merely one gift among many.
Mrs. Bannaer (sp?) of Sepulveda Junior High in Los Angeles. She was my eighth grade Journalism teacher and made me improve my grammar by insisting I tutor other students in it.
Ms Josephine Getz of Van Nuys High School in Los Angeles. She was my AP English teacher who believed in the leadership capabilities of her students and encouraged us to dream big. She offered to pay any student’s AP English exam so they wouldn’t have an excuse not to take it. When I told her I didn’t believe in my English abilities but would take the AP Biology Exam if I could afford, she paid for that.
Professor Stanford J. Shaw of UCLA - Professor Shaw gave me a real sense of the complexities of the Middle East and an appreciation for Islamic culture and history. He also had time for me to talk on any subject and restored my confidence in my computer abilities, which had been shattered by washing out of UCLA’s pre-Computer Science major.
Professor Mortimer Chambers of UCLA - Professor Chambers wasn’t exactly a mentor figure for me. I spent much of my sophomore history seminar with him well terrified, but he was always willing to share knowledge with his students. I like to think that his gruff manner was his way of saying that we were tough and we could take it. And I think the experience has helped me stand my ground in difficult intellectual situations.
Kathy Amen, St. Mary’s University, San Antonio, TX - Kathy and I didn’t work at the same university when I was a simple paraprofessional documents clerk, but she helped me feel welcome in the San Antonio Documents Users Group and helped me to see government information as fun. In some way, the whole SA Docs Users group were mentors to me because they encouraged me to learn as much as I could about government information and didn’t put barriers in my way because I was “just a paraprofessional” or “just a processing clerk.” They made me feel like a peer and I really appreciated that.
Professor Ruth Palmquist of University of Texas at Austin Graduate School of Library and Information Science. Professor Palmquist made it easy to build a passion for libraries, the freedom of information, and the potential of librarians to add value to the Internet. She was also a very nice and friendly person to talk to.
Mrs Marion Fontish retired US AIr Force - Mrs Marion Fontish was librarian at Lackland Air Force base when I was a management intern in USAF civil service. She taught me more about management than library school ever did and taught me that I didn’t have to be liked by everybody. She also never accepted no for an answer when asking me to do things I thought I had no skils for. She’d provide the tools and said she’d wait while I got stuff done. This went a long way towards convincing me that people can learn nearly anything. Mrs. Fontish also gave me my first real instruction in library promotion.
There are others I could mention, especially who are current or recent mentors to me, but I perceive them as being somewhat protective of their privacy, so I’ll be writing them private notes. But with the exception of Kathy Amen, whom I’m confident won’t mind, I don’t have contact information for the people above. Hence the public thank you for helping me to get to where I am today.
If you found this entry interesting and enjoyable, consider yourself tagged to publicly thank your coaches and mentors, whether named or not.
