A TRIBUTE TO MR. DONALD BUSSARD
B. November 18, 1930 - D. September
2, 1998
Tremper High School - Advanced
Algebra - Geometry
I
loved my Dad. Many people at the time they went to Tremper, did not. My
Dad was a tough teacher. Unlike many teachers today, he would not
pass a kid in his class if he did not think that student deserved to pass.
Many times I heard him tell of the arguments he would have with administrators
because he did not want to pass a student. There are not many of those
kinds of teachers left today. And now it is 25 years later. If I
had a dime for the number of times I have heard, "Wow, I thought
your Dad was a real pain in the ass in high school, but now I see what
he was trying to do and I thank him for it!" I would have quite a pocketful
of money. I feel that way too. There were many time in my life when I wanted
to smack him over the head cause he drove me crazy. Now that he's gone,
I miss being able to just call and say "Hi!". If this tribute teaches you
anything, I hope that it teaches you to treasure those moment with your
parents, for they will be gone far too soon.
J.C. Bussard
I had Mr. Bussard for Advanced Geometry.
He may have been one tough cookie,
but I can't count how many times
in my everyday life that I have reflected
on something he said or something
that happened in his class. You see, Mr.
Bussard was more than a geometry
teacher. He was a teacher of knowledge. He
made you work for everything you
got, but he knew......he knew that one day
you would benefit from his stern
teachings.
For those of you who are his children,
you have a father who you can be
proud of. Just think of how many
peoples lives he's touched and how many
people who will remember him. Teachers
of his caliber are always the one's
that are remembered long after
graduation. There are thousands of us out
there who have his memory permanently
etched into our bio.
Earl Buckelew '72
Math teachers have it rough. If you don't like math, you
don't like your teacher. What made Mr. Bussard so special was that a lot
of students who didn't like math liked Mr. Bussard and, more importantly,
against all of our instincts, he made some of us actually enjoy geometry.
He always had a light touch. He read to us from Uncle Shelby's ABZ Book,
a wonderfully subversive faux children's book, on the day before holidays.
And who can forget his story about dealing with a slow student when he
was a student teacher in the bible belt? In exasperation, he shouted out
"Jesus Christ" and when the class drew back in horror, he explained, "I'm
not cursing, I'm praying for divine guidance." One of my regrets in life
is that I stopped studying math after eight credits of calculus in college.
When I wonder about the source of that regret (after all, why would anyone
in their right mind want more than eight credits of calculus?), I realize
that it was the superb mathematics department at Tremper High School that
gave me a love of numbers and Mr. Bussard's mock-stern, secretly-kindly
visage springs to mind.
Thomas F. Berner '72
I knew Jack first as a friend of my parents, then a teacher
I was thankful I never had at school, a neighbor and a patient. Most
importantly, Jack was my friend. In the years I came to know Jack
as a neighbor, I lost sight of the Mr. Bussard of teaching fame/notoriety.
I knew Jack as a fun-loving, sometimes cantankerous guy who LOVED LIFE,
and more importantly, loved to tell anyone about how he was living it!
What a guy! I am sure that both Jack and his vivacious wife, Barb are up
in Heaven now, toasting all of his earthly friends, inviting them to HIS
party!
Maren Becker Diamon '72
I had Mr. Bussard for Geometry my
first year at Tremper. I never cared for Geometry, never grasped
the concept of it, nor have I yet to find a practical application for it
in real life. But, Mr. Bussard had a real passion for the subjects
he taught and he was committed to doing his best to pass on his mathematical
knowledge to his students. I always wondered why he pronounced his
last name as "Buzzard" instead of having the double S's making a "sssssss"
sound. Maybe it was really supposed to be pronounced "Buzzard" or
maybe he was making fun of his physical make up. I guess we'll never
know. I will never forget one of his Geometry jokes: What did
the acorn say after it was buried for 20 years? Geometry! (Gee,
I'm a tree!)
Ron Marek '82
My father was a member of the math
faculty with Mr. Bussard, so we consequently knew him and his family quite
well. I'll pass along one story that was told to me as best I can
remember it. There is a town in Ohio that hosts a festival each year for
the migration/mass roosting/nesting (or something like that) of flocks
and flocks of buzzards. Yes, people actually get together to pay
tribute to these bald headed, slightly less-than-attractive carrion eaters.
Although Mr. Bussard was not bald and liked his meat cooked, he and his
wife were also heartily welcomed to the festival and, I believe, were actually
the guests of honor on more than one occasion. This town obviously
has a soft spot for Bussards of every sort. I hope his family knows
that I have very fond memories of the man dating back long before attending
Tremper.
Charlie Short '89
I had Mr. Bussard. I was miserable
in ALL math. Geometry was no exception, but I baby-sat for the Bussards
and he would tutor me before they went out. So it didn't matter too
much to me if he had gravy stains on his ties or that he roared home a
2 in the morning in mid-winter with the top down on his convertible.
I managed to pass the class and I actually remember something about this
type of Math to this day. I would have to say reflecting on that
fact alone, that he WAS a pretty good teacher and as I remember a rather
decent man too.
D. Miller '66
My memories of Mr. Bussard were
of him as the Lord High Chamberlain of the Madrigal Feaste. He always
had a regal sense of the festivities and reminded me somewhat of Henry
the VIII. As a wench in the feaste all three years of high school,
I always used to nod inacknowledgement of him as I would leave the dining
area after serving one of the courses. I didn't think he noticed
it until the cast party of the final night of my senior year when he told
me he would miss that.
Cheryl Brown-Elder '79
"Having survived Mr. Bussard's class
in 1972, this is very sad news for me. He was a tough teacher...one of
those who you did not truly appreciate until life presented you with the
challenges that he helped teach you to overcome. I don't recall much advance
geometry, but I do remember that Mr. Bussard made me think, work for everything
that I got from him, and pushed me to look at alternative solutions to
problems. To tell the truth, he was one of my least favorite teachers at
THS; however, when I tell my kids about the "good old days" of high school,
many of the stories are about the tough old Bussard. I tell my boys that
they will learn more from their own versions of Mr. Bussard than from all
those teachers who strive to be popular by letting them coast. Thanks for
the news, as sad as it was.
Dave Earnest '73
I'm saddened by the news of Mr.
Bussards death. I hope they never wash his hand marks from the wall next
to his door. If you had him for geometry and tried to get off easy by being
a jock you know what I mean. Thanks Mr. Bussard."
Doug Pientok
Send your tributes for Mr. Bussard to Tremper@bigfoot.com