Today I receive sad news that one of my favorite teachers in high school had passed away. Paul Carlson was a good man, one of those in the education field that showed such spirit for the job, that one could not help getting infected with it.
I went to high school at Maine East, in the suburbs of Chicago. During this time, there were very few teachers there that I could say truly gave a damn. But Paul Carlson was one of those teachers. A good chunk, at the time, of the professors were "young," while he was this almost 7' dinosaur that loved to talk to students. And by talk, I don't mean talk down to. That was one of the things I loved about the guy, he didn't treat you like a teenager or a typical high school student, he talked to you as an adult.
Paul Carlson taught at Main East for over 48 years. His students included Hillary Rodham Clinton and Harrison Ford. But you didn't have to become an A-list person to be moved and inspired by Mr. Carlson. He didn't care, he always told everyone that knowledge, particularly history was the "everyman's" gift. Current events, politics and history were such treasured things for him.
To give you an idea, he had spent his spare time scouring for historical pieces to show, and once in a while, give away to students. When one took his US history class, the ceiling of the class room would have hats from various periods. I will admit, I was afraid to sit in because by bad luck my seat was under one of those German WW1 helmets with the spikes hanging over me, albeit several fight above. His walls were adorned with newspaper clippings enlarged and posters of the era. As he progressed through periods, the posters and clippings would change. Music and cinema would be shown, for example he played Charlie Chapman's the Tramp to signify the growth of a new media, and he played Apocalypse Now during that period. I graduated in 1995, so we ended to just prior to that. It should be noted, that out of all the mannequins clothed in uniforms, the helmets, the posters, everything, he paid out of his own pocket. Oh sure there was the stuff the school purchased, but nothing compared to what he got.
To call him a civics geek would be an understatement. To be sure, his classes were not easy, there are many students who fretted taking "Old Man Carlson's" class. He was upfront about the challenges he posed and told us he thought we were smart enough to not deserve a dumbed down education. We had a mock Congress, and he would always address you as "Senator" or "Congressman" for the class. To give you an idea of the difficulty of the class, to pass you HAD to know Roberts Rules of Order!
Politically, he was a conservative, or what many today call paleo-conservatives; actually he was a humongous fan of Barry Goldwater and would give out his book to students who aced his class (I never got a copy). To those who hated him, he was a right-wing SOB, and yes he could come off that way. In my high school days, I was one of those young republican creeps (if I had a time machine, I would go punch myself). But he didn't demean students who were liberal, indeed he enjoyed engaging with them, never raising his voice. Though a conservative, he loved JFK (though he thought Daley stole the election for him) and both Roosevelts (he often called FDR the sword of democracy against Nazism). He never touched items like abortion to the same degree that other ideologues would, and but he would always ask why one believed in such and such; and he would encourage us to be inquisitive as well. At the end, he would always say that we agree to disagree, never letting things get out of hand.
As a history buff, he helped to collect the history of the high school, from early graduates, from now-departed teachers he had studied under and worked with, and from his own experiences.
A proponent of maintaining traditions, he hosted a Cherry Pie Festival each year for George Washington's birthday, to bring in speakers to inspire students, and was seriously concerned earlier this year when for the first time the Maine East graduation moved off site, away from the football field.
Maine High School District 207 granted him "teacher emeritus" status last September. He was only the second person to be so honored.
He helped found the Des Plaines Historical Society, was the first president of the Park Ridge Historical Society and co-chaired Park Ridge's 1972-73 Centennial celebration.
When he retired in 2007, he was inducted into the Maine East Wall of Honor. The conservative Republican's name is just to the left of his most famous former student.When he posed last spring next to the two pictures, Mr. Carlson remembered being one of the few to cross Clinton on Maine East's campus. He kicked her out of class for talking, he recalled.
- excerpt from "Maine East's Paul Carlson dies at 73", Chicago Sun-times, 2008.
Outside of class, he loved to meet with students for lunch at the local Wendy's or Andrews or what have you. His eyes were damaged somewhat after an accident, so he was not permitted to drive much and later not at all. He always kept his word and tried to keep in touch. As th years went by, sadly, we started losing touch, and then the only time we saw and chatted was when I attended a Republican event.
At the last event, we found ourselves sitting at the same table and he shocked me when he said he was no fan of George W. Bush and that we had no logical reason to go into Iraq. This completely blew me away, as he was such a proponent of things like Vietnam and anything else to stop Communism, he wasn't afraid to utilize the military. Prodding him further, he noted that war should be used only when truly necessary, and that Bush acted beyond means that past presidents wouldn't have done. Speaking as a historian, he said that Bush won't go down well in the books, and deservingly so. That was the last time I saw him.
So yes, many here will thing "good riddance, one less conservative," but I want to think that instead we lost one more good teacher. In my life, there hasn't been that many great teachers, so when I came across one I truly cherished them. If our politics were different, it just made the situation more interesting. But to see someone this passionate about civics and history, and equally enthused in sharing it with students, that is truly a gem. Often, I argue with neo-cons and conservatives, and they have to raise their voice and take cheap shots, I'm glad to say that if one had to label him, he was a gentleman's conservative. But above all, Paul Carlson was a teacher and he never let politics get in the way of education and instilling the joys of the subject into his students.
Rest in peace old friend, you're probably lecturing God right now or having a cheese burger with George Washington.