“The Calumet Region
represents the best in America.” Judge Gonzalo Curiel
U.S. District Judge
Gonzalo P. Curiel, who became famous when then-candidate Donald Trump
questioned whether Curiel could rule fairly on cases about Trump University and
matters of immigration because he was Mexican- American, gave the commencement
speech at Bishop Noll High School. Born
in East Chicago and a 1971 Noll Graduate, Curiel told students:
[The
Calumet Region] is a melting pot made up of people from all over the world. It
was a community where I had Greek friends, I had Polish friends, I had Puerto
Rican friends, and I had African-American friends. We were all the same. None of us was any better than the other. And that’s the aim of the American dream, to
bring all of us together. To give equal
opportunity so that we can stand together.
We can raise our families and become better.
You
are primed and ready to make a difference in this world of ours. Carry on and focus at the job at hand. There will be people that taunt you or
disrespect you for how you look or where you are from, or where your parents
are from. Pray for them. Don’t let them get in your head.
I’m
grateful for the chance to have attended this school, most notably to have
grown up in this community, which is so rich and diverse. There are not a lot of places in the world
where you can look around and see such diversity as we have here, and I count
this as a blessing. I’ve learned so much, and it’s helped me to be able to
respect everyone I come across and realize that at the end of the day, we are
all just human beings and that ultimately, our goals are to serve each other.
Last year, the Northwest
Indiana Times solicited guest columnists to enunciate what they admired
about the Calumet Region. I wrote about
Gary being a tough environment, especially for
those struggling to find work and raise families, but that in the past the city
has afforded opportunities for a host of athletes (i.e., George Taliaferro,
Alex Karras), actors (Karl Malden, Avery Brooks), musicians (Pookie Hudson,
Michael Jackson), entrepreneurs (Vivian Carter, Andrew Means), and other
notables (including astronaut Frank Borman, operatic tenor James McCracken, and Nobel laureates Paul Samuelson
and Joseph Stiglitz) who have achieved success elsewhere. Even more
impressive were those who stayed and became community pillars, such as the
recently deceased historian Dharathula “Dolly” Millender and Coach Claude
Taliaferro.
Jee Su (Susie)
Choi (above), a Math teacher at Lighthouse College Prep Academy in East Chicago, wrote
this moving essay:
When I was 21, I moved to Chicago and had my first real job
interview. I was interviewing for a high school math teacher
position in East Chicago. I was very confused, “East Chicago? There’s a city in the middle of Lake Michigan?”
After I got the job, I had to buy a car
to make the hour trek to the Region. I also had to learn how to drive. My first
solo drive was my first day of work. I still remember that drive. I was so
scared. My clammy hands were clenched onto the steering wheel at 10 and 2.
However, it was during that drive that I saw the factory smoke stacks against
the amber sunrise for the first time. The beauty almost made me forget that I
was driving for the first time.
It has
now been four years of waking up and making the drive to Northwest Indiana. Home is where the heart is, and my heart is
with the students I have had the honor of working with. I know that Ernesto
will one day live out his dream to change the world for the better. Isabel will
become someone who helps others. Davion will use his intelligence and quick wit
to woo future clients, instead of annoying his teachers (in the most charming
way possible).
These
are just a few of the kids I have had the privilege of getting to know. They
have helped me realize my desire to become a lifelong educator, and molded me
into who I am today. They have shown me what love really is.
In Steve McShane’s
class to share more hints on making interviews a shared experience, I told the
students to introduce themselves, clearly explain their purpose, strive for
anecdotes (such as memorable duplicate bridge hands and partners), and create
an atmosphere of trust and empathy. I
read this passage about interviewing LGBT steelworkers from Anne Balay’s “Steel Closets”:
Often, I get people talking by sharing experiences I had as
a mechanic, and I encouraged them to continue by flirting, and caring. I liked most of these people immediately, and
I let them see that. And their stories
moved me, shook me up, and redefined heroism for me.
I ended by reciting
the Post-Tribune SALT column Jeff
Manes wrote about me eight years ago, with Steve reading Jeff’s lines, adding a
word about the importance of editing the material gleaned from the interview. When a student started a round of applause, I
quipped, “Give that man an ‘A.’”
That led me to confess
an embarrassing moment 40 years ago when a former student asked me to speak to
her senior history class at Lew Wallace during Diversity Week. When I arrived, I learned to my dismay that
the principal had got wind of my visit and scheduled me to address the entire
student body at a Friday afternoon assembly.
What wasn’t made clear to me was that, following my speech, there’d be
fun entertainment, including ethnic music and dancing. I had planned on talking about individuals
from Gary of Slovak, Mexican, and Polish ancestry, and end with an African
American. When I paused briefly after the third person, some wise guy began
slowly clapping, egging on others amidst general merriment. Thinking back to my rowdy behavior at Friday
assemblies, I quickly concluded my talk. At the end of the festivities, the
principal praised the students’ behavior except, he added, toward Dr. Lane. Only then did I feel embarrassment.
Dee van Bebber and
I finished first in bridge Tuesday despite my misplaying the final hand on
defense against Dottie Hart and Terry Bauer, costing us a trick. When I explained why I did what I did, I
admitted that it was a lame excuse. That
led me to mention a line I used at Bucknell while working at Women’s
Cafeteria. Everyone hated being assigned
Sunday mornings, and the manager was unforgiving if you failed to show. One time, after a fraternity party, I
overslept and prepared to face the music. When asked what happened, I said, “I couldn’t find my shoes.” It was such an idiotic excuse, the manager
started laughing and didn’t fire me.
William Allegrezza
William
Allegrezza’s “Step Below: Selected Poems, 2000-2015,” contains these lines from
“Between the Story and the Shore”:
i have said that to
live we must
be ravenous with
doing, not be stuck
with eyes locked on
the burn, but now
overwhelmed the
silence has me in dream.
Allegrezza’s
“Flight Pattern” would be a good intro for VU’s “Flight Paths” project. The poem goes:
migration
moments in flow
borders turning
among multidirectional rays
in creation
of space
with words modeled
continuously on
fragments
that piece together
in patterns
with currents
that are not in and out
but passage through
Allegrezza’s “Upon Reflection” goes:
poet,
you told
me that flowers
a
pick-up
line, and love
would
lead
to happiness, but
you
were
wrong.
In Rome Miranda
posed in front of Trevi Fountain, built in 1762, which appeared in the Federico
Fellini’s “La Dolce Vita” (1960) as well as “Three Coins in the Fountain”
(1954). Alissa and Josh, back from the
Dominican Republic, closed on their first house, on the west side of Grand
Rapids. Top priorities include a
backyard fence for the dog (Lil Jerry) and central air.
Margaret Skurka
Honored at IUN’s Retirement
reception were Margaret Skurka, Neil Goodman, Arlene Adler, Melvin Wells, and
Anna Rominger. Longtime director of the
Health Information Technology program, Skurka fought hard and successfully when
a previous chancellor wanted to move the two-year programs to Ivy Tech. When Goodman, in California and unable to
attend, was hired in 1979, four years after Skurka became an adjunct, there
were two division chairs named Feldman, Sidney in Business and Herman in Arts
and Sciences. They were nor related and,
in fact, were rivals for funds and faculty positions. Both, however, sought to hire those likely to
make Northwest Indiana their home rather than regard their tenure as a career
steppingstone. That Goodman grew up in
the Region appealed to Hi Feldman, and his Region roots ae evident in his
sculptures that grace the campus.
I knew Business
professor Anna Rominger, hired in 1992, when she was an attorney whose forte
was conflict resolution and mediation.
That skill perhaps accounts for her advancement in the ranks of
administration, culminating in having being asked to delay her retirement and serve
as interim Vice-Chancellor of Academic Affairs.
Over the years, outside vice chancellors have come and gone – some
excellent, others not so good – but the ones I most admire were IUN faculty
such as Bill Neil, Lloyd Rowe, and Mary Russell, who took the position, like
Anna, out of duty as a service to the university. Anna’s husband Joe nodded
when I mentioned that Anna delayed her retirement out of duty and thanked me
for emphasizing her skill as a conciliator.
Ken Schoon credited Anna with putting together the IUN choir and said he’d
extracted a promise from her to return in December for the holiday party. After
Pat Bankston’s third trip to the podium, I almost told him that one more would
tie Jean Poulard’s record but kept quiet fearing he’d misinterpret the remark
as sarcasm.
posted by former teacher Jim Spicer
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