Naming Names...Reluctantly

The Marlin Crowder Third Grade Class of 1983-1984

        The last blog posting entitled “Remembering a Much-Admired Mentor and Teacher” drew questions about the students in the group photograph. Even though I am not on Facebook, I often learn of comments. The goal of this week’s posting reveals the names of students in that third-grade class thirty-five years ago.
       Ironically, my eyes popped open last Sunday morning with the thought bouncing around in my head, I should have listed the names of those third graders to have written a more complete posting. The second thought reflected my incomplete memory of the students' names. Upon pulling out the picture a couple of weeks ago, I looked at the faces and discovered several faces for which I could not articulate a name. Always valuing knowledge of each individual student, I elected to name no students. Being unable to name just one student was unacceptable to me.
      To my credit, viewing most of the faces prompted names to come to mind. Then I resorted to pulling out a yearbook from Fairfax Schools. Unfortunately, for some unknown reason, the yearbook closest to the year of the group photo featured the students in their second-grade year – 1982/1983. I had to admit reluctantly there  were two students whose faces I recall but for whom I was unable to produce names.

Kneeling: Robert Drebenstedt, Franklin Neff, Rosemary Lujan, Dana Hunt, Craig Backus, Penny
McKinney, Wayne Terry, Anna Wilson
Middle Row: Miss Gates, Stephanie Harjo, Tucker Barnard, Gailor Lee, Tonya Bell, Allenda,Williams,
 Matthew Eves,* Travis Hutchens, Manon Mashburn, Mrs. Rice
Back Row: Dawn Stevens, Terry Eicher, Brandy Potter, Rachel Cowan, Burlin Looney, Joe Ballard,* Kristin Brock, Heather Morris, Freda Terry

Here are some interesting facts:
20% of these students still live in our school district
20% of these students’ children were taught by me
Some of the successes of these students – excellent parents, some are nearing 20-year milestones in their marriages, achievement in careers such as restaurateur, counselor, high school coach, etc.
I interact with some of their children as I volunteer at Woodland Middle School this semester.
      In the previous blog extolling the good Mrs. Ruby Rice did in our community, I mentioned the pride she would take in the accomplishments of her former third graders. In Romans 14:7, Paul wrote, “No man lives or dies to himself.” Any attainment we make in life requires so many others to make it possible. In Romans 16 in the Bible, the Apostle Paul uses the final portion of his letter, citing several people who helped him in various ways.
       One of my favorite quotes by Isaac Newton, the 17th century English physicist, is “If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants.” Newton is credited with binomials, laws of motion, proposing the force of gravity, the principles of calculus, and the invention of the reflecting telescope along with innumerable other achievements. Yet this phenom tied his discoveries directly to the success of other lesser known scientists.
       May those of us who follow Jesus as Lord (boss) live out Proverbs 16:3 giving Him wholeheartedly the credit for anything worthwhile we accomplish. That’s the Ruby Vinita Martin Rice way.

Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.

*I am indebted to Kristin Brock, by way of Lou Brock, for the names I could not recall. Thanks to both of them.