Ah, the power of music ... thank you for your inspiring story about Esther England, a remarkable lady. I’m listening to “Fragile” by Sting as I try to process this week’s tragedy in New York.

Sincerely,
Cathy Teague Reitmeyer ’76

The following was sent to Esther England, with a cc to the Montanan.

Dear Esther,

Congratulations on your feature in the new Montanan magazine! It is so gratifying to see you receive the recognition you so justly deserve. I thought the article was well written, interesting and shared with we readers a colorful picture of your devotion to people and to music.

On behalf of your friends in Great Falls, congratulations and many thanks for your years of selfless service to the people of Montana and the art of singing.

Best regards,
Gordon J. Johnson
Music Director and Conductor, Great Falls Symphony

I read the article, “Teachers Who Change Lives,” [in the Fall 2000 Montanan] and I feel I must tell of the people at UM who changed my life.

Here is my list of teachers who made a difference: Bob Hausmann, Dick Adler and Walter King. I have a great story about Dr. King. I was a senior with more hours than one could imagine in Dr. King’s Shakespeare class. I knew my way around college as I had been to three schools prior to UM, so when he assigned our first paper I was confident I could do the work satisfactorily. I knew it was not A work, but I figured a B or a C would be just fine. The next class I was handed back a paper with no mark other than the big, red F at the top of the page. I was shocked and immediately went to see Dr. King. Much to my surprise, he laughed and said it was not an F, but wanted to see if I would come in and talk. We went through the paper and had an excellent time talking and getting to know one another. He simply wanted to make a connection and show me that I could do better work.

I became a frequent visitor to his office. That made a huge impression on me and I will never forget Dr. King for his caring. I thank all the above professors and know I would not have become a teacher had it not been for their kindness, support and caring.

Sincerely,
Pat Darbro ’77
English instructor, Bozeman High School