Okay, so Part 2 of Traditional vs Transformative teaching is still coming, but today I need to blog about something else.

Today I found out that a friend, the husband of my poet friend from Murray State, died suddenly. Harvey Parker was 45 years old. He was a husband, father of two, artist, and art teacher. If you look at Harvey’s Info on his facebook page, he starts by saying, “I’m in a successful marriage.” How many people can say that in this day and age? He and Pamela always seemed like two kids in love. They always seemed to be of one mind and one heart. Together they were a force of creativity, friendship, intelligence and goodness in the world. They were an example of a long-lasting, happy marriage that most people don’t experience.

Harvey was a guy who never met a stranger. Every time I saw him, he greeted me with a grin. He could talk about every topic intelligently. He always carried around his little artist’s book with sketches and designs he’d done or was working on. After his wife and children, his art was his pride and joy. Though he was never boastful of his own successes, he loved to talk about art and explain the sketches he was doing. I will never forget the spark in his eyes.

His wife Pamela says that Harvey was the inspiration for all her poems. Pamela is a fantastic poet. You can check out her chapbook A Walk Through the Memory Palace here.

Harvey: I’ll miss you, and by the way, thanks for buying my drinks a few times. Sorry you never got to design that tattoo for me.

Pamela, Daniel, and Raleigh: My prayers are with you. A great man walked among us for a short while. He will always be loved and remembered.