Laurie Roland Comments on Retirees

Mentoring through wisdom and strength would be a common theme for those retiring this season. I have known Bill, Patty and Bobbie for twenty-two years and more.

I was just out of college and thought I had a pretty good handle on life, as most twenty some-things fresh out of college usually do. Bill, along with Steve Spraker, Randy Parker and Don Steele, took me under their wings and took what I thought I knew and helped it to grow and improve. I spent many an afternoon, after finishing with the hurdlers, listening to Bill coach Pole Vault as well as his ideas on the other events. He taught not only the techniques of track, but also the life lessons. It is through the guidance of these coaches and others that have already moved on, that I grasped more clearly the correlation between athletics and the trials in life. We all know how intelligent Bill is, but he is also gifted with wisdom. I feel wisdom is a gift and that just because you are intelligent does not mean you are wise. Wisdom, in my opinion, grows with education and life lessons, but even with that, not all become wise.

Patty also has a great deal of wisdom, you can see it in her life choices as well as her ( and Jenk's) children. I have sought Patty out many times over the years, especially as department chair. I have sat in her classes more than once to observe and then to discuss what she was doing. It is astounding to me how she could teach two or more levels of students in one class and not lose the attention of the other groups. I lose 10% of my students just giving directions and another 10% if there is a second direction. Patty has a great deal of personal strength too, if I am having a personal pity party, I think of her or magically run into to her at the mail boxes, I am lifted up out of my funk to face a better day. Thankfully, we still have Mark here to represent this special family that has offered so much to Saugus, no pressure there Mark!

Bobbie and I were hired here the same year, we have been friends since that first day. Bobbie never runs out of things to talk about, which is my polar opposite. The thing is, that she is always interesting to me and doesn't repeat the same things over and over again. She can talk and still stay observant to what is going on around her. As Bobbie was building the volleyball program ( I mean dynasty), we would sit down after practices or over lunch, with Teri Lord too, and discuss both programs and the female athletes involved. Bobbie and Patty have this one thing in common and that is a zest and curiosity for exploring life and culture.

I have not known Leslie as long or as well, but she still has had an impact on my life, sharing again with Bobbie and Patty, the wonders of life and all its many hidden secrets, but also her personal strength. Some things life throws at you to challenge your paths are harder to over come than others, lucky, wise and strong is the one who can over come not only the bumps in life but also the mountains that get pushed up before you.Leslie is a fighter and she has done it with an amazing amount of energy. There have been days I am tired just listening to her or watching her as she bustles about the campus. Even when she was out, she kept in contact with her kids from drama which gave them encouragement, but sometimes that is exactly what you need to get yourself through a tough day.

Unfortunately, I have not spent much time with Sheri, Karen or Lynn. My loss! I do know, that I have a great deal of respect for the jobs that they do! I appreciate the paper work, the learning of new computer programs, the organization it takes to do their job, and the detective work that Sheri and Karen do. If there are people that fit certain jobs, these two do it well and I would not want to do their job. Lynn having to greet the happy and angry people that enter these doors ready to storm the walls of this castle of education and wanting to take no prisoners, trying to calm them before sending them to the correct person, is a tough job.

Thank you, I appreciate you very much.

as always,

Laurie