I really treasure the feedback teachers gave me about my writing. Especially from Bill Batty. He was a joyful, supportive, and funny teacher. My stepfather died when I was a student at NMH, and Bill asked me to write about it. The comments he made encouraged me to keep writing in my life. He said to us, “Just get to the good stuff. Try to find what you can really dig around in. Begin with a clear image and work from there.” I still keep that in mind.
I worked in the kitchen as a waiter. I was proud of that work. I could balance a tray full of dishes on three fingers. I had strong fingers. S. Prestley Blake ’34
Naomi Chin-shong Blumenthal ’91
At all-campus meetings on Wednesdays, anything could happen. One time, Arn Chorn Pond ’86 told his story about surviving the killing fields in Cambodia. Here he was at NMH, in this place where he had hope, where he’d been given a gift, but he was really giving us the gift, sharing his experience. I remember thinking, “It’s amazing that he is so transparent. It’s inspiring that he went through this incredibly hard time and is still kind.” It made me realize that everyone on campus had a story. I just didn’t know them yet. Tammie Johnson ’86
I was what you call a poor student. I was the worst rabble-rouser in the school. I never did anything harmful, but I was as obstreperous and as outrageous as I could be. Bed dumping was the big thing. There’d be some guy who had it coming, so we would plan ahead. There would be several days of hee-heeing. Then we’d get him at 2 am. Just lift up the bed frame and tip him over. I must28have done that 40 times. NMH Magazine Stan Poole ’51