Osler's Razor

Huh? You needed theater help?
 

Anon 12:13,

He did, for his exit sequence. It was incredibly weird and good.
 

There was lots of laughter and lots of tears. It was perfect.
 

Oh, and it really was about the Rule Against Perpetuities! I hope T-Feather doesn't find out.
 

I hope no one feels the need to make his or her comments "funny" on this one. Tonight was special and movng. Yes, there was laughter, but I imagine anyone who knows Mark knows that it was from his heart. There are so many of us who do not want him to leave. Tonight further made that point.
 

Suffice it to say that it was the most beautiful, moving speech I've ever heard.

I don't think it would've mattered much what you said, though. The words were great. But, so much more than the words, was the passion with which those words were spoken. THAT is what moved so many in the audience to tears.

You spoke of the moment when you realized that it was about your students, rather than about you. You lived that out here at Baylor, in a way I've yet to see in any other professor. Your words tonight didn't fall on deaf ears -- because that audience was full of people who know that they weren't merely words, but rather an accurate representation of the way you choose to live.

You spoke of how a single moment can change things. How a single moment can change people.

Tonight was one of those 'moments' for me. Those 35 minutes will be one of the 'moments' that I tell my kids about. How a professor that I never had the privilege of taking a class from spoke words that stirred something deep within me. How a man I've never met challenged me to be a better person. How one professor believed in his students enough that those students found they could believe in themselves - and he did it in a way that was visible even to those on the outside. How a man was able, in 35 minutes, to remind me what this life is about.

You spoke of your favorite professor, and how you felt that your students were essentially his students.

I was lucky enough to have Professor Benham. He gave a speech the last day of class this quarter that also moved me to tears. I've no doubt that through having you as a professor, as well as having the joy of working closely alongside of you, that he's a better person today than he was before he knew you. While the entire 1L class is selfishly sad that you are leaving, we got to experience that better person because of you. He was a great professor, yes. Yet more than any substantive material we learned in his class, we will remember the words he gave us that day. We will remember him urging us not to forget what was important when we walked through these doors for the first time. We will remember him telling us to fight for what we believe in and chase our passions, no matter what the cost. We will remember him telling us that there really ARE more important things than grades - like the people we abandon to make those grades. I can't help but wonder how many of those nuggets of truth and wisdom were influenced by you.

We will remember the real life wisdom that he imparted to us that last day.

And we will remember the incredible wisdom you imparted to each of us during that last lecture tonight.

I'm not certain of too many things with finals approaching, but I am certain of this: the impact of what you have in"vested" in your students here at Baylor will last far longer than 21 years from any life in being right now.

-Beyond grateful that I can say I was your student, even though I never got to call you Professor.
 

Ginger was there and she called me later to tell me about it She LOVED the really cool ending. Awesome.


Anon 1:31 - I liked what you wrote here! Is it too late for you to switch to law school in Minnesota? :)
 

How fitting that you organized a way to leave sans applause.
 

At first I expected you to return at the end of the song in a panda suit.

Expectation turned to disappointment when I realized you weren't coming back, depriving us of the opportunity to give you a standing ovation.

Disappointment turned to satisfaction when it dawned on me that this was the only fitting way for you to leave.
 

Great speech. Sneaky ending. Curse that Cloak of Invisibility! I knew no good would come of it.
Full house, too. It's a testament to the difference you made at Baylor in a remarkably short time, Mark.
 

Did you get new jeans? It was an interesting look.
 

CyberSue - I think he got a new tie (no stripes). Definitely a new look!

~*~*~*

It sounds like it was a wonderfully touching evening. I hope it was taped and at some point I can watch/listen to what you had to say.

Kudo's to a remarkable person. All the best in your new teaching position. The students at St. Thomas don't know what a treasure they are about to receive.
 

It was so simple, but I can't believe only 35 minutes, and profound. Sad, yes...but funny too! Tyd is right, I had to call and share it with her, one of my best friends who I would never have met if it were not for this blog.

Thank you Mark, the choices you make ripple forth well beyond the life in being plus 21 years. LOL
 

Would someone who was there PLEASE EXPLAIN what happened at the end? It sounds like something happened, but no one is saying what it was.

Thank you in advance.
 

Same person again. The student newspaper article did not mention anything unusual about the ending, either.
 

He was making the point that we're all in this thing together and we need one another to make it. A boy in the back stood up as Osler was finishing his speech and began singing "Lean on me". Three other boys stood up and joined, and by the end, the entire room was singing and clapping.

While everyone was watching boys (who were WONDERFUL), and Osler gracefully made his exit, thus humbly avoiding what would have been many minutes of a standing ovation. The humility of a truly great man astounds us all.
 

I'm just sorry I missed the vocal perfomance-- it sounds like they did a great job.
 

Dear Mark,
Great job last night! We ALL laughed, some of us cried and we ALL learned a little something about law and a lot about the Osler classroom magic. The ending was brilliant and fitting. You don't really want a standing ovation, you want to teach students and try to make the world a better place. Thanks for your courage and insight.
 

Sad I missed it.
 

Was the "Rule Against Perpetuities" thing a joke? It is not the basis for entertainment in any venue.

And how could no one see him leave? Were there smoke bombs?
 

What's that thing on your lapel?
 

IPLG--

Wireless mic. With the new technology, they are able to make them larger and more awkward.