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To which classical figure do you most relate and why?
Zeus…I don’t really know why except that I always liked him in the mythology that I read. He was very powerful and crafty. He always found a way to get what he wanted. Plus, now that I am principal of a high school, I feel that I can relate to the dilemmas he faced and the solutions that he was able to come up with.
What book has been most influential to your career?
The book Good to Great by Jim Collins is a great read for any administrator or one who aspires to be an administrator. I have also enjoyed the book, The Excellent 11, by Ron Clark. This book reminds all of us, as educators, why we entered the profession and how we can retain this joy.
If you could travel back to ancient Rome, what five items would you take with you from the present?
(1) tooth brush (2) tooth paste (3) good running or walking shoes (4) shorts (5) a supply of underclothes and socks.
What book are you currently reading?
I am reading a book by Joel Osteen entitled Live a Better Life Now. It is very spiritual and up-lifting.
What five albums would you want to have with you if you were stranded on a desert island?
John Denver’s Greatest Hits
Barry Manilow’s Greatest Hits
Chicago’s Greatest Hits
The Eagle’s Greatest Hits
Motown’s Greatest Hits
What literary character do you most resemble?
My wife says I resemble Julius Caesar because of my bald spot. I think I most resemble Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mocking bird.
What would be the title of your autobiography?
Nothing’s Impossible…I came from a family that while they worked hard but did not necessarily see the value of higher education. My parents were always supportive and while they saw me graduate from high school and college, I think today if they were alive they would be proud that I have a doctorate and that I am a high school principal.
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Who has been the most important mentor in your career?
I have had two mentors. One was Alger Pugh, my high school football coach and my boss for six years. He showed me that there was good in everyone and that you had to have faith in your direction. The other was Joe Pociask. He was my boss when I was an assistant principal for three years. He was also on my dissertation committee. He was always supportive and one of the best administrators that I have ever known.
How would you like to be remembered?
I want to be remembered as a person who loved his family; who cherished the value of his closest friends; and as someone who cared deeply about students and their successes.
What is the best advice you have ever received?
I have received a lot of good advice. The best might have occurred when I became a principal and the superintendent told me to let your heart guide your decisions and to always do what was in the best interests of students..
When and where in the Classical World would you have liked to live?
I want to live in ancient Rome as a patrician and have all of the privileges associated with that class.
If it were possible, with whom, dead or alive, from the world outside of Classical Studies would you like to have dinner?
I would love to sit down, eat a sandwich, and drink a beer with Mickey Mantle. He was always my childhood hero and I loved what he brought to the game of baseball. I would love to hear about how the game was before it was tainted with the big money that goes along with free agency.
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