if only Stolzy could see me now

The day we met, I was not expecting big things to happen. And truthfully they didn't.
He was the third academic advisor I would be visiting that day. The previous two weren't able to help me. Or so they said. I walked slowly towards his office, planning in my head the rebuttal I deemed necessary for whatever argument He was about to present me with.

He was not a man of many words. But he listened intently and made the necessary phone calls to help me in my situation. By the end of our meeting, I was set. I had been given the official okay to double major in both Linguistics and Sociology/Social Anthropology. There was still one obstacle.

It was September. Classes were starting next week. Most of the classes I needed were full. Again, Prof Stolzman helped me out.

"How do you feel about 8:30 in the AM"
The question caught me off guard, and was it really appropriate to tell him that the only time you really liked 8:30 am, was after a particularly satisfying all nighter. Eight-thirty meant the building was undoubtedly unlocked. You could hand in the paper then fall in bed having earned the right to take a day off from the world. Sometimes it backfired and vim and vigor kicked in. At this time, the world is your oyster. And quite frankly, you already have the string of pearls.

I went with the simple answer. Silence. He explained himself further.
He was teaching the second year class, and was willing to accept me into it, although it was full. The catch was that it met twice a week, at 8:30 in the morning.
Grateful for his help and guidance combined with my determination to complete my double major degree, I took him up on his offer.

More often than not, by the time I strolled in to his class his lectures were already underway. I quietly took a seat in the least obtrusive place. What I remembered most about his class was the way he knew the name of every person in that room. All 85 of us. More often than not, he greeted us and addressed us by name.

Years later, I would continue to keep in touch with Professor Stolzman. He would help me plan the rest of my degree, reminding me which courses to take. Encouraging which electives he thought was best suited my interests. I'm pretty sure he was one of the few professors that even knew what my interests were.

In what was supposed to be my final year, Stolzy launched a new capstone class. The class was designed to tie up the loose ends of theory with practicum. The class was an adventure for both the students and the teacher. Without a clear roadmap, we stepped lightly over uneven terrain. We didn’t know exactly where we were going, and how we were going to get there. We just knew that we’d know when we got there. And sure enough we did.

He encouraged us to work through social agencies, meeting needs of people and helping their situation in one way or another. Sociologists look at the world and pick it apart. If we can understand what forces are controlling people, maybe we can better understand how to help them.

In three weeks time, I will be starting a new job. I will be the IWK Associate for a program called Read To Me. The program is targeted at educating parents on the benefits of reading to their children from birth. Evidence shows that a program such as this one can help to improve the literacy rate among Nova Scotians. I will be delivering the program and information to new parents. I will also be helping co-ordinate, train and schedule the volunteers. As per usual, this program would not be half of what it is without them.

As I get ready to begin my first job that is directly related to my BA in Linguistics and Sociology, I’m thankful. Without the guidance, support and encouragement of professors like Stoltzman (who a select few call Stolzy) I don’t think I would have made it. Thanks Stolzy…..

--Spiffy T