Daddy, a Star, and the Ceiling!
You might think a performer’s most treasured Christmas memories would revolve around aspects of the season related to his art. As a magician, writing about “the magic of Christmas” would not only be consistent with my brand, but also probably good fodder for a moderately shareable video. As a musician, I could spend pages writing about favorite songs and carols that cozily curl up in my ear, mind, and heart each December, or maybe I could even churn out a few chords and rhymes about reindeer and ribbons or angels and kings. Instead, my most iconic Christmas memory is an experience that happened when I was about five years old, and which might have lasted all of fifteen seconds. In the early 1970’s my family lived in a small house on a corner lot in a modest neighborhood in Jackson, Mississippi. Christmas there was rarely as snowy or picturesque as the images on Christmas cards, but my folks still committed to the traditions: food, music, and of course decorations both inside and out. Primary among the decorations was, as you’d expect, the tree. Though it is anathema to many, we were an artificial tree family. Mom and Dad liked the economics of re-using the tree year after year. I remember that old plastic pine, with wire branches that were taken from the box to be unbent and reshaped before being inserted into the pre-drilled pseudo-trunk. It was placed in the corner of the family room, to the side of the television where it would be laden with lights and ornaments and other decorations. Among those other decorations was the gaudiest tree-topping star you have ever seen. It was a hard plastic frame embedded with silver tinsel and multi-colored lights. A spring-shaped attachment at the base allowed it to slide onto the top of whatever object was destined to be its pedestal. This star was no mere ornament. It was a technological testament to the electric, blinking, polychromatic glory of post-moonshot America. I loved that star. It transfixed me. Daddy took the star out of the cardboard box and handed it to me. I held it like it was a treasure from heaven. Then he knelt down, picked me up in his arms, sat me on his shoulder and told me to put it on top of the tree. I remember the world was a blur as he stood and hoisted me into the air. I remember straining to reach over to the tree. I struggled to get the metal spring over the top, making sure it was straight and wouldn’t fall off. I couldn’t believe I was up there, so high up, looking over the sofa and the room from such an altitude, even higher than Daddy’s head. The ceiling was there and I could practically touch it. The ceiling! A moment later, Daddy set me down again and we moved on with the decorating. My head swam as I adjusted to life on the ground. It was quite a rush for a five year old. Every year after that, I wanted Daddy to hold me up and let me put the star on top again. Sometimes my brother did it, but it was usually my thing. I wanted to do it because I wanted to recapture the emotion of those few seconds that I still recall. It was always great, but never quite the same. A fleeting moment when Daddy knelt down to lift me up higher than I’d ever been, punctuated with a star. That’s what I think about at Christmas. Joe M. Turner
In Honor of Teacher Appreciation Week
It’s Teacher Appreciation Week. In honor of teachers, I’d like to tell you about a few who had an impact on my life. First, my mother, father, and my grandmother. Naturally your parents are your first teachers, but my grandmother Mildred was also an enormous influence on me. Mammaw was a high school English teacher, and she was a stickler for clear enunciation, good projection, and perfect grammar. My family got me off on the right foot. In fact they did such a good job that I started first grade directly without attending kindergarten. In addition to my family, I’d like to mention these fine folks from Jackson (MS) Public Schools and the Rankin County School District: Green Elementary 1st grade: Mrs. Bass, Mrs. Thompson, Mrs. Kitchens 2nd grade: Mrs. Farrier 3rd grade: Mrs. Belt, Mrs. Pete (Gifted) Powell Elementary 4th grade: Mrs. Caldwell, Mrs. Brakefield, Mrs. Thompson (Gifted) Brandon Middle School 5th grade: Mrs. Bogart, Mrs. McKinney, Mrs. Hales, Mrs. Crawford (Gifted) 6th grade: Mrs. King, Mrs. B. White, Mrs. C. Williams, Mrs. Crawford (Gifted) Brandon Middle School – Junior High 7th grade: 1 Gifted: Mrs. Gill 2 Social Studies: Mr. Turner 3 Band: Mrs. Hagan 4 Science: Mrs. Ferriss 5 English: Mrs. Touchstone 6 Math: Mrs. Morgan 8th grade: 1 Math: Mrs. Fortenberry (now Thornton) 2 English: Mrs. Galloway 3 Band: Mrs. Hagan 4 Social Studies: Mr. Earl 5 Science: Mrs. Goodman 6 Gifted: Mrs. Gill Brandon High School 9th Grade 1 Band: Mr. Hagan 2 Latin I: Mrs. Boyd 3 Algebra I: Mrs. Perry 4 MS History/Civics: Coach Sheppard 5 English: Mrs. Boyd 6 Biology: Coach Lowther Summer: Driver’s Ed: Coach Thornton 10th Grade 1 Band: Mr. Hall/Ms. Crosby 2 Algebra II: Mrs. Nickles 3 Latin II: Mrs. Boyd 4 World History: Mrs. Hollis 5 English: Ms. Perritt 6 Chemistry: Mr. Jones 11th Grade 1 Band: Ms. Crosby 2 English: Mrs. Ratcliff 3 American History: Coach Cameron 4 Keyboarding: Mrs. Stanton / Computer Lit: Mrs. Tucker 5 Advanced Chemistry: Mr. Worley 6 Geometry: Mrs. Patrick 12th Grade 1 Band: Ms. Crosby 2 AP English: Mrs. McGuire 3 Advanced Math: Mrs. Britt 4 Physics: Mrs. Patrick 5 US Government: Mrs. Cutrer 6 Early Dismissal Yes, it’s true. I remember every teacher and every class schedule I had from first grade through my senior year of high school. And for Nancy Patrick, Bobby Worley, June Hollis, Joyce McGuire, Toni Boyd, Gerry Britt and Tracy Crosby, please know this: I certainly wouldn’t have made it this far without your lasting influence and example. I hope you take this post as an indication of my immense gratitude to you all! (Are you interested in improving your own memory? Check out my Memory Mojo course!) Joe M. Turner
Nothing Is Routine: A Leadership Insight from Dr. Donald Zacharias
“Nothing is routine when dealing with the lives of other people.” Dr. Donald W. Zacharias (1935-2013) President Emeritus, Mississippi State University Dr. Donald Zacharias was the president of my alma mater, Mississippi State University, during my student years. He was a model of effective leadership, masterful communication, and committed relationship-building. He died early on March 3, 2013, after a long struggle with multiple sclerosis. Because of a generous first-of-its-kind donation to the university, a new full-ride academic and leadership scholarship program was created at Mississippi State just as I became eligible to apply for it. As incoming freshmen and the first recipients of this scholarship, three other students and I met monthly with Dr. Zacharias during our college careers. We discussed issues such as trends in higher education, leadership skills and techniques, American cultural developments, student life on campus, and even politics and philosophy. We met distinguished guests and alumni of the university and got to interact with and learn from them – people like John Grisham, Dave Swalm, Congressman Sonny Montgomery, and many others. Those were great years for students, but they were turbulent years for university leaders. Court cases affecting all the state universities were constantly in the news. Dr. Zacharias led my school with bold vision and impeccable character. He was a great leader, mentor, and friend. One of his exceptional and amazing qualities was his ability to make every person he spoke to feel like the most important person in the room. Why? The quote at the top of this page illustrates at least part of his motivation. Other people’s lives were influenced not just by legislation, administrative policies, or capital fundraising. You deal with people’s lives every time you interact with them. To him, every interaction was a unique opportunity to teach, to learn, to lead, and to grow. Dr. Zacharias exuded respect for others, and as a result, he commanded it from others as well. Do the people with whom you live, work, and play know how much you respect and value them? Why not?
