STUDENT: Suzanne Niedzwicki
YEAR GRADUATED: 1976
EMAIL ADDRESS:
shemas@zgi.com
MEMORY OF MR. HALL
Mr. Hall was a very influential teacher in my life. My memories of his classes are very vivid. I can hear his voice saying "The part of speech of a word is determined by the way it is used in a sentence." He taught me how to diagram sentences -- I loved that. He had such love of teaching and his subjects. And he seemed to genuinely enjoy his students. I remember that I had Home Economics class immediately prior to Mr. Hall's class (either English or Spanish). One morning, we were supposed to bake pineapple/oatmeal breakfast cookies in Home Ec. We didn't have enough time to properly bake the cookies. About 15 girls brought huge, half-baked, gaggy oatmeal cookies to Mr. Hall as a "present". I remember him being very gracious with all the offers. He was not only a great teacher; he was a gentleman and wonderful role model. I'm VERY glad to have had him as a teacher.
Throughout all my years of education (and there were a lot of them), he is one of only 2 teachers that were most influential on me (the other teacher being my high school chemistry teacher). Mr. Hall brought such enthusiasm to his job. He always made it so evident that he cared about us and about our education. He treated us professionally -- held us accountable. He held such high standards for us -- that really helped my self-respect. He was such a tribute to his profession. I'm very lucky to have been his student.
WHAT I AM DOING NOW
In 1976, I graduated from Providence High School, an all girls school in downtown San Antonio where I wore an unattractive but practical uniform. At Providence, my chemistry teacher was the second of my all-time two most influential teachers (the other being Mr. Hall in Junior High). I got a B.S. in Chemistry from UTSA in 1979 and then moved to Seattle and earned an M.S. in Chemistry at the University of Washington. A glutton for punishment, I went back to the UW and earned a law degree in 1985.
I joined a law firm where I learned how to practice patent law and, within a span of 18 months, I cracked four molars (from stress) and almost developed an ulcer. Valuing my health, I took an in-house legal job with a biotech company and got my life back in balance. I took up mountain climbing, including an ice climb where I dangled from a single ice piton and prayed not to die. I've attempted Mt. Rainier five times but have never summited but at least I came down under my own power. I also fell in love with bike riding and did some incredible trips -- around Mt. Rainier in one day, from Seattle to Portland in one day, and a week-long ride down the spine of Oregon (what a total kick!).
In 1991, I went insane and moved to Tucson, Arizona. I had a terrific job doing technology transfer (helping universities commercialize their inventions) but the heat was horrible. I still hiked, but at night when it was cooler. I encountered desert critters every day -- javalinas (wild pigs), rattle snakes, tarantulas, gila monsters -- and I learned why the prophets of the Bible had revelations while walking in the desert. Once I stood atop a peak and looked DOWN onto a completely circular rainbow. I also wrote a book while living in Tucson -- a historical novel. I absolutely loved doing the research (including two trips to Scotland) but was utterly frustrated in my unsuccessful attempts to get it published.
In 1998, the gods took pity on me and carried me home to Seattle. I've resumed my career as in-house counsel for a biotech company where I actually run the entire legal department (who woulda figured?). More importantly, I've resurrected my outdoor activities, hiking and biking as much as time will allow.