To the editor:
Halloween came and went from the streets in Guangzhou. There were the crazy costumes and ghoulish lighted decorations on the more Western focused restaurants in the neighborhood. Good restaurants in the city have a person outside the establishment who tries to entice you into eating.
This evening the crews were decked out in devil horns, pirate garb, and witches hats all glowing with the help of batteries. Thankfully there is not the overt begging for candy that marks the current holiday.
Most of the kids walk through the neighborhood and play. They do have fun but it is not customary to ask for candy or knock on doors. Also, there are not the pranks of eggs and toilet paper in the trees — a quiet spooking. Lots of fun.
Having fun and learning at the same time. This was a hallmark of Mr. Walter Adams’ class at Zippel Elementary. At a time when most elementary teachers were women he stood out as the really cool guy. Those early- and mid-1970s years were ones when all of us were trying to figure out who the heroes were. He was a hero to so many. He headed up the school patrol at a time when it was safe for older elementary kids to help younger ones cross the street. Really cool stuff for fourth-graders in the spring semester. Given real police badges and swearing an oath to get the younger students across the street and reporting those cars that did not stop, the school patrol did its part. In the fall a ready-made force of youngsters with the white shoulder strap across our chests and the shiny badges on the left breast, we began to learn about the responsibility of good citizenship.
Mr. Adams’ work continued and many were the stories that came from him about his time in the Navy and his love for activity. Wintertime meant staying in the gym after lunch. It also meant the interclass basketball games complete with official scoreboard. The contraption was two plexiglass wheels inside a big box, a loud noisy buzzer, and colored lights to indicate the play period. Two or three of us would go to the gym closet and get it out. Mr. Adams took time to show us how to turn it on and how he would signal score.
Scorekeepers in place, the whistle blew and the interscholastic contest took off. Teams from the various classes played each other in a game that was far more exciting and fun than anything we could see on television at the time.
The score clock would tick the seconds, Mr. Adams would be there with whistle in hand to officiate and wild, exuberant chaos and screams would fill the gym. The buzzer sounds, whistle blows, arguments ensue and are settled, next! Some of those players would go on to high school teams and some would go further. What we were all learning was to respect the work and effort of each person. Enthusiastically, Mr. Adams showed us what it meant to be patriotic and proud.
Years later, sitting in his living room and talking about aspirations, he still cared deeply about his students. He followed us quietly and with pride as we learned about the world, shaped our dreams, and lived.
For so many, Mr. Adams represented the teacher all would hope to be. Fun loving, brilliant, curious, and always trying something to make us excited about being in a classroom on a bright sunny day.
He goes quietly into that scrapbook of cherished memories of times long gone. A small debt of gratitude to his family for sharing a wonderful treasure with us all. His joy of living and adventure continues to shape and guide those students of his as they make their own place in time. His final whistle has sounded and the game is over. Everyone had fun. What will we do tomorrow?
Orpheus Allison
Guangzhou, China
orpheusallison@mac.com
