Dear Servite Class of 2021,
Greetings from California’s Mother Lode country in Northern California near Auburn. I am writing in support of the efforts of my Servite Class of 1971 to mentor you through your Servite years. We began our journeys through Servite fifty years from the day you began your journeys. We graduated from Servite fifty years from the day most of you will graduate. Fifty years is a long time. Those fifty years have seen dramatic changes not only at Servite but in our society and culture. Each member of our class has travelled his own unique journey to this point. Some journeys have reached their ends. Others will continue for many years. None of us knows when our journey will end. One thing is certain. Each of us started our journey at the same place – Servite. Our Servite experiences helped prepare us for our life journeys. They helped shape our opinions and world views. Your journeys also will be unique. I wish each of you the best on your journey. I hope your journeys will be filled with curiosity, hard work, compassion for others, and the rewards that follow a good life. I can assure you, your journeys will not always be easy. You will face difficult decisions. My hope for you is that when you face these difficult decisions, you will have the courage, self-confidence, and wisdom to make decisions that are right for you, for your families, and for other people who are affected by your decisions.
I will share a story with you about one of my Servite experiences that may, if nothing else, provide context for your journeys and help you realize that members of my Servite class, two generations removed from your class, once faced decisions similar to decisions you face today. My introduction to Servite was through football. I arrived on the Servite campus about a week before classes started to participate in freshman football. I tried out for wide receiver. I never started in a game and rarely saw playing time. The game plan for our offense was hike the ball to Bill Zimmerman and let him run over the other team. He was a man among boys. Toward the end of the season, the coaches decided Zimmerman wasn’t much of a passer so they asked everyone on the team to step up and throw a few passes. The next thing I knew, the coaches moved me to quarterback. What I remember most about that football season is a decision I didn’t make to play quarterback was made for me.
In my sophomore year, I played quarterback on the junior varsity football team. I never started a game. Our team went undefeated, despite Zimmerman having moved up to varsity where he started at middle linebacker. What I remember most about that football season is our head coach, Ray Yoshida. He was a quiet man. Everyone on our football team loved him and respected him. We all felt he cared about the team and about us as individuals. After the football season ended, while walking across the football practice field, Coach Yoshida suffered a massive heart attack and died. He was planning to move up to the varsity football team to coach us and we were looking forward to it.
In my junior year, I moved up to the varsity football team. I learned the designated starter at quarterback had a mysterious illness that prevented him from practicing. The head coach, George Dena, was looking for someone to replace him. He offered me the starting position and I accepted. Suddenly, never having started a football game at Servite, I was thrust into the starting quarterback role. My focus shifted to football and away from academics and student government (I was the junior class president). What I remember most about that football season is the seniors on the football team rallied around me, supported me, and made me feel comfortable and confident leading the team. It was a great season and a great year.
In my senior year, expectations ran high for our football team. We would be playing two games in the Big A. We started the season with two victories. We won only one more game. What was anticipated to be a great season turned into a losing season. The reasons remain obscure for me. The easy answer is that we lost a number of starters to injuries. The reality is more complicated, as most things are. What I remember most about that football season is the sense of responsibility I felt to my teammates for a disappointing season.
Of course, I had many other experiences during my time at Servite. Among other things, I made great lifelong friends; I discovered interesting academic subjects; I read interesting works of fiction and nonfiction; and I decided to shift my focus away from football to a college education. Looking back at my Servite experiences, I realize now what I didn’t realize then. We don’t always know where our journeys will take us and what decisions we will face when our journeys take unexpected turns. The decisions I made while at Servite affected my future. They also affected the lives of some of my classmates. If you find yourself struggling with a decision, you are not alone. I am available to any of you, as are many of my Servite classmates, should you find the need and the courage to ask for advice or should you need someone outside your immediate family to listen to you.
Ever yours,
Bruce Emard
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