mrchamp (![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} mrchamp) wrote,@ 2007-03-20 00:47:00 |
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My tribute to the greatest teacher I have ever known: Mr. Greenhaw
I sit here at my computer now humbled more than ever before. I have been deeply saddened this past week, yet I have been humbled by the great words of the things that I have heard or read from my friends concerning Mr. Greenhaw's life. I realize now more than ever how valuable my friends and family are to me. I post now to merely add another perspective on the life of Mr. Greenhaw: my own.
When I think of a hero, only a select few individuals come to mind. Mr. Greenhaw is one of them. Per my own criteria, a hero is an individual whose devotion to God and Christlike behavior is self-evident. As a result, this hero has greatly impacted my life as a result. Again, Mr. Greenhaw was one of those people. He exemplified his love for Christ by showing his love for his students, namely band members, on a day-to-day basis.
Although he didn't have to tell his students he loved them, as was evident in what he did, he did tell us just that. One of my fondest memories of him was that on many days, at the end of the school day when I would come by the bandroom to get my instrument and chat to my friends, he would eventually say something to the effect of "Love ya...you don't have to go home, but you can't stay here." It even got to the point where on one day that he walked out of his office with that look in his face that I knew so well. We looked at each other, and he let me tell everyone in the bandroom what he was about to say. I felt so important on that day.
What truly makes Mr. Greenhaw a hero for me is what I have become as a result of my years in band, particularly in marching band. Before my involvement in band, I was a nobody. I was quiet, made good grades, and did not have many friends. I was well-liked, but I was not important among my peers. Then one day, this all began to change.
It all began with my sister and Sonya Nave. Mandy sang in chorus in her 6th and 7th grade years because her best friend did. Then in 8th grade, she met Sonya, who was already in the band. She became interested, and she joined up. She spent only a semester playing, and then moved up to the concert band. Her years reading music and playing the piano served her well. She then got involved in the marching band, and started taking flute lessons somewhere in the mix. I remember going to one of the marching competitions with my mother and learning of such stars as Canda Fuqua, Wes Hopper, Scott Harper, Zach the man Greenhaw, and of course, my own sister. I was immediately in love with the music I heard and the whole phenomenon of marching band.
By this time, I was nearing my 6th grade year, where I would transition to the junior high and get to pick an elective. I knew that it would be beginning band. I got my instrument of choice, the trumpet. Since my sister was taking lessons, my mom suggested that I do the same. I remember going into the 7th grade that I was going to shoot for 3rd or 4th chair. I knew that I could and should do well since I had the advantage of private lessons. I was utterly shocked when I instead got 1st chair. "How could this be?" I wondered. It was at this point that I had ever received any sort of prestige or real attention. This was the year that I first met Matt Davis and Kevin Drinkard, two of my best friends. However, this year would prove to be only the tip of the iceberg.
As I progressed into the 8th grade and marched for the first time, I truly felt like I was on top of the world. Not only was I marching under Mr. Greenhaw, I was doing so with many of the same "stars" I had seen on that day at the competition with my mother. At this point, they were mostly seniors, including my sister. This year would pave the way for some of my finest accomplishments of my life, which I will not name in this post.
I went on into my high school years, which were long and difficult, speaking strictly on an academic level. I lived for Friday and the marching competitions, so I could play my trumpet and be with my friends, nearly all of which who were also in band. In fact, I cannot recall a single person who I consistently talked with who was not in the band. I owe much of what I have today to Mr. Greenhaw, Mandy, and Sonya. And of course, I cannot leave out my mother and daddy.
Little by little, I became more and more like the "stars" whom I had admired all of those years. Had I become a star myself? In some respects, I think I had. I had achieved more than I ever thought possible, and made friends I never thought I would have. But for most of the band members, Mr. Greenhaw was the true star. Was it because of his profiency at so many different instruments? No. Was it because of his great conducting? No. It was because of his liniency, understanding, leadership, and most importantly, his great and unconditional love for his students.
I never would have guessed that a man so full of energy and life as Mr. Greenhaw would die so young and suddenly. And I certainly never could have prepared for his death. He died with the courage of ten men. He was so humble in life and had no wish for people to be depressed and dwell on his death. And I think that that is exactly why his life is a legacy and will be remembered for decades, perhaps generations. I will die a very happy man if I am able to become a tenth of the man Mr. Greenhaw was.
Mr. Greenhaw, you went home because you couldn't stay here. I hope you are keeping dad company. You two are my heroes, and I will always love you. As the projector screen said at the memorial service, "see you on the other side."
I sit here at my computer now humbled more than ever before. I have been deeply saddened this past week, yet I have been humbled by the great words of the things that I have heard or read from my friends concerning Mr. Greenhaw's life. I realize now more than ever how valuable my friends and family are to me. I post now to merely add another perspective on the life of Mr. Greenhaw: my own.
When I think of a hero, only a select few individuals come to mind. Mr. Greenhaw is one of them. Per my own criteria, a hero is an individual whose devotion to God and Christlike behavior is self-evident. As a result, this hero has greatly impacted my life as a result. Again, Mr. Greenhaw was one of those people. He exemplified his love for Christ by showing his love for his students, namely band members, on a day-to-day basis.
Although he didn't have to tell his students he loved them, as was evident in what he did, he did tell us just that. One of my fondest memories of him was that on many days, at the end of the school day when I would come by the bandroom to get my instrument and chat to my friends, he would eventually say something to the effect of "Love ya...you don't have to go home, but you can't stay here." It even got to the point where on one day that he walked out of his office with that look in his face that I knew so well. We looked at each other, and he let me tell everyone in the bandroom what he was about to say. I felt so important on that day.
What truly makes Mr. Greenhaw a hero for me is what I have become as a result of my years in band, particularly in marching band. Before my involvement in band, I was a nobody. I was quiet, made good grades, and did not have many friends. I was well-liked, but I was not important among my peers. Then one day, this all began to change.
It all began with my sister and Sonya Nave. Mandy sang in chorus in her 6th and 7th grade years because her best friend did. Then in 8th grade, she met Sonya, who was already in the band. She became interested, and she joined up. She spent only a semester playing, and then moved up to the concert band. Her years reading music and playing the piano served her well. She then got involved in the marching band, and started taking flute lessons somewhere in the mix. I remember going to one of the marching competitions with my mother and learning of such stars as Canda Fuqua, Wes Hopper, Scott Harper, Zach the man Greenhaw, and of course, my own sister. I was immediately in love with the music I heard and the whole phenomenon of marching band.
By this time, I was nearing my 6th grade year, where I would transition to the junior high and get to pick an elective. I knew that it would be beginning band. I got my instrument of choice, the trumpet. Since my sister was taking lessons, my mom suggested that I do the same. I remember going into the 7th grade that I was going to shoot for 3rd or 4th chair. I knew that I could and should do well since I had the advantage of private lessons. I was utterly shocked when I instead got 1st chair. "How could this be?" I wondered. It was at this point that I had ever received any sort of prestige or real attention. This was the year that I first met Matt Davis and Kevin Drinkard, two of my best friends. However, this year would prove to be only the tip of the iceberg.
As I progressed into the 8th grade and marched for the first time, I truly felt like I was on top of the world. Not only was I marching under Mr. Greenhaw, I was doing so with many of the same "stars" I had seen on that day at the competition with my mother. At this point, they were mostly seniors, including my sister. This year would pave the way for some of my finest accomplishments of my life, which I will not name in this post.
I went on into my high school years, which were long and difficult, speaking strictly on an academic level. I lived for Friday and the marching competitions, so I could play my trumpet and be with my friends, nearly all of which who were also in band. In fact, I cannot recall a single person who I consistently talked with who was not in the band. I owe much of what I have today to Mr. Greenhaw, Mandy, and Sonya. And of course, I cannot leave out my mother and daddy.
Little by little, I became more and more like the "stars" whom I had admired all of those years. Had I become a star myself? In some respects, I think I had. I had achieved more than I ever thought possible, and made friends I never thought I would have. But for most of the band members, Mr. Greenhaw was the true star. Was it because of his profiency at so many different instruments? No. Was it because of his great conducting? No. It was because of his liniency, understanding, leadership, and most importantly, his great and unconditional love for his students.
I never would have guessed that a man so full of energy and life as Mr. Greenhaw would die so young and suddenly. And I certainly never could have prepared for his death. He died with the courage of ten men. He was so humble in life and had no wish for people to be depressed and dwell on his death. And I think that that is exactly why his life is a legacy and will be remembered for decades, perhaps generations. I will die a very happy man if I am able to become a tenth of the man Mr. Greenhaw was.
Mr. Greenhaw, you went home because you couldn't stay here. I hope you are keeping dad company. You two are my heroes, and I will always love you. As the projector screen said at the memorial service, "see you on the other side."
