The Bald Representative

When I left Paul last evening (on the phone), he was gearing up for Matthews and Olberman and wondering if the Republican candidate for the Presidency might not choose to debate his opponent this week, what with current events placing extraordinary demands on his time and all. Paul remains engaged.

It has been since the end of May when we shared a weekend in Mercersburg. Our next visit is scheduled for 1-5 October in Erie. During that visit I will work on transferring the wall of photos and memories from his home on Hilltop Road to his room at Western Reserve. If you have a snapshot you think Paul should have, send it to the Western Reserve address (see the right column). We will work on including them in his collection.

One of the many things that strikes me as I gather mail for Paul is the myriad ways in which he impacted so very many people. The long term relationships he built and kept through decades are the obvious ones to turn to for example. But it is the poignant, brief and chance encounters he had with so many, encounters that seem indelible in the minds of so many, that I find instructive and heartening. A recurring theme in many of these letters is this. "It was long ago and you may not remember, but here are some memories I want to share to show you how well I remember and value you." Trust me, Paul remembers. His power of collection and recollection is astonishing.

Here is one letter Todd Jamison sent Paul with permission to post here:




Dear Mr. Suerken,



Geez, after all these years, being “all grown up”, in my fifties and all, and I still feel the need to call you Mr. Suerken, vs. Paul. Purely out of respect sir. And while I was never in one of your classes, you still managed to teach me, and the student body at large. I have fond memories that I thought worth sharing.



My first real exposure to you was as a freshman, and my feeble attempt at making the Glee Club. I believe my record stands – as far as I know I am still the only student in Mercersburg history to get kicked off the Glee Club. For the uninitiated, you didn’t really have to sing all that well to make the Glee Club. You could be so so. And if you were rather bad, Mr. Suerken would simply ‘hide’ you by surrounding you with good (and louder) singers. However, if you were soooo bad that you threw-off those good singers, well, that wouldn’t do. And you made the right call. I was bad. Heck, I’m still terrible.



On the other end of my four years, you were our victim for Senior Day. After years of futile efforts by the graduating class to disrupt a day of classes (one year all the forks and knives were stuck in the central lawn, another all the chairs and desks were taken out of Irvine) the class of ’73 creatively kidnapped a teacher and stole away from campus for a day. The class of ’75 was not so creative, but we liked the idea. We took you with us to see the Eagles. Linda Ronstadt was signing with them at the time. I remember you sitting in the front seat and proclaiming to have ‘tunnel vision’, always looking only forward. A real trooper putting up with those shenanigans.



Then there was your endless support for the various team sports. I ran cross country. And many, many times you could be found along the course cheering us on, encouraging us to push harder. Some of us needed that pushing: Too often I asked myself what the heck I was doing out there, running 3.1 miles until I felt sick.



But my most vivid memory was during a student body meeting hosted by STUACT. The goal of the presenters/committee was to inform everyone what STUACT was, what they did. At one point an African-American student stood up asked why there weren’t any black representatives on the committee. Students called out “that’s what this meeting is for”. Another called out “no, that’s not the reason.” After several uncomfortable moments, a certain teacher stood up and barked out, “I want to know why there aren’t any bald representatives on the committee!” You brought the roof down. And, with a simple, bold statement, you made the correct point. Well done. Thank you for the lesson.



You are a true ambassador for Mercersburg’s faculty, and greater community. I for one am wealthier for having crossed your path. Thanks so much.



Todd Jamison

Mercersburg Class of ‘75