R.I.P. Mr. Braddish

January 13, 2024, at home

I am saddened by the passing of my high school gym teacher from the late 1970s. R.I.P.

Mr. Braddish taught me a good lesson when I was around 16 years old. One day, he was taking the roll call at the start of class with everyone seated on the gym floor. He called my name. I said "Here" in a low-volume voice because I was rather shy in those days. He looked around and either didn't hear me or pretended not to hear me, so he called my name again. I said "Here" in a slightly louder voice. He still looked around for me, and then said, "OK, he's not here." I stood up and said "I'm here." He said to me, "I didn't hear you, so you are not here." You know, he marked me absent from gym class.

He taught me that in life, you can't be shy, and you must speak up for yourself. However, that day, I eventually spoke up for myself, and it did me no good. Anyway: point taken. Every gym class after that, I said "Here" in a rather high-volume voice.

I am quite happy that several years ago (on Facebook), I was able to thank him for that valuable lesson.