"Torque" Johnson

Union-Endicott High School. It has looked like this for
around a hundred years. So yes, even when I was there. 

One thing that has always fascinated me is how, as children, we are influenced by the people around us. I do believe that a significant portion of what we are is nature, but perhaps a larger portion is nurture. In my last blog,  I wrote about how my grandfather was a big influence in my life. My parents and other relatives were huge influences as well, but then there are others that only nudge you in a direction, and like any other course correction, it may seem minor at the time, but end up being huge later in life. These nudges are often given by peripheral people in your life, like the next tier of relatives, friends, and of course teachers.

High school for me was, I think different, then it is for many. I had a close but small circle of friends that were from all the different cliques. That worked out well, being on the periphery of the groups, but not committed to any one. My teachers, like my friends, were varied in personality and I really liked almost of of them. One that stood out for me, and a couple of my friends, was Mr. Johnson, our physics teacher. He was a new teacher back then, not all that far removed from school himself, and he seemed to connect well with the kids. The thing that I liked about him, was his humor and easy going manner. He played a great practical joke on us one day in lab when he pointed a laser at the lab table from another room. We had never seen one before (this was 1977) , and suddenly this moving, glowing spot was on our table. It must have been priceless watching our speechless amazement and excitement. He later told us the results of other times he had pulled this prank on people, and all the other hilarious reactions. He made me feel special by including us in his circle of people he trusted enough to prank.

"Torque" Johnson and a blogger.

Another time in class he was teaching us about rotational force, or "torque". During the class he naturally said "torque" many times and that kind of stuck with us. My best friend, Mike Hidock, named  him Torque Johnson at the end of the class and he really seemed to enjoy that. Anyway, through his friendly and gentle guidance, I ended up with a final grade in the high 90's for that class, and I give full credit to Torque Johnson for that. He was so approachable, so easy going and so enjoyed the students around him he just made me feel like I wanted to be there. Never intimidating, always helpful in a class that could be quite difficult. I give him full credit for advancing my interest in science, and giving me a firm foundation for my career in meteorology, a field that is based in physics and math.

I found out that Torque Johnson is retiring this year, after at least 40 years of teaching and positively influencing high school students. It could not have been easy, especially in the later years with kids that are less easily impressed with lasers, or perhaps even physics, Still, he must have helped thousands of young minds over the years and he and Union-Endicott High School should be proud. I wish him the best, and a happy and relaxing retirement. He deserves it.