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DECEMbER 7, 1999 FEATURE TliE PolEMic Lessard ends 35 years of teaching By Kate Splitt Staff Writer Dr. Richard Lessard will be retiring at the end of this semester after 35 years of teaching English. Dr. Lessard will be teaching tw·o classes next semester, Advanced Com- position and the Short . Story, before he starts" ... enjoying the things that I never had time to do." Lessard graduated from Bellaire High School in 1960. "I wasn't a good student in high school," admits Lessard. "In 1960, at that time, the way Dr. Lessari will return spring semester to teach jusr I saw it as a young man, I had . two classes before he retires after a 35-year career. two choices, go to school or go • in the service and I intended to go in the service all through high school. But a friend of mine went in and I got letters about how muc~ he hated it. Employers were reluctant to hire someone who had not been in the service ... because of the draft." He enrolled at Northwest- ern Michigan College in Traverse City in 1960. "I went on to junior col- lege to see what that was all about and I started to work hard there," he said. "I'd never worked at all in high school. I . blew off most of it and I don ' t drawback, however. "Many's know how I got through it. I had decent ·grades, but I really didn't apply myseif." But he settled down and after two years, Lessard trans- ferred to Central Michigan University. When he. was a junior, he realized that he didn't mind going to school. "I thought, • I can do that," says Lessard. "I always found that my best grades were in En- glish, so I decided that that would be the most logical field to get started in." That decision had one the day I regretted not having a different major because of all ofthepapers,"hesays. "That's something that a lot of other fields don't have." After receiving his bachelor's degree in 1964, he began his career at Clio High School in the fall of that year. He taught English until 1968, when he accepted a position at Rogers City High School. He taught English as well as Soci- ology and Psychology. He also See LESSARD on Page 4 The Christmas story that became a family tradition · By Catherine C. Gilmet Staff Writer Each year as we carry down boxes of Christmas lights, stockings and orna- ments from the attic, we also get out our favorite book of Christmas stories and poems. My children are always anx- ious to hear the Christmas poem" The_ Boy Who Laughed at Santa Claus" by Ogden _ Nash. We wrap up in our spe- cial green and red afghan with my arms encircling the chil- dren and I begin reading: · In Baltimore there lived a boy. He wasn't anybody's joy. Although his name was Jabex Dawes, his character was full of flaws. In school he never · led the classes. He hid old la- dies' reading glasses. His mouth was open while he chewed, and elbows to the table glued. He stole the milk . of hungry k~ttens and walked through doors marked "No Admittance. " He said he acted thus because there wasn't any Santa Claus. Another trick that tickled Jabex was crying "Boo!" at little babies. He brushed his teeth, they say in town, sideways instead of up · and down. Yet people par- doned every sin and viewed his antics with a grin 'til they were The Boy Who Laughed At Santa Claus · by Ogden Nash told by Jabez Dawes, "There isn't any Santa Claus!" Deploring how he did be- have, his parents quickly sought their grave. They hur- ried through the portals pearly, and Jabez left the June ral early. Like whooping cough, from child to child, he sped to spread the rumor wild: "Sure as my name is Jabez Dawes there isn't any Santa Clausi" Slunk like a weasel or a marten through nursery and kindergarten, whispering low to every tot, "There isn't any, no, there '.s not! No beard, no pipe, no scarlet clothes, no • twinkling eyes, no cherry nose, no sleigh, and furthermore, by Jiminy, nobody '.s coming down the chimney!" The children wept all Christmas Eve, and Jabez chortled up his sleeve. No in- f ant dared to hang up his stock- ing for fear of Jabez ' ribald mocking. He sprawled on his untidy bed, fresh malice danc- ing in his head. When pres- ently with scalp a tingling, Jabez heard a distinct jingling; he heard the cruncfi ef sleigh and hoof crisply alighting on the roof What good to rise·and bar the door? A shower of soot was on the floor. Jabez beheld, oh, awe' of awes, the fireplace full of Santa Clausel Then Jabezfell upon his knees with cries of "Don't, " and "Pretty please." He howled, "I don't know where you read it, I I swear some other fellow said it!" ' "Jabez, " replied the angry saint, "It isn't I, it's you /hat ain't. Although there is a Santa . Claus, there isn't any J~bez Dawes!" Said Jabez then i,yith impudent vim, "Oh, yes,tht;re is; and I am him! Your lan- guage don't scare me,_· it doesn't." And suddenly he found he wasn't! From grin- ning feet to unkept locks Jabez became a jack-in-the-box, and ugly toy in Santa '.s sack, mount- ing the flue on Santa '.s back. The neighbors heard -his mournful squeal; they searched for him, but not wJth zeal. No trace was found of Jabez Dawes, which led to thunderous applause, a n people drank a loving cup and went and hung their stockings up. . All you who sneer at Santa Claus, beware of the fate of Jabez Dawes, the saucy boy who told the saint off; the child who got him, licked his paint off Century's milestones overlooked due to fears of Y2K disasters By Caroline Carps Staff Writer 5 .. .4 ... 3 ... 2 ... 1 ... Happy New Year!! What will you be doing when the millenium hits? What will happen? There are many questions unanswered right now, but some people around Alpena are not worried. Just think about it. My children and their children and their children \\'ill not be around when the year 3000 hits. This is a special new year that will go down in history. How are you going to cel- ebrate? Holly Webster, a student at ACC said, "I' 11 be with my loved ones." Personally, I will probably be with my loved ones too. I am not really worried about what will happen on New Year's, bllt because I will be in Royal Oak, I am kind of think- ing about riots, looting and people that think the world is ending. But here up in Alpena_, ['. From My Point of View I thirigs will probably be relaxed, and folks will celebrate how they usually do. This new millenium has been a time of change and has brought new ideas to life. In this last 100 years many inven- tions have changed the world. Who remembers their first CD player? First TV? Even their first radio? Space travel was invented, the information su- perhighway, all this technology that came around, it is all un- believable. What is going to hap- pen when the bal I drops this year? This Y2K thing is a little scary. ACC student Danyeal Dorr said she will be partying when the millenium hits. "The lights may go out, but they will eventually come back on," she said. Did you know that accord- ing to Na'tional Public Radio World News, that the govern- ment only scores a B- in a Y2K test? Only a B-. That is some- thing I did not really want to know, because it makes me more nervous about how the nation will react when this sup- posed Doomsday strikes. If the government falls apart, the people will too, because the government is the people. I also heard that some businesses are also running Y2K complient programs for their paycheck systems. It At these prices, it's too bad we don'.t sell cars. Maybe one day we will sell cars, food and everything else you need. But right now, it's great deals on textbooks every day. You can save up to 40%, and you'll get your books in l to 3 days. Not that you would, but don't sweat using a credit card. VarsityBooks.com is 100% guaranteed secure. Try saying that about a new SUV. ' . SAVE UP TO 40% ON TEXTBOOKS. - seems that a couple lucf y people in Michigan got a $130,000 check, and another person got a $13,000 check when it was supposed to b:e much lower. Imagine getting a check for $130,000 for a week's worth of work. No matter where you \3/ill be or what .you are doing on New Years Eve, just stop f~ff one second and remember what has happened through the last 100 or 1,000 years and how far we have come from tbos~ caveman days. ACC the Spotlight Series THREE MEN AND A TENOR Sunday, December 12, 1999 Roots Rock Society Friday, January 28, 2000 Tom Knife and the ACC Jazz Ensemble Tuesday, February 29, 2000 TimSkubick Wednesday, April 26, 2000 All performances in the Granum Theatre at 7:30 p .m.