Amongst all the other bad news this week comes a message this morning informing me that Al Field died this week, three months after his 99th birthday. He passed over peacefully. Unlike all the rest of the news this week, I immediately burst into tears on reading that. I didn’t cry as hard when my father died.
I’m very sorry you’ve lost such an important person in your life, Tom. It’s good to know he learned you became a great guy after being a great kid.
I had a similar experience with my junior and senior high school English and journalism teacher who was my mentor and whose teachings guided me into the career I eventually created for myself, not as a journalist, as I had thought, but eventually with my own business as an oral history transcriptionist and an editor/proofreader.
After graduation, I lost touch with her for decades until one day I found her phone number up in Maine and called her. I said, “Hello, Mrs. G. This is Mim Maiden-name.”
She immediately said, “Oh, how are you, dear?” She had instantly remembered me, and from that moment until she died about a decade later, we were in regular touch by phone and mail correspondence.
Except for my parents, she was the most influential person in my life. I miss her friendship.
This appears to be a Substack issue - several people have commented on it and i have experienced it on other sites. I have contacted them, so we shall see when they get things fixed.
I'm going to put in a very small correction Tom. Rappelling only goes one direction and that is down, if they went up a vertical cliff, they climbed it. That minor nit pick aside, that was a beautiful tribute to a good man, you are lucky to have known him. "They really did make the world a better place for being there". You are right, the 10th Mountain was the nucleus of the development of the Colorado ski industry. Nothing that happened in Europe was easy and the 10th Mountain was really only for the fittest soldiers. I had a high school skiing instructor who I think served with them, he was a hard man, but he knew how to ski. It wasn't until I got to college, after VN, that I encountered teachers that really stimulated my mind. Although that might not be quite true, my final 3 years in HS were spent with the Jesuits who taught me how to argue a point and I still credit them with teaching me how to think, but none of them were mentors, I was a difficult kid like you, I never have suffered fools well. That was a heartfelt beautiful piece, thank you for sharing it with us.
Condolences to you on the loss of Mr. Fields. And homage to Mr. Fields for being the great teacher that helped produce the man who writes TAFM. This is a beautiful memoir about growing up in America as well as an eloquent eulogy.
Terrific story!!! I had multiple wonderful elementary and high school teachers. Two of them had interesting pedigrees. My fourth grade teacher's aunt was Charles Lindbergh's wife. (My fourth grade teacher never evinced a shred of any of Lindbergh's prejudices, and if she had, she probably would not have taught at a Quaker school.) And she was a wonderful teacher.
My fifth grade teacher's father had been the greatest cellist in the world--something I know not because she ever told us--she didn't--but because my father was a classical music buff. He'd mourned her father's passing. She was also an absolutely wonderful teacher. I looked her up nearly 30 years after I'd been in her class, and we remained friends for the rest of her life (she'd already had had breast cancer for 8 years when I found her, and she died of it two years later at 54). It was wonderful knowing her as an adult.
Indeed I was. I did have a terrible first grade teacher, and a mediocre last year of nursery school teacher (yeah, I remember that far back) and a few mediocre high school teachers, but mostly good ones. My parents sent me mostly to private schools. (We lived in four different places during my elementary and secondary education, including Paris.) Yeah, I was lucky. And my mother came from "Jewish royalty of Denver," as I may have mentioned here. Her uncle, Philip Hornbein, had been de facto head of the Colorado Democratic Party for most of the first half of the last century. Here's a brief portrait of my mother as a young mother: https://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/The-home-forum/2020/0805/heeding-her-invitation-six-decades-later
Hugs Tom. There are teachers in our lives who truly make a difference. My heart was broken recently when my teacher for 5th and 6th grades unfriended me. Yep. Trumper.
Absolutely beautiful and heartfelt. How wonderful that he knew how much he had influenced your life before he left us. Not every teacher gets that gift-- to see how their students turn out in life.
Heartfelt and well said...what more could we want? And you cleared up a mystery for me - I hadn’t realized the Vail Riva Ridge was named for the one the Mountaineers scaled. Sweet.
Now I’m in tears. An important man indeed. My condolences to you.
I’m very sorry you’ve lost such an important person in your life, Tom. It’s good to know he learned you became a great guy after being a great kid.
I had a similar experience with my junior and senior high school English and journalism teacher who was my mentor and whose teachings guided me into the career I eventually created for myself, not as a journalist, as I had thought, but eventually with my own business as an oral history transcriptionist and an editor/proofreader.
After graduation, I lost touch with her for decades until one day I found her phone number up in Maine and called her. I said, “Hello, Mrs. G. This is Mim Maiden-name.”
She immediately said, “Oh, how are you, dear?” She had instantly remembered me, and from that moment until she died about a decade later, we were in regular touch by phone and mail correspondence.
Except for my parents, she was the most influential person in my life. I miss her friendship.
Would that there were more "Mr. Fields" in all our lives. Our sympathies to you, Tom!
Yep. Tom, I can't seem to post independently.
Neither can I. No blue Post box appears.
This appears to be a Substack issue - several people have commented on it and i have experienced it on other sites. I have contacted them, so we shall see when they get things fixed.
They got things fixed. Vexed me in the early hours, but decided that it wasn’t me.
You write gorgeous eulogies. Thanks for sharing these memories with us. My condolences on losing another WWII vet.
We have 7 WWII vets signed up for next week's 8th AF Historical Society Reunion. Our Bomb Group (351st) will not have any in attendance.
I'm going to put in a very small correction Tom. Rappelling only goes one direction and that is down, if they went up a vertical cliff, they climbed it. That minor nit pick aside, that was a beautiful tribute to a good man, you are lucky to have known him. "They really did make the world a better place for being there". You are right, the 10th Mountain was the nucleus of the development of the Colorado ski industry. Nothing that happened in Europe was easy and the 10th Mountain was really only for the fittest soldiers. I had a high school skiing instructor who I think served with them, he was a hard man, but he knew how to ski. It wasn't until I got to college, after VN, that I encountered teachers that really stimulated my mind. Although that might not be quite true, my final 3 years in HS were spent with the Jesuits who taught me how to argue a point and I still credit them with teaching me how to think, but none of them were mentors, I was a difficult kid like you, I never have suffered fools well. That was a heartfelt beautiful piece, thank you for sharing it with us.
You're right about how they got up the cliff.
Condolences to you on the loss of Mr. Fields. And homage to Mr. Fields for being the great teacher that helped produce the man who writes TAFM. This is a beautiful memoir about growing up in America as well as an eloquent eulogy.
Since I’m a few years older than you, I can concur with Mr Field: you are indeed a great kid.
Terrific story!!! I had multiple wonderful elementary and high school teachers. Two of them had interesting pedigrees. My fourth grade teacher's aunt was Charles Lindbergh's wife. (My fourth grade teacher never evinced a shred of any of Lindbergh's prejudices, and if she had, she probably would not have taught at a Quaker school.) And she was a wonderful teacher.
My fifth grade teacher's father had been the greatest cellist in the world--something I know not because she ever told us--she didn't--but because my father was a classical music buff. He'd mourned her father's passing. She was also an absolutely wonderful teacher. I looked her up nearly 30 years after I'd been in her class, and we remained friends for the rest of her life (she'd already had had breast cancer for 8 years when I found her, and she died of it two years later at 54). It was wonderful knowing her as an adult.
Lucky you!
Indeed I was. I did have a terrible first grade teacher, and a mediocre last year of nursery school teacher (yeah, I remember that far back) and a few mediocre high school teachers, but mostly good ones. My parents sent me mostly to private schools. (We lived in four different places during my elementary and secondary education, including Paris.) Yeah, I was lucky. And my mother came from "Jewish royalty of Denver," as I may have mentioned here. Her uncle, Philip Hornbein, had been de facto head of the Colorado Democratic Party for most of the first half of the last century. Here's a brief portrait of my mother as a young mother: https://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/The-home-forum/2020/0805/heeding-her-invitation-six-decades-later
I share your sadness and send a big hug from Texas. Your stories always touch my heart.
.
I am so sorry you lost your friend, teacher, mentor and door-to-life-opener. I am so glad he was such a positive influence on your life.
I'm so sorry for your loss and very happy you had a teacher who thought the best OF you and brought out the best IN you. You are lucky, indeed!
Hugs Tom. There are teachers in our lives who truly make a difference. My heart was broken recently when my teacher for 5th and 6th grades unfriended me. Yep. Trumper.
I'm sorry Gail. That would be heartbreaking.
Sad beyond words, it’s not just the fools. Anyone can be caught up in a cult.
Absolutely beautiful and heartfelt. How wonderful that he knew how much he had influenced your life before he left us. Not every teacher gets that gift-- to see how their students turn out in life.
Thank you!
Heartfelt and well said...what more could we want? And you cleared up a mystery for me - I hadn’t realized the Vail Riva Ridge was named for the one the Mountaineers scaled. Sweet.
Wonderful story
What a touching story, and even more so since you were able to reconnect. So sorry for your loss.