Joann Alperstein Abdoo
Does anyone else feel like they are sitting in The Commons right now? Do they even call it that anymore? We all know that "nothing gold can stay" but reading the posts here shows that one man can touch so many lives. All of us are now sharing our stories with our children, and each on of us has probably paid it forward to at least one person who has crossed our paths since the 80s. Whenever I have faced something difficult in my life, I remember trying out for a lead in Pinafore. Which is funny, because I never could sing. But Mr. Trautwein made me feel worthy enough to try. I felt like he actually considered me and even though he didnt cast me (shocking) I was better for having tried. He gave me that courage. In college, people would ask about my HS experience and I found myself saying over and over again "oh we didnt have a football team, we had a choir." He was our coach, he was our champion. He rooted us on, he supported us. He made us reach for our highest potential. Many many times I have quoted him. I know I am not alone in saying that he defined my youth. You are in our hearts. I can see you now, with your fingers jammed on the corners of your mouth, encouraging, no demanding, us to smile. Smile friends, we were loved by a wonderful man.
Does anyone else feel like they are sitting in The Commons right now? Do they even call it that anymore? We all know that "nothing gold can stay" but reading the posts here shows that one man can touch so many lives. All of us are now sharing our stories with our children, and each on of us has probably paid it forward to at least one person who has crossed our paths since the 80s. Whenever I have faced something difficult in my life, I remember trying out for a lead in Pinafore. Which is funny, because I never could sing. But Mr. Trautwein made me feel worthy enough to try. I felt like he actually considered me and even though he didnt cast me (shocking) I was better for having tried. He gave me that courage. In college, people would ask about my HS experience and I found myself saying over and over again "oh we didnt have a football team, we had a choir." He was our coach, he was our champion. He rooted us on, he supported us. He made us reach for our highest potential. Many many times I have quoted him. I know I am not alone in saying that he defined my youth. You are in our hearts. I can see you now, with your fingers jammed on the corners of your mouth, encouraging, no demanding, us to smile. Smile friends, we were loved by a wonderful man.
