In Memory

Gerald Robert Grondel


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06/25/13 08:21 AM #1    

Susan James (Stuart) (1963)

I had Mr. Grondel as a Journalism teacher my sophomore year.  He had such great enthusiasm for his job.  I learned a lot from him.  He taught me to ask more questions, and to be interested in people's responses.  I was very sorry to hear of his passing.  At the time, it seemed like such a loss talent. Now so many years later, I realize that it was a tremendous loss.


06/26/13 07:50 PM #2    

Dave Young (1963)

 

Youth is a time of discovery. As we begin to grow we soon discover who is the best runner, the best batter, the best catcher. When our horses in Art Class look like dogs, we rapidly come to the conclusion that we are not artists.
 
Those who excel in a particular activity move on and up. Everyone remembers the gifted singer in school who ended up in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, the toughest football player who now wears a Super Bowl ring or the most understanding who now teaches second grade. If we are fortunate enough in school to learn where we stand out we won't have to waste half our life in trial and error activities trying to make a living. Some people chart their course in life by things as simple as a friend pointing out their poise and presence. Others, like me were fortunate to happen on to a teacher like G. Robert Grondel. 
 
I wasn't particularly good at sports but I practiced. God knows I practiced. I was one of the few in high school who could run the hurdles in three steps but was still soundly beaten by the kid next to me taking four steps. If I was able to finish a course without homework, I would do it. I didn't get bad grades. I just didn't apply myself. ... until I took a course with Mr. Grondel.
 
Mr. Grondel saw something in me that others did not. To my surprise, he thought I could put words together "like a mason, one brick at a time" and he told me so. Wow! What a thought. I had never considered I had any ability in this arena. 
 
Telling me I had a talent for writing, Mr. Grondel recruited me to write the opposition arguments against naming the mascot of Clearfield High the "Falcons". We wanted the "Colts".  Clearfield High embraced the Falcons. 
 
Mr. Grondel entered me in an Interscholastic debate. I came in four out of four. Combining that debacle with the mascot naming experience, Mr. Grondel taught me how to humbly accept failure, something I now consider an invaluable experience. 
 
All of our experiences are necessary to teach us lessons we need to learn. The experiences Mr. Grondel provided me, laid the groundwork for me to accept failure, the news articles and public relations work I would do for the U.S. Navy, the newspaper I would start from scratch, write for and own, my authorship in a nationally published manual, the newsletters I would write for ten years for the big corporation, the half dozen letters I write each day and, most important, the book I have written for my children and grandchildren.
 
G. Robert Grondel. Thank you. R.I.P. 

07/27/16 08:36 AM #3    

Tamara Brown (Johansen) (1978)

Hey, Dave Young, I never had Mr. Grondel, but I like your tribute.  You are truly a great writer.


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