In Memory of Dorothy Blair (part 1)
I am in the process of writing a series of articles about the songs on my fourth Jamendo album, Points of Departure. This is about the fifth track, In Memory of Dorothy Blair.
Dorothy Blair was my first grade teacher.
My father was in the Marine Corps; our family moved around a lot. In 1974, we were living in Albany, GA. The place I grew up, my “home town”, was the Marine Corps base. Even today, I think of regimented streets, numbered buildings, control towers, and radar dishes as home.
The base kids went to school at Mock Road Elementary. There were two first grade teachers that I recall . . . I was lucky, and I got Ms. Blair.
Now, I wasn’t an easy student to have. By the time I was in 2nd grade, I was already reading novels meant for adults. Dorothy Blair is the one who encouraged me. Some teachers “stick to the program” with every student, regardless. She didn’t. By the end of my first grade year, I’d already worked my way through all the language books and was up to the sixth grade books — the last set I could get on campus, actually. She let me go to the library and get new books any time I wanted.
She set me free. From that moment on, I knew if I wanted to learn something, I could get the right materials together and figure it out for myself.
So in that way, I owe her for my music career — I’m almost entirely self taught.
When you grow up a Marine dependent, you move a lot. Even after we moved away (in 2nd grade), Ms. Blair kept in contact with us. We used to receive Christmas cards from her each year. One time, in 1985, when I participated in a summer program called Governor’s Honors, we went by Albany and visited her.
But the years passed . . . and then, the Christmas cards came no more.
Today, I try to carry on in her memory. She’s just one of the many teachers who inspired me, but she holds a special place: she was the first.
So, this song is dedicated to her.
Hello Bruce,
I just googled Mrs. Blair and found your story. We share the same story. I too, am the daugther of a U.S. Marine and attended Mock Road Elementary school in 1970. I ended up with the “other teacher” at first and suffered both emotional physical abuse the hands of that “other teacher” who discriminated against the children of U.S. Marines. She had a particular disdain for Officer’s children. (My father ironically had worked his way up through the ranks the hard way). Regardless, I was failing in school and both my physical and mental health were suffering at the age of 5. Once the problem was identified, my parents insisted I be transferred to the other class. That is where I met Mrs. Dorothy Blair. She saved me. From a failing student, I went on to finish first grade reading at sixth grade levels. Mrs. Blairs’ ability to open one’s mind to reading and learning in general, was nothing short of amazing. She healed my badly scarred heart and mind with her enormous capacity to give love and compassion. I went on to excel throughout my academic career ( which included a number of scholastic awards) and was the first member of my family to achieve a college degree. Throughtout the years the cards would come and yes, they finally stopped. I never did see Mrs. Blair again, but she remains in my thoughts and I give thanks that she was part of my life. She saved me and put me on a track that has shown me how to succeed in life. It seems that I was not the only one. I can only imagine how far reaching her magic must be. How many of us are there out there that call Mrs. Blair our hero?!
Regards,
Leeann Bare