Father’s Day. This is the 13th year that I have been a father on this holiday, but I never think about Father’s Day as a day of honor for me. Well except that it allows me to play the ‘Father’s Day’ card at home so I can sit on the couch and watch the U.S. Open all Sunday long. For me, like most of you, Father’s Day is all about my father.
I just finished my 21st year in teaching (man, I am old!), and have probably taught close to 3,000 teenagers. One thing I have discovered from all of those students is that being raised in a household with two wonderful, loving, supportive parents is a blessing that many do not have. I often have to remind myself that students can have difficult obstacles outside of school that keep math homework from being a high priority.
In sports, we are often jealous of an athlete’s size, speed, strength, and athleticism. I am guessing that my 5’10” frame and 5.0 second 40-yard dash time generated little envy from others back in the day. But if we measured athletes by the quality of parents that they have, I would have been a 5-star prospect.
My mother, Joanie, is a wonderful mom and a beloved elementary gym teacher in Louisville. But it’s Dad’s Day, so let me tell you a little bit about Andy Aljancic.
My dad was one very ‘unique bird’ with a great work ethic, a quirky sense of humor, a visionary of big plans and dreams, a passion for God, and a heart for helping and caring for others. Many of us cringe when we as parents begin to say and do what our parents did to us. I, on the other hand, wear my dad’s traits as a badge of honor, even those qualities of his that drove me nuts as a kid.
Dad was a high school English teacher for over 3 decades, mostly at St. Thomas Aquinas. Through the years, I have been fortunate to come across many of his former students, often when I introduce myself with my unique Slovenian last name. I often get asked, “Are you related to the guy that taught at Aquinas?” From these conversations, I long ago came to realize that he was one of those teachers that made a special impact in his students’ lives. Much of that can be attributed to the passion he had for teaching and the ability to unique & quirky ways to connect his subject to his students. But beyond that, he made an effort to show that he valued his pupils and provided them with encouragement. Here is a link to a blog (if you go there, scroll down a little bit) from a former student that I came across a while back that gives a great description of Mr. A as a teacher:
http://lifelessid.blogspot.com/2005_07_01_archive.html
Dad was also heavily invested in his adopted hometown of Louisville that he came to upon graduation from Kent State. He served on the city council and school board, and was heavily involved in a wide variety of city and church activities and services. But his biggest role, by far, was serving as the city recreation director for 20-plus years. He was in charge of managing all of the various youth and adults sports leagues throughout the year. Summer baseball and softball were the big focus. Those of you from Leopard Land can probably still remember those signature smiley face shirts from the 1970’s that many teams wore.
Or maybe the 1980’s State of Ohio version when Mr. Smiley Face went out of style:
But beyond the typical stuff, he worked hard to make athletics fun and accessible for all, not just the elite athletes. He created youth slow-pitch baseball and softball leagues to keep more kids involved, especially those not necessarily cut out to be successful for the intensity of fast-pitch ball. He also created fun activities at Broad Street Park to increase the outside activity of the youth in the community. The numerous ‘Play Ladies’ that worked for the Recreation Department through the years would create games and supervise kids that would hang at the park all day long. And evenings would bring special events like talent shows (I seem to remember trying to do my best Howard Cosell imitation as a 10-year old), costume contests, dog shows, and the grand finale, the Penny Carnival. And I cannot forget to mention the super awesome Pee-Wee Olympics, with events like the crabwalk, the shoe kick, and the egg toss. Dad’s creativity and extra effort made summers growing up a blast for me along with many other Louisville kids.
Dad definitely made a great impression on me as a teacher and community leader. But his style as a dad at home is what I cherish the most. I will write about that role for his birthday in mid-July. Stay tuned!