Education, mine in particular, has always been among those things at the top of my List of Zillions for which I'm grateful.
I'll admit that it has only been recently that I haven't been pursuing one avenue of formal education or another. My wife, a retired school counselor, says it was because I am gifted - interested in many subjects and, in the main, not restricted in the natural ability it takes to learn them.
I don't agree with her, quite frankly. I think her reasoning is entirely too serious. I chalk the whole thing up to my being a Gemini, a Gemini with a curiosity that even today remains impossible to satisfy.
Like a child's love for his grandma who makes sure he gets special love and tops it with rewards of candy and ice cream, I love those who have shared their knowledge with me; taught me about those things which, at the time, were profoundly important to me.
As the cycle of life goes in the universe, so it goes with that special list, the list of teachers and professors who taught me. And it would be entirely wrong to overlook including my parents, grandparents, the parents of my friends, and the telephone repair man, and Hans Gouldman who was a chemist who owned a paint store, and who taught me to use a slide rule.
To the best of my knowledge, none of those who taught me before my college days is still alive. The last one, Coach Richard Schiebel passed away within the past six weeks.
<<== Lt. Col. Richard Schiebel
And then there are those who taught me in college. Take Leon Breeden. He was the professor of 
jazz music at University of North Texas. Although I never took a course under him, through our friendship of more than fifty years, he taught me nevertheless. Dr. Breeden passed away a few days after Coach Schiebel did.
Dr. Leon Breeden ==>>
I am confident that there are only two remaining alive who taught me. One is Dr. Ted D. Colson, a 
professor of speech, who trained me so that I could express to audiences as small as one, as big as millions, what I knew and thought. And I met my wife Patty in one of his classes. That was important, too, because I'm certain I used the skills Dr. Colson had taught me when I convinced Patty to marry me.
Dr. Ted Colson ==>>
The other professor is Dr. Chester Newland, who taught, and continues to teach, government - some call it civics. He's been at the University of Southern California since 1966. I heard from him the other day. He's 80. His research, writing and lectures have been devoted to public administration research. His teaching has focused on public executives, federal and local government management, the American presidency, public law, business and government, human resources, and labor management relations.
But what Dr. Newland taught me that I found profound was the meaning of the Bill of Rights. You will recall that the founding fathers attempted to sell their draft of the Constitution to the People. There was a very loud outcry, and a resounding "No!"
<<== Dr. Chester Newland
The Constitution was solely made up of what rights the government had. No where did it address what rights the people retained over it. That was when the Bill of Rights was added, and the documents were ratified.
Dr. Newland taught that the Bill of Rights "equally guarantees the Dignity of All Man." For the past fifty years, I have weighed the merits of one argument after another by testing the argument by asking myself, does it challenge the equality of the Dignity of All Man granted by the Bill of Rights?
Make it a point to thanks those who gave you the tools that came with education. Pray a prayer of thanksgiving for those who are no longer able to hear your voice.
BILL CHERRY, REALTORS
DALLAS - PARK CITIES
Our 45th Year
214 503-8563
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