Tuesday, December 13, 2016

Open Thank You Notes to My Esteemed College Professors & Mentors

From CSI

Tony "Uncle Tony" Mannen
Thank you for being a great director and believing in my abilities. I still remember you pulling me aside during a 'Murder Room' rehearsal and going over how I was on my way to having a bright acting future beyond CSI. I doubted you, but that was kinda the norm for me at that age.Thank you for believing in my talents.
And I remember pointing at the booth during the final show as I mentioned a "pale white moon" and you were secretly up there mooning the audience. You were truly an inspiration. Elvis is king!

Jud + Tamara Harmon
I owe a lot to you guys. I always loved working with you, on and off stage. Thank you for keeping in touch over the years.
Jud, thank you for trying to hook me up with that Sun Valley job a few months ago! A guy could always use some more job options! I still remember striking set for 'Othello' with you and you were just cracking up watching me use power tools incorrectly. You told me I'd get the hang of it with every show. Thanks for always sharing that type of optimism. Side note: I will always hold a high regard for your service to our country. It's one of the many reasons we call you "Studly Judley!"
Tamara, I can't help but bring this up now. About 2 years ago, I remember you mentioned on facebook something about conversing dream acting roles with me and a group of old CSI folks. It's a long story, but I didn't know how to react at the time. If you still want to have that chat about dream roles, I'd love to talk about it now! I'll be back in Jerome soon. Hope to see you guys while I'm there!

Jim Irons, CSI English 1010
Thank you for letting me fill out some paperwork and turn in some writing that would get me in to the Northwest Undergraduate Conference on Literature. I still have no idea what that kind of accolade means, but it sounds super prestigious!

Assorted USU Professors & Mentors

Matthew Winters
I haven't talked to you in a couple years! I know you left USU, but I still don't know where you ran off to! I still use your name as a reference on job applications sometimes! Thank you for being a patient and sincere English teacher. It's rare that a guy like me has a professor who doubles as a music buddy. I'll never forget the day you played Godspeed You! Black Emperor in class or the fact that you introduced me to Refused. Also, thank you for hooking me up with your radio promotion manager friend; that might be my future.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to write about music and pointing out both my strengths and weaknesses. I would have never known a lot of aspects of my writing style without your help.

Alex Baldwin
Thank you for caring about your students and being a sincere critic about their work. That poetry class was a tight-knit group. I still have a lot to learn in this field!

Guy who taught US history 
You were a crazy teacher. If anything, I remember standing in line behind you for 2 hours at the Utah Democratic caucus polls so we could vote for Bernie Sanders. Good times.

Kendall
Kendall, thank you for caring so much about the students in the FAC. We all have weird majors and we need keys into rooms at 1:00 am sometimes. Thank you for helping me out in situations like this and also for your genuine sense of humor.

Cindy
Cindy, you were easily one of the easiest bosses I've ever worked with. You understood my schedule issues and I was always welcome to work. I understand I still am. I think I'll pass, but it was always great to have your optimistic attitude try to keep me awake and laughing at 4:00 am.

Wade
Wade, I cannot thank you enough for the work you've offered me. I cannot work my usual job while working on certain theatre projects. That pocketful of cash I'd get from blowing leaves and shoveling snow comes a long way, where I come from. When I first started helping you, I had no money at all. Thank you so much for those little opportunities. You helped me get through the hard times. Thanks again.

USU JCOM Dept

Cathy "Aunt Cathy" Bullock
It's amazing that you still talk with me sometimes. I only had one class with you and that was 3 years ago! But you've encouraged me ever since, even in the smallest ways. Thank you for helping me with my collegiate and career choices.

Matthew LaPlante
Thank you for teaching me the single most important lesson I learned in all my college years:
Good News Writing.

Candi Carter Olson
I sometimes feel like I have a following of people who want to watch me succeed, and you're part of it. Thank you for being a dedicated teacher and for the work you do with your students outside of class.

My Statesman Editors (you know who you are)
Thank you for believing in my work. I never considered myself a talented news writer, but it was always you guys convinced me to keep it up. It was an honor to make the front page that one time. It was an honor to be told I had the most-read article of the week on multiple occasions. Honestly, I spent most of my music reviews just trying to be funny. I still remember turning in my Taylor Swift article thinking I'd be condemned for poor presentation, but instead saw it shared by multiple people (even some I've never met) and personally heard an avalanche of reader feedback. Thanks again for believing in my talents. I may continue writing in the future.

USU Theatre Dept 

Bruce Duerden
Thank you for being the most laid-back dept head in the world, yet at the same time, always motivating me. I still remember that great chat we had after sound design class last semester. A lot of what you said stuck with me. You know I've had my doubts about the major I chose, and you were always willing to help through what's most important. I feel like we will randomly cross paths in the future.

Richie Call
Thank you for being a great director to work with. You answered all my questions and gave me some freedom as a stage manager as well. But before you were my director, you were my Beginning Acting teacher, and students don't forget classes like that. Thank you for listening to me, working with me, and meeting me halfway with my mistakes. The show turned out GREAT.

LuAnn Baker + Isaiah Jones
You guys were there for both shows I stage managed at USU. Thank you for helping me, answering my questions, letting me borrow your stuff, and dealing with all my crap! I usually only have to step into that office when I'm in a stressful situation, and I'm always prepared to walk away even more stressed out, but you guys always pull through! Thank you for being examples of responsibility and self-management. Our theatre department would not function without you. You guys are amazing!

To the USU Theatre Staff
I was in the middle of writing individual thank you notes to all of you, but I was getting tired.
I've worked on shows and taken classes with all of you. I have some random personal experiences I've shared with some of you. Some of those moments were pretty darn fun! Some of them I should apologize for... In any instance, I thank you all for treating me professionally, and more importantly, like a human being. I've learned a lot from this program and I'm glad I got to work with honest, real people in the process.
Also: Shout-out to the Master's students! I can never tell whether you were students or professors sometimes, which means you're doing your job!

USU Business Professors

John Ferguson
I never knew you well, and I failed 3 of the 4 tests I had to take for your class, but your teaching methods are rather unforgettable. Thanks for reminding me how to work hard.

David Parker
Thank you for your offer to our class to ask for your help when we come across any future career options. I will probably take advantage of that. And thank you for your compliments on my chapter 10 re-write! I don't always have confidence in my writing, but if you do get that published, I may add that to my resume forever haha!

David Hermann
Thank you for the advice at the end of the semester. I'll remember to never ask for a rubric and to look for career opportunities within the realm of things I love.



No comments:

Post a Comment