A Tribute....
A Tribute…
A number of times in the short history of this blog, I have referred to a friend and colleague I have traveled with and taught with. Throughout our time as colleagues and friends, we have had the opportunity to work together, support one another, and become friends. This is a person I have learned from, been inspired by, and would do anything for. I am sure anyone reading this could think of a person in their lives like this as well. For me, this person is my friend Angie.
I met Angie in the spring of 2007 when she came to interview for a position at the university where I worked at the time. When I first met her, I couldn’t have possibly forecasted just how closely we would work together once she was selected for the job and began that summer. Angie and I worked with many of the same content areas, just in different departments at the university. We established a collaborative relationship soon after she began her role and together created several leadership initiatives. Working with her was a joy because of our congruent philosophies and laid back working styles, but more than that, we developed a vision for our work with students we were able to create and implement together. When I left the university we shared in the summer of 2009, ending our collaborative partnership was one of the hardest realities I had to face when making the decision to leave. I am honored to call Angie a friend and am glad we have found ways to stay connected these past years.
After a short battle with a rare blood disease, Angie’s husband James passed away last week. The news of his passing, at just 27 years old, has sent shockwaves through the core of everyone who knew and loved James. The pain of this loss, especially for Angie, is more than I can ever think possible to bear. When I think about my own humanity, my wife, my children, I am brought to tears by the prospect of my time with them ending before I would like. In the brief moments I have had to talk with Angie since the passing of James, I have been blown away by the strength and the grace she has displayed throughout this tragedy.
I attended James’ funeral with several dear friends earlier this week who also have known Angie and James. The funeral was of course sad, but was also filled with laughter and many stories from the people who knew James best. During the funeral, three of James’ friends who had known him most of his life courageously stood behind the lectern and shared their reflections on what James meant to them. One of the words all three used to describe James was “leader”.
James was known by his friends as “The Governor”, not only because he shares a name with the former Governor of our state, but because of the leadership skills and qualities he possessed. It was easy to see from the way James was described that he was the type of person who drew people in. The type of person others wanted to be around. James’ friends and teammates told us that anytime someone on the team was having trouble, James would be the first person there to assist them no matter if it was a personal matter or having someone’s back in a scuffle on the baseball diamond or hockey rink.
James never ceased in his encouragement of his teammates to reach their potential and make the most of the opportunities they had because of the talents they possessed. It was clear through these stories James led by example and held himself to high expectations that made him worthy of being identified as a role model.
The examples of leadership James’ friends described had little to do with the accolades James received or the positions he held, but the way in which he carried out what he felt were the responsibilities of a leader. As his friends bravely stood before the large gathering of mourners at his funeral, it was clear the impact James had in their lives was personal and profound. He made a difference in their lives by being present and by encouraging them to be the best people they could be. I cannot think of any higher goal of leadership than attempting to make that kind of impact. It is clear that James achieved that goal. A wonderful memory for me as I left the funeral that day was thinking about how James personified all of the leadership lessons Angie and I were trying to pass on to the students we had an opportunity to serve.
There is a Psalm that says, “…weeping my endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning”. At times like these, it is hard to imagine being able to locate joy anywhere within grasp. I can’t imagine what a loss of this magnitude can do to a family, but I know that finding joy again will be a long road that all of Angie's family and friends will help her to find in her own time. Remembering the lessons James taught us about living our lives in a way that exemplifies our highest ideals of leadership is a way to honor his life and his lasting impact on those who were lucky enough to know him.
A number of times in the short history of this blog, I have referred to a friend and colleague I have traveled with and taught with. Throughout our time as colleagues and friends, we have had the opportunity to work together, support one another, and become friends. This is a person I have learned from, been inspired by, and would do anything for. I am sure anyone reading this could think of a person in their lives like this as well. For me, this person is my friend Angie.
After a short battle with a rare blood disease, Angie’s husband James passed away last week. The news of his passing, at just 27 years old, has sent shockwaves through the core of everyone who knew and loved James. The pain of this loss, especially for Angie, is more than I can ever think possible to bear. When I think about my own humanity, my wife, my children, I am brought to tears by the prospect of my time with them ending before I would like. In the brief moments I have had to talk with Angie since the passing of James, I have been blown away by the strength and the grace she has displayed throughout this tragedy.
I attended James’ funeral with several dear friends earlier this week who also have known Angie and James. The funeral was of course sad, but was also filled with laughter and many stories from the people who knew James best. During the funeral, three of James’ friends who had known him most of his life courageously stood behind the lectern and shared their reflections on what James meant to them. One of the words all three used to describe James was “leader”.
James was known by his friends as “The Governor”, not only because he shares a name with the former Governor of our state, but because of the leadership skills and qualities he possessed. It was easy to see from the way James was described that he was the type of person who drew people in. The type of person others wanted to be around. James’ friends and teammates told us that anytime someone on the team was having trouble, James would be the first person there to assist them no matter if it was a personal matter or having someone’s back in a scuffle on the baseball diamond or hockey rink.
James never ceased in his encouragement of his teammates to reach their potential and make the most of the opportunities they had because of the talents they possessed. It was clear through these stories James led by example and held himself to high expectations that made him worthy of being identified as a role model.
The examples of leadership James’ friends described had little to do with the accolades James received or the positions he held, but the way in which he carried out what he felt were the responsibilities of a leader. As his friends bravely stood before the large gathering of mourners at his funeral, it was clear the impact James had in their lives was personal and profound. He made a difference in their lives by being present and by encouraging them to be the best people they could be. I cannot think of any higher goal of leadership than attempting to make that kind of impact. It is clear that James achieved that goal. A wonderful memory for me as I left the funeral that day was thinking about how James personified all of the leadership lessons Angie and I were trying to pass on to the students we had an opportunity to serve.
There is a Psalm that says, “…weeping my endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning”. At times like these, it is hard to imagine being able to locate joy anywhere within grasp. I can’t imagine what a loss of this magnitude can do to a family, but I know that finding joy again will be a long road that all of Angie's family and friends will help her to find in her own time. Remembering the lessons James taught us about living our lives in a way that exemplifies our highest ideals of leadership is a way to honor his life and his lasting impact on those who were lucky enough to know him.
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