The December list will be the top 30 most memorable teachers/staff (see rules below), and tonight, we're remembering drivers' ed instructor (or is that driver's ed instructor, seeing as how he mostly worked with one person at a time?) JOHN McDANIELS (seen here as [reluctantly?] pictured in the yearbook, bonus link to bad student driver stories below).
Here's the thing -- Mr. McDaniels did more than teach driving at the high school ... he also led by example in proving that a disability was not something to slow a person down. He may have been an amputee, but he moved faster than most students in the halls, and he was probably in better physical health than almost anyone else at the school. Sadly, for reasons I'll explain in a moment, I don't know if I ever knew the cause of his injury -- was he a veteran? Or was it a driving accident that led him to his calling? Somebody back home from back then will know ... but,in a way, it kind of doesn't matter because it didn't seem to be an obstacle to him.
And, on a personal note, part of the reason I don't know all the details about McDaniels is because I only learned about driving the book-way during my high school years, which severely limited my interactions with him. All through those year, I was a walker and not a driver ... and then I was a ten-speeder well into college, so there was no live learning of driving skills until much much later (in the Votech parking lot, by Mrs. Woodward, in case you were wondering).
Here's to you, Mr. McDaniels!
RULES FOR THIS TOP 30 LIST: Honorees must be one of the ninety individuals listed in the faculty pages of the '89 yearbook (which means two thirds of the list are already not going to be referenced). Honorees may also be selected from the photos of support staff as well (so long as they are on the surrounding pages of the same section). Honorees must be memorable (if there are no stories, then there will be no post about that person). Honorees are chosen and ranked by me (if you disagree, start your own list on your own blog). All memories are believed to be accurate (but are being told through the lens of thirty or more years, so ... you know.)
BONUS LINK TO BAD STUDENT DRIVER STORIES:
https://www.ranker.com/list/driving-instructors-share-their-stories/nathan-gibson
NEWS FROM OUR CLASS ON THE FACEBOOK (IF YOU ARE A MEMBER):
https://www.facebook.com/groups/189980661939188/
