Inspire, Spring 2006

Inspire 23 I would hear of Mr. Spencer from a friend or fellow alumnus, but years passed before we saw each other again. In fact, the “reunion,” if one can call it that, occurred entirely by accident. Our family was attending a high school football game where our nephew’s team was playing Cedarville High. As we entered the gate, there, standing in front of me, larger than life and essentially unchanged by the years, was Ed Spencer. Our eyes met and there was instant recognition. What followed was one of those wonderful experiences where two old friends try to catch up on all the details from the missing years. Mr. Spencer was very inquisitive: he asked about my wife, our children, my brother (Keith ’75, who had also had Mr. S for an advisor), and on and on. As we parted it dawned on me that this was a unique moment: a faculty member, an advisor, and now a friend, who after all the years was still genuinely and personally interested in a former student. Boris Pasternak (of “Dr. Zhivago” fame) said: “Life is meant to live, not to prepare to live.”When I first met Ed Spencer in 1966, he could have been excused for being a busy young professor trying to establish his career and burnish his academic credentials, and therefore a man far too busy preparing for his life to be involved in mine. Yet after all these years, as I reflect on that important period from 1966 to 1970, I am grateful for Ed Spencer because he was willing to avoid the temptation to prepare to live — he simply lived. His personal involvement in my life, his engagement in my life and that of countless other students, and his continuing interest in our wellbeing over time have led me to conclude that he is in fact one of the most influential people in my entire life. Thank you, Ed Spencer! Paul has recently moved to Troy, Ohio with his wife, Lona (Shafer) ’72. They can be reached via e-mail at shaferjones@yahoo.com . ... as I reflect on that important period from 1966 to 1970, I am grateful for Ed Spencer because he was willing to avoid the temptation to prepare to live — he simply lived. Paul ’70 and Lona Shafer Jones ’72