Gone but not Forgotten

When I returned to my hometown for my ten-year high school reunion (just about nine years ago), I walked the halls of my alma mater and ran into my sophomore year Spanish teacher. We both recognized each other, although we had to prompt each other with our names.

A couple of years ago, I helped set up an herb garden on campus, to benefit both the growing (pun intended) interest in herbs in the horticulture dept. and the new restaurant lab in the hospitality dept. One of the professors involved looked at me and said, "You look familiar." I explained that I had taken a particular class of hers, and she replied, "Oh, that was a long time ago." (For the benefit of my ego, I choose to believe she meant that she hasn't taught that class for a while, not that I have aged poorly.)

Yesterday, I received an e-mail regarding the campus bicycle facilities committee I am setting up. I had seen this professor's name on the list of recipients of a related e-mail and wondered if she was the same person. "It's been a long time since you took Plant Phys!" she said. Yup, same professor.

It's kind of reassuring that people remember me after so many years -- and not in a bad way, either.