School Story
Mr. Bunton was a chemistry teacher and head of the Science Department. I took "College Chemistry" from him my senior year. He was a pipe smoker and a bit of a prankster.
Kathy Lawrence was a new chemistry and biology teacher at the time. One cold morning during College Chemistry, Miss Lawrence came into our class and asked Mr. Bunton if there was anything that could be done — her classroom was cold, and she couldn't find a way to warm it up. Mr. Bunton had been lecturing and was standing at the lab table at the head of the class. Without hesitation, he said, "Just walk around to each of the lab benches and—" at which point he pulled his pipe lighter from his pocket, flicked on the gas cock, and lit it, sending a three-foot horizontal jet of flame across the room. "—do that! It'll be warm in no time," he continued. Miss Lawrence gasped and jumped back as the flame suddenly appeared right in front of her, and a number of kids in the classroom gasped too, caught off guard by the sudden burst of fire. It took a while to get the class back under control so the lecture could continue.
That memory has stuck with me all these years. I really liked Mr. Bunton and Kathy Lawrence — both had a profound effect on my education and on the choices I made going forward. I've always regretted not going back to visit Kathy, to let her know that I chose a career in science, that I've done well, and that she had a lasting influence on my life.
