In the fall of 1987, I attended a meeting of the general faculty held at Mississippi State University and listened to then-President Donald Zacharias make his presentation. I will never forget something that he said during that convocation, which was more than 32 years ago. It had to do with a letter he received from a parent who was praising a faculty member who went above and beyond the call of duty to help his son. After reading the letter, Dr. Zacharias said, “This is a great reminder for all of us that nothing is routine when dealing with the lives of other people.” Nothing is routine. In whatever field we work in, we help others and make their lives better by what we do and say, and how we do and say it. I would welcome the opportunity to visit with you and your teammates to assist all of you in achieving your goals of servant leadership.
January 23, 2021
Recently I received text messages from two of my former students. Both had to do with the impact that special letters they wrote had on the recipients who received them. One wrote her dad, the other one wrote her high school physics teacher. These are reminders that a simple, sincere hand-written note can truly last a lifetime and bring joy to the lives of others every time he/she reads them.
“My Dad died recently. We have been going through all his things. He saved the letter I wrote to him years ago while I was in your class. Just wanted you to know he treasured it and kept it all these years.”
“First of all thanks for your letter. It is the most beautiful compliment I have ever received in my entire life, in all 80 years of it thus far. I treasure, beyond my ability to properly express it, how grateful I am for the compliments you so beautifully expressed, and I would have missed that had I not become a teacher.”
Dr. Jimmy Abraham 