Twist of fate connects teacher with two generations of students

This story begins back in 1978. It starts in Montgomery, Ala., and ends here in Milledgeville. It could be fate, it could be serendipity or it could be coincidence. What ever it is, it’s a once in a lifetime connection between professor and student.
“The world is this big now,” said Rachel Sealy, a senior history major, making a small circle with her hands when she discovered that Dr. John Fair had taught her mother almost 30 years ago. “I don’t know how to describe it. It could only happen to me.”
Fair, professor of history, began his teaching career at Auburn University in Montgomery in 1967. In his 40 years of teaching, Fair has had many interesting students. In 1978, he had a young woman in his class by the name of Shelly Franklin, Rachel’s mother. He never imagined that 29 years later, he would teach Ms. Franklin’s, now Mrs. Sealy, daughter in a different institution in another state.
“I have had various children of former students before,” Fair said. “I’ve had mothers and sons in the same class, but I’ve never had a student’s child from Alabama. Rachel mentioned this to me last semester. (Her mother) had me for a class and she did very well (that class being a World History 101).”
Sealy’s grade in the class doesn’t just come from Fair’s memory. He has it in writing. Fair holds on to his old grade books.
In fact, Fair has no recollection of Mrs. Sealy in class.
“(Rachel) is a very interesting student, she is full of curiosity,” Fair said. “But I don’t recall how her mother was in class.”
Sealy remembers Dr. Fair in class, though.
“I was very impressed with him as an instructor,” Sealy said. “He is a wonderful story teller. He brought history to life.”
Rachel had the same impression of Dr. Fair.
“Animated is the first word I can think of, very animated,” Rachel said. “He’s very picturesque, as far as lecturing goes. Eccentric, is the word I’m looking for.”
The connection was made last semester, after Rachel attended Fair’s Celtic History class.
“I kept going home and I would tell my mom I had this wacky professor, Dr. Fair,” Rachel said. “She just thought it was a funny because she had a professor named Dr. Fair when she was at Auburn.”
Finally, Rachel told her mother about Fair going to Montgomery for the weekend, and she dug out an old Auburn course catalog to determine if they were both talking about the same Dr. Fair.
Sure enough, his name was in the back as part of the faculty with all of his credentials,” Rachel said. “It was the same guy and the wackiest thing ever.”
A couple of weeks ago Fair and Sealy were able to meet again. Rachel is currently taking Fair’s World War I class and her mother came to Milledgeville to see her old teacher.
“It was a surprise and a delight,” Fair said. “I love to see this sort of thing happen and I don’t think it will ever happen again.”

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Mar 9 2007. Filed under Features. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry