Letters from the Dim & Distant Days

.....OK. I said once in a while & this is one of them. During the chore of moving all of our collective gatherings of over 27 years from our den (about to be redecorated) into our living room, I came across a folder containing letters to me from former colleagues and students. One of the first that I received came from a graduate student in the class I was teaching as an Ass't. Professor of English at C.W. Post College in 1965. And since I've drawn a blank as to what I can print in this blog, I thought I might as well include some of the letters so that my great grandchildren, if I ever get any) could get an idea about what kind of teacher I am/was. Although these might be somewhat self-serving, who cares? This is the venue to preserve them before they are lost in antiquity.

Anyway, I was teaching a course to graduate students called "Teaching English in the Secondary Schools" and this came as a letter to me with a 5c stamp on the envelope:

"Dear Dr. Ross,

.....Up to now, the A's & B's I've received in my 'ed' courses haven't meant much, because, frankly, neither have the courses. But yours has been the happy exception, and so I was delighted with my A. I enjoyed your course and the reading and writing it entailed. I think that a good measure of how involved I got is the fact that I read 'English Sentences' all over Switzerland.

..... You're a born teacher--the only real kind--and it was a pleasure and a privilege to be in your class. Best wishes for a happy Summer. Cordially, Mrs. Marian Lesser " (June, 1965)

(Excerpt of a letter from a former student who in 1968 came across an issue of the HS newspaper of Sept. 1963)

".....included in it was an interview with a very perceptive man, who said that a teacher 'has to inspire; he is a catalyst'. Naturally, these words meant more to me than they might have meant to most, for they were your words, and they redefined for me the role your teaching has played in the careers of many of your students--and the influence (having been exposed to your guidance and direction) that that teaching has had on my own life. Each time I happen to run into an old classmate, yours is the name that seems to stand out above all others in discussions, and yours seems to be the influence that is still most keenly and deeply felt!

..... I know that in my own life during the past ten years, your teaching has provided 'inspiration', and the lessons of integrity and dedication learned in your classes have provided a 'catalyst'--and will certainly continue to do so!----

..... Thank you for giving us something meaningful to remember and for teaching us lessons that extended far beyond the classroom. With love, Betsy K. (Class of '58)" June, 1968

Letter from a former student teacher:

"Dear Doc:

.....It's very difficult to express my gratitude to someone I regard as the 'ideal teacher'. Strange as it may seem, I never had an idol until I watched you teach for the first two weeks. .....To put it mildly, it blew my mind as much as it may surprise you.

.....The experience you have given me is an outgrowth of the warmth and consideration you transmitted so kindly. Because of you I know now exactly how I want to teach, and this goal gives me something to work for in the years to come. Someday, I hope your 'osmotic' approach will become my own as well. Thanks, Jackie." (1965?)

Thaaaat's all fooolks--for now.

Family Tree of a Talented Family

.....I just reminded myself that my previous blog was written on Bastille Day. Not too many people that I asked knew that, or else they once knew but being old, they forgot. Actually, no one remembered what happened in France on that day over 200 years ago--just about the time we were celebrating our independence.

.....Bastille Day is the French national holiday which is celebrated on 14 July each year. It commemorates the storming of the Bastille on 14 July 1789, during the French

Revolution. The Bastille was the name of a prison and symbol of the absolutism of the Louis XVI, Attacking the prison was a representation of freedom and the fight against oppression. Traditionally Bastille Day is celebrated with a military parade on the morning of 14 July, on the Champs-Élysées in Paris in front of the President of the Republic. Many large-scale public events are held, including a military parade in Paris, as well as spectacular fireworks, concerts, dances, and partying into the wee hours.

.....But today I didn't mean to write about Bastille Day. Just thought I'd add something I ought to have thought of on my blog of July 14. But, now I do want to write about cousins and the Auslander family. As far back as I could remember, my maternal grandparents were Isidore and Rebecca Auslander, who came here from Russia in 1882 and settled in the Bronx. Isadore's parents were Abraham Auslander and Bessie Reitenberg both of whom were born in the Ukraine. So, they were my great grandparents. Isadore and Rebecca had six children; Harry, Herman, Irving, Shirley, Bessie & Esther. They, in turn sired 15 children. And 13 of them are my cousins, six of whom still carry the name, Auslander. I don't have enough time or energy to tell you how many second cousins I have, but they are numerous!

.....Over time, all my cousins became scattered thoughout the country, Boston, Arizona, Chicago, California, New York, Florida, etc. Consequently, we lost touch with each other and knew little about our lives. I thought it a good idea--through email--to have each of them who still survive write me a short bio of them, their lives, and their families and then I would make a document of their responses and send it out as an attachment to an email. Thus far, I have received seven replies. I think that reading these "bios" will prove very enlightening about our cousins' lives, and bring closer together, the descendants of Abraham and Bessie Auslander, the great grandparents, and my children's great, great grandparents.

"But if the while I think on thee dear friends...all losses are restored and sorrow ends." (W.S. Sonnets)

.....I began writing this blog on August 8, 2007, and in another month it will be three years old. The original purpose was to write a journal that might be of interest to my descendants. That is why I began with the title, "Paternoster in Condoland." Not that I would be a "father" to them, but perhaps more of a great grandfather--or so. The subjects that I have written about have been taken from the kind of life I have been living in South Florida as a senior citizen living in a condo community with many activities. Sometimes my postings have been somewhat banal and localized on the food and dining, on movies, on sports and on other non-controversial subjects. Other posts have embraced such subjects as religion and politics, and thoughts on liberalism, ennui, heroism, etc. with particular attention to my own views on these subjects, although with, hopefully, no disrespect for the views of others. Since 2007, I have written almost 600 postings on this blog, and to preserve them I've published six volumes under the "Paternoster" title and one book with the title "Fires in the Heart". I will soon have enough posts to publish a second volume under that title. Most likely that will be the last.

.....Writing my memoirs and this blog has been fun, has kept me busy, and for an old guy has kept my mind sharp while I cannot say the same for my body. I believe there is a difference between ills of the body and good health. I do enjoy good health. My vital signs are all in good shape, and I have no blockages that might affect my heart; so I suppose I'm on my way to 90. I plan to become the oldest living WWII vet. I also plan to write this blog less often. The comments that I once received have dropped off, and I surmise that my readership has done the same. I imagine they have gotten tired of checking to see if there is an article to read, and I can't blame them. I will miss them--Phil, and Ellin, and Robert Fox, and Mike, and Bill, and Barry, and Lou, and Helen, and Annette, and Joel, and Bobby, and Bonny, and Robin, and even Anonymous. So this blog will go the way of Golf, and Marathons, and Acting, and walking, and singing--like layers of skin peeling off. But I have suffered losses much greater than these. Well, everyone can check once in a while to see if they have missed any that I will write when the muse moves me.

SONNET LXXIII (William Shakespeare)

THAT time of year thou may'st in me behold
When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang
Upon those boughs which shake against the cold,
Bare ruin'd choirs, where late the sweet birds sang:
In me thou see'st the twilight of such day	5
As after sunset fadeth in the west,
Which by-and-by black night doth take away,
Death's second self, that seals up all in rest:
In me thou see'st the glowing of such fire,
That on the ashes of his youth doth lie	10
As the death-bed whereon it must expire,
Consumed with that which it was nourish'd by:
—This thou perceiv'st, which makes thy love more strong,
To love that well which thou must leave ere long.