Andy Stapp
Rest in peace, Mr. Stapp.
He was my favorite teacher in high school, or in any school. My impression of Andy Stapp was mostly disconnected from his status as a political figure, who had been the founder of the American Serviceman's Union (the attempt to unionize the US Army in the 1960s). I knew him as simply the smartest person at the Hudson School, a source of deep knowledge & tremendous insight into history, especially classical history. In addition to with US History 1, he taught me two elective courses: the History and Liturature of Greece/Rome, and of Latin America. In those courses, teaching along with Gerri Wasserman, he introduced me to the Iliad and 100 Years of Solitude, and the worlds in which these books were created; so I'd say he is as responsible as anyone for the direction & development of my artistic sensibilities. (I knew Mr. Stapp as a teacher, so forgive me for writing mostly about how he affected me as a student. I know he has grieving family & friends, and I hope they are able to find comfort and peace.) He also gave by far the best and funniest graduation speech I've ever heard, in which he told the audience at length the story of how he & the other teachers had been recruited by Ms. Newman from a mental hospital.
Mr. Stapp also taught me about a certain kind of dignity-- which is a strange word to use for such a goofy & subversively funny man. But he showed me, by his quiet example, how to get by and even thrive in an institution that I didn't understand or respect, and that I felt didn't understand or respect me in return. How not just to get by, but to thrive, as the odd man out. Thank you for that, Mr. Stapp. For everything. It's too soon, far too soon, for you to go.
He was my favorite teacher in high school, or in any school. My impression of Andy Stapp was mostly disconnected from his status as a political figure, who had been the founder of the American Serviceman's Union (the attempt to unionize the US Army in the 1960s). I knew him as simply the smartest person at the Hudson School, a source of deep knowledge & tremendous insight into history, especially classical history. In addition to with US History 1, he taught me two elective courses: the History and Liturature of Greece/Rome, and of Latin America. In those courses, teaching along with Gerri Wasserman, he introduced me to the Iliad and 100 Years of Solitude, and the worlds in which these books were created; so I'd say he is as responsible as anyone for the direction & development of my artistic sensibilities. (I knew Mr. Stapp as a teacher, so forgive me for writing mostly about how he affected me as a student. I know he has grieving family & friends, and I hope they are able to find comfort and peace.) He also gave by far the best and funniest graduation speech I've ever heard, in which he told the audience at length the story of how he & the other teachers had been recruited by Ms. Newman from a mental hospital.
Mr. Stapp also taught me about a certain kind of dignity-- which is a strange word to use for such a goofy & subversively funny man. But he showed me, by his quiet example, how to get by and even thrive in an institution that I didn't understand or respect, and that I felt didn't understand or respect me in return. How not just to get by, but to thrive, as the odd man out. Thank you for that, Mr. Stapp. For everything. It's too soon, far too soon, for you to go.