Mr. Bogle

I drove the lads to Derry today and dropped them in city centre with instructions to take the tour of the city walls, the Guildhall and walk across the pedestrian bridge. They would take the train back to Belfast--a scenic journey that begins along the coast.

I shopped for my friend Julie’s birthday, which happened to be today. I dropped it by her house--she wasn’t home so I left it with her son. Then I started calling around to see who was about. First I caught up with old friend John Mulligan by phone (he was in Letterkenny). Then I called my favourite teacher from high school. I’ve wanted to do this for a year or so since I got his phone number from a fellow student. Believe it or not, his name is Jack Bogle--same name as the founder of The Vanguard Group, where I worked for 15 years. I think two things distinguished Mr. Bogle. One was his sense of humour, which I would describe as sarcastic. The other was his high expectations. Anyone who failed on the second count might be on the receiving end of the former. If we weren’t on the receiving end, we thought this was hilarious. I was in further maths--like advanced placement in America. So it was a class of pretty bright kids.
My main messages to him were that he was my favourite teacher; that at the class reunion a few years ago several other of his former students said the same thing; and that I credit him with my career success. I told him math has always played a major part in my work and that, thanks to him, I’ve been very comfortable with math, which helped me tremendously. He said I made his day, which was the effect I was going for. Even though he’s in his 80s, he tutors students from as far away as Coleraine and Ballymoney. They don’t teach further maths at Foyle anymore so he teaches as many as five students a day who want to do the extra A level exam. That confirms for me what I already knew--he’s an exceptional teacher.
Then I visited Mrs. Walker for tea and Christmas cake. I rode with her in the 1970s until I got my own pony and then I kept a pony in her field. Now, as then, Mrs. Walker’s life revolves around two things: horses and dogs. She also has three children and a number of grandchildren who make her very happy. However they all live in England. She lives in a large manor house that is falling down around her. Her surroundings are not a priority, which is kind of refreshing. She’s always delighted to see me, so I try to call in when I’m in Derry. Then I visited Mary Richmond, who cleaned our house when we lived in Derry. She’s an adorable little woman and I love catching up with her. I also called my mom and put Mary on the phone so they could catch up. Then the long drive home, where I met the lads for dinner, including David, who got home last night. I love going to Derry. I think it’s about being somewhere where I have connections that go back so far in time, unlike my Belfast connections, which are new and somewhat tenuous.
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