Thursday, June 18, 2015
I met Terry in 1973 when he was the assistant principal of Immaculate Conception School in Morris. The principal at the time had been my wife's 8th grade teacher and principal. They had kept in contact over the years. The principal knew that I was trying to get a teaching job, and she had an opening. She asked if we were willing to move to Morris for me to break into teaching. We were living in the Northwest suburbs and didn't know anything about Morris, but we were willing to find out.
So I interviewed, and, believe it not, I was not impressive. She didn't want to hire me. Now she is faced with having to tell her former student that her husband is a loser, but she didn't do that. Instead, she asked for a second opinion. That second opinion was Terry. I guess she thought if he believed I was a loser too that it would be easier to break the bad news to us. But she also told him that if he thought I was okay, she would trust him and hire me. It was going to be up to him.
A second interview was scheduled. I walked into the building, and Terry was in front of the office. He introduced himself and started leading me outside. "We're not going to talk here."
As we walked toward his car, Terry says, "Let me ask you a question. Do you like to drink beer?"
I told him that yes, I have been known to enjoy that beverage. He took me to a place in Morris called Bud's Tap. They had these little glasses, maybe seven ounces or so, of beer for a quarter. Terry remembers the price as even less. Regardless, the little glasses kept emptying and being refilled for the next three hours. I don't know how many we had. I don't remember if he asked me any interview questions. I don't remember anything he asked me or what we talked about. The only question I remember is, "Do you like to drink beer?"
Not long after that "interview" I was informed that I was hired. But Terry made it work for him. As the assistant principal, everything that came down from the principal went to Terry. "Terry, I need someone to cover 8th grade PE for the week."
"Don't worry," Terry says, "I'll do it." And then he would come to my room, and we would team teach PE together.
"Terry, we haven't hired an art teacher yet."
"Don't worry. I'll do it." And then he came to get me, and we team taught art.
"Terry, I need someone to walk our bus kids to Center School."
"Don't worry. I'll do it." And of course we did it. But the reward for bus duty was to walk to Willie's Tap for some beers.
Everybody knows that Terry liked to talk conspiracy theories. There seems to a conspiracy surrounding his passing because he is gone too soon. I owe him for starting my career. I'm glad he was my friend, and I am going to miss having him around.
