August 25, 1982 — One Important Day

40 years ago today — August 25, 1982 — was a day where two things happened that have had a lasting impact on my life.

Background: After six years away from Chicagoland, Dana Corp. transferred my father back to the Victor Products gasket plant on W. Roosevelt Road in Chicago. We left Richmond, Ind. for good on August 18 and moved into a rented split-level house in suburban Bolingbrook.

My parents chose to live in Bolingbrook because my mother’s college sorority sister recommend it due to the strength of the Valley View School District.

We registered for school and based on my transcript and test scores, I was scheduled into the freshman Honors English section at Bolingbrook High School.

Freshman Honors English was scheduled for first hour. At that time BHS classes started at 7:30 a.m. We lived close enough that I could walk to school.

Freshman Honors English was taught by the late great Ms. EJ Bronkema, a striking, tall, blond woman of Dutch descent (as am I).

Forty years later, I am still blown away by how influential Ms. Bronkema was at a crucial time in my life. She introduced us to literature, writing, and critical thinking, teaching in a way that made her class exciting because no topic was off-limits and she would introduce us to points of view that you would never have considered had you merely examined the issue superficially. You could not miss her first-hour class!

The have-to-be-there-to-find-out-what’s-going-to-happen-today aspect of Ms. Bronkema’s class is probably the reason I had perfect attendance that year, which in turn inspired me to do the same for all fours years at BHS. An achievement that has taught me the value of sticking to one’s commitments.

Ms. Bronkema also taught me that if you open yourself to new and different experiences and dig deep, you can create lifetime memories and learn valuable things. Lessons that my wife and I are passing along to our children.

Additionally, both in her class and as one of my speech team coaches, Ms. Bronkema taught me the value of precision in everything I do. Still apply that today, every day.

On that first day, we students filed into the classroom area — at that time BHS was an open-concept school with room dividers instead of actual classrooms with walls — and sat wherever we felt like. And that’s when the SECOND incredible thing happened!

Probably to help her learn everyone’s name, Ms. Bronkema proceeded to rearrange us using a seating chart she had created ahead of time, in columns by last name. E.g. Abel was sitting in the first row to Ms. Bronkema’s left, Baker behind him, etc.

BUT, as a late-registree I did not show up on the computer print out Ms. Bronkema used to create her seating chart. I literally was penciled in to her grade book & into the seating chart to sit behind Jill Yule in the 2nd seat of the column to Ms. Bronkema’s far right.

Sitting next to Jill Yule (in the front row of the next column) was…Abhin Singla. Abhin and Jill started talking as they knew each other from middle school. This might’ve been part of an icebreaker activity from Ms. Bronkema, I can’t remember.

Abhin was kind enough to draw “the new kid” — me — into the conversation. This was the start of a lifelong friendship.

We were best friends throughout high school, Abhin was best man at my wedding (twice!), we’ve had fun times like St.Patrick’s Day 1994 and were there for each other when situations got sticky.

Abhin went on to become Dr. Singla, an internist. And on that fateful day in 2009 when I was diagnosed with a potentially fatal brain tumor, he was there for me to recommend his friend and colleague Dr. Tamir Hersonskey, a neurosurgeon, who directly saved my life by skillfully excising what turned out to be a non-malignant tumor.

I am so very grateful to the universe for providing me with the best teacher and mentor a person could have AND the best friend a person can have — BOTH on the same day, August 25, 1982.

Thanks for reading this post. If you enjoyed it, please feel free to share the link on social media. I hope you have someone like Ms. EJ Bronkema and/or Abhin Singla in your life. If you do, be sure to tell them thank you and how much they mean to you.

P.S. I am the lucky man who has TWO best friends — Abhin and my wife Wesley. In the words of C-3PO , Thank the Maker!