Wednesday, March 10, 2010

FREDERICK SOMMER

Fred Sommer is living in Los Angeles, California and is working for a hotel in downtown LA.

Where has Fred been and what has he been doing ? "generally I make my resumes very selective, and this questionnaire yields a kind of resume, so I will say that I have been in teaching and in health care since the 1970s"

and his favorite memory? "favorite memory - a very intriguing question - I have many many very good memories from EHS, but I also am a little embarrassed that I was a bit fake there, and sometimes the fakeness was amusing but sometimes it was unattractive or even mean, indeed cruel....Probably everyone, or almost everyone, thinking about the way they were 40+ years ago, could make a similar statement

I would say that my favorite memory was my teachers - especially Sister Marie Michelle (history) and Sister Margaret Mary (English) - there were several other very good teachers, but those two had the greatest positive influence on me - I probably should have paid closer attention to learn deeper lessons from them - Sister Ellenice in math was certainly a personality - she used to say, as she would approach the blackboard to erase it, "I'm sorry there is no gentlemen here!" and immediately several gallants from the front rows would run up to the board to compete for the privilege of erasing the board - I was not one of them

I also remember Sister Teresa Donovan with gratitude

One time I was driving east on Monroe St. about 7:30 a.m. senior year, and I was in the right lane as I passed the drive-in for the EHS parking lot, the big lot near the track - The traffic was slow - rush hour - and I noticed that Fr. Joynt was trying to exit the parking lot. What d'ya know! The car I was driving was blocking his exit! I noticed it and decided to slow down even more, prolonging his turn into Monroe St - and as I did it I watched his face, which was maybe 15 feet away through the windshield - I did it just long enough to see his features take on a peeved air, not long enough to be really bad in any big way. Then I accelerated and pretended that nothing had happened... I had to repress the urge to tell everyone it about later that day"

Thank you Fred, hope we see you in July.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Fred, you may or may not remember me - from Blessed Sacrament-I always thought highly of you - admired your wit and your dry sense of humor-my nephew lives in LA (aspiring actor). Never saw you as "fakey". Have fun at your 41 reunion - we have our 40th in July at the Vilas Shelter.

Angelo Messina