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Tribute to a Great Man

AUBREY B. WINDHAM
1940-1995

This man left us way too soon. He was my sophomore year English teacher at Northeast High School. My sister was also a student of his for nearly three years, as part of their mass media program. He taught at Northeast for nearly 25 years, making his mark in everything he did.

I remember the first day I went into his class. He read the roll, and when he came to my name, he goes "Lynel's sister!". I thought he was going to have it in for me the rest of the semester, but it was just the opposite. He treated me like everyone else, throwing a punchline in every once in a while to try and make me laugh. But at the same time, he was a remarkable teacher. My best memory was watching the movie "Dead Poets Society". His comments throughout those classes were just the beginning. The man was so involved in what he was teaching. The energy waves were bouncing off of him into me, and the feeling was incredible. He made me enjoy the class so much that I couldn't wait until the next class to see what else he had in store.

To this day, I have yet to forget what he taught me. He wasn't just a teacher. He became my mentor, and a dear friend. I remember staying after class and just talking to him about things that were going on in my life. Since he knew my sister so well, he always helped me whenever there was something going on with her that I had a hard time coping with. He always listened, even if there was nothing he could say. Things in my own life were kind of rough as well, but he always managed to help me see the light at the end of the tunnel. Nothing was ever sugar-coated, but at the same time, he helped me keep my head up.

I was also touched by him and reminded of my dream in my senior year of high school, when I was awarded with the A.B. Windham Memorial Scholarship. With that scholarship I received a plaque for being an English Superlative (excellence in English). It was that day that I knew that this man's memory would live in me forever.

Moral: I always found some way of saying thank you to Mr. Windham, but I never really got to show my gratitude before he died. He became proof, both in life and in death, that teachers can make a difference. If there is someone that has made the type of impact that Mr. Windham made on me, let them know. Let these people be recognized for the good they do.