Spirit in the Sky

Every person that we encounter has the ability to touch our heart and spirit. Whether it be through a smile, a kind word or a lengthy story, our greatest teachers are those who surround us. I am an eager student ready to learn whatever life presents me.

That was my perception of Dr. Bill.

Dr.Bill was what most of us called him. When I first met him, I addressed him as Dr. Nelson. He immediately corrected me. "Bill," he said humbly. That was my first encounter with his humility, definitely not my last.

He loved his students. He loved teachers. He loved flying. He loved skiing. He loved life.

When I first began at ROP, I had the privilege of having my desk in what was known as "Dr. Bill's trailer". And that is exactly what it was: A trailer situated apart from the main building, in a dirt lot with a huge tree providing shade for our tin can. I was happy to have my desk in the trailer. Our "trailer trash" crew consisted of Emelia, Camina, Sue, Tim, me and of course Dr. Bill! On warm spring afternoons, we would open the doors and windows, letting the breeze sweep through. We would celebrate Yabba Dabba Doo Fridays as Tim's radio tuned to KRTH counted it down for us. Our work environment was stellar. We all loved Dr. Bill and his trailer.

I was not yet a teacher then, but I saw many walk through the door to talk to Bill, and what I saw was respect in their eyes and kind words spoken from their mouths. When he spoke to his teachers about the programs and especially, the students, his whole body lit up with the passion he felt. It was contagious.

We eventually moved to a nice, proper office, and while we were grateful for the new digs, the six of us mourned our beloved trailer. We would be exchanging sunlight for fluorescent light. Summer breezes for air conditioning. Treks across the parking lot to use the bathroom in the rain for indoor plumbing. And of course our friends separating to their like departments. We would miss our trailer and our camaraderie.

In the new halls of our office, I would often run into Dr. Bill, and as always, he had a smile or a joke to offer. Our exchanges would often go like this:

"Stay out of trouble," he would smile and wink.
"But trouble finds me Dr. Bill," and I would gesture at him.

He knew I was a huge Beatles fan, so he would often see me at a distance and say "Wait, I think there goes Paul McCartney!" To which I would pretend to hurry in that direction or I would say, "Watch my stuff. I'll be right back."

I am going to miss those exchanges, his good humor and his infectious grin.

I am not unique. Everyone he touched in his life has stories like these. Aren't we all so lucky?

Though he has left our physical world, his spirit will continue to live in all of us. He is skiing on the slopes of heaven and flying his airplane through the rainbows of our dreams. I am grateful that his spirit will always be there to fly with mine.

I know that Paul McCartney will always be roaming around the halls of ROP, so in the meantime, Dr. Bill: Will you say hi to John and George for me?

In Spirit, In Joy,
Darlene