NaBloPoMo ~ Feb 3rd, 2011

I have been blessed enough to be surrounded by many characters in my life.

Over the next few weeks, I'll introduce you to some of them.

In no particular order...

Once upon a time, I was a poor Pre-Vet student taking agronomy from Dr. Gilman.  He had a reputation as a tough professor but over the course of the next 2 years I fell in awe of/with this man.  He was funny, smart, witty, ornery, kind, brutal, hard, soft and so very fair.  That man made you work hard for your grade but you certainly walked away from every class feeling as though you got your money's worth...every..single...time.

I eventually took every class he taught, genetics and advanced genetics being my absolute favorite undergraduate classes.  He was always imparting his wisdom on us underlings and there are a few quotes from him that stick with me to this day.

In telling me about his adopted child one day he told me, "Being a parent has so very little to do with genetics".  My twenty-something self didn't really get what he meant, I just smiled.  Years later..I finally realized what he meant...and it makes me cherish the knowledge he imparted on me.

He also said, half jokingly, at the beginning of one of his classes, "You gals will have to work twice as hard to keep up with these guys".  WHAT???  I was a little flabbergasted at first but one of his teaching methods was instilling a sense of competition in us.  We girls were ALWAYS trying (and usually succeeding) in kicking our male counterparts butts!! 

He passed away a few years after I graduated.  It saddened me to know that this world is a little less bright because he is not here but I have no doubt, that man is having fun upstairs!!