An unintentional hero

NEA Today, Sep 1998 by Rudler, Ron

On April 24, 1998, one of the most senseless acts of violence ever to have occurred in Edinboro, Pennsylvania, claimed the life of my longtime friend and colleague, John Gillette, at the age of 48.

On that day, an eighth grader at Parker Middle School showed up at a school dance with a gun. That troubled student thrust our town into the position of telling an all-too-familiar story-a story that, of course, could never have happened here.

More than 4,000 people attended the funeral, and perhaps millions watched it on TV, hoping to bring some sort of closure to a tragedy that had taken someone they had never even heard of a few days before.

Who was this man whose death touched so many people and raised so many unanswerable questions?

He was John. He was one of my best friends, someone who had loved and lived life to its fullest each and every day. He was husband to Debbie and father to Matt, Brian, and Abby. He was proud of the beautiful, bountiful life he had built.

John was an outstanding science teacher and football coach. Once, before a game, he pulled out a scratchy old record and made his players listen to Walter Winchell's poem, "All About a State of Mind."

If you think you are beaten you are.

. . .Sooner or later, the man who wins is the man who thinks he can.

John thought he could do everything, and he imparted that spirit and determination to every single person whose life he touched.

I'm sure John would want us to build something from his tragedy. John was always building.

As a contractor, he helped people construct homes.

As a teacher, he lay the foundation for his students` success.

As a family man, he built a secure, happy life for his wife and children.

We owe it to John-and to others killed and injured on school grounds last year-not to wallow, but to use our strength, determination, and love to rise from this pain and take action that honors our colleagues' and students' memories.

Some people have already started. A local television stations. in cooperation with the district attorney's office and several area sporting goods dealers, recently sponsored a gun safety campaign called the "Lock 'Em Up" program.

For several weeks, gun owners here and in the surrounding areas were able to get trigger locks and other gun safety devices-at dealers' cost.

If this program prevents only one tragedy from taking place, it will have been a success.

A final thought for the many educators who've begun to question their choice of profession in light of the school shootings last spring: John would have a lot to say to you. He would tell you to remember why you chose this profession to begin with. It surely wasn't for the money or the fame or the glory.

He would tell you that the adversity we've all been dealt isn't permanentunless we allow it to be.

He would challenge you-individually and collectively-to stand tall and accept the challenges that lie ahead.

He would ask you to remain positive and continue to take pride in doing your absolute best.

Most of all, John would demand that you finish what you startededucating, challenging, and encouraging students to become productive young adults.

Like all teachers, John Joseph Gillette didn't intend to become a hero. But, for all of us who knew him then and know him now, he is one.