My teacher, my colleague, my best friend
Steve Comiskey has rocked the worlds of every student he has ever touched and continues to do so. He was my freshman English teacher in high school, and from the time he defined melancholy as a dog who likes fruit, he has been my friend and my inspiration.
He encouraged me to do my best in all things: high school, college, teaching, and life. He welcomed me into his family as a nanny and trusted me with two of his most treasured gifts, his son Daniel and his daughter Katy.
When I moved away from Indiana, we kept in touch haphazardly, but six and a half years ago, we reunited. I was no longer teaching because I developed Lupus, a serious autoimmune disease that zapped my strength and took me out of the classroom. His beautiful children had grown into brilliant adults. Daniel followed his mother into journalism and Kate became a wonderful teacher just like her dad.
About 5 months after we met again, a tragic, senseless accident took his daughter Kate. She was killed by a five-time felon who was driving under the influence (again). Kate's death was devastating to all who knew her and her family. No one should have to bear the loss of a child, especially the loss of a young, vibrant, brilliant young woman, who was full of hope, love, and the gifts of an amazing teacher, but Steve and his wife have endured it.
Steve, in particular, has devoted himself as a college professor and teaches each class for Kate. Each day he wears one of her rings around his neck as a reminder to all who see it that Kate lives on in her family, friends, and her students.
What makes Steve most remarkable to me is that after he suffered the loss of Kate and was enduring a pain that will never leave him, he turned his focus back on me and my teaching career. He talked, encouraged, cajoled, and finally insisted that I apply to teach at the collegiate level. I had little self-esteem at the time due to my health problems, but through his encouragement and insistence, I applied to two branches of Indiana University. I thought that I would be denied and that would be the end of his persistence.
I was offered a job at both universities and have been working for five years. Steve has been a wonderful mentor and is still the person I go to when I need advice in the classroom and out. I feel like Steve saved my life and brought me back into the world of the living. I can never thank him enough for what he had done for me, but I can teach each class for him and for Kate. Steve is the most remarkable teacher, mentor, colleague and friend that I know. I thank God for him every day. Thank you, Steve.
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