“Our fingerprints
don’t fade from the
lives we’ve touched.” 
Judy Blume

How ironic that the quote above is from author Judy Blume. I was not familiar with her work until 1979, when I was hired to teach junior high literature at Saint Christopher School in San José. The principal had told me to select books for the seventh and eighth grade students to read. I had no idea what books would be appropriate for junior high kids, so I went to the local bookstore to ask for advice. The woman there gave me a nice selection of books, which included a book from Judy Bloom — Iggy’s House.

Tonight I had the privilege of spending a couple of hours socializing with many of my former students from the Saint Christopher School class of 1980. I enjoyed seeing the looks on the faces of several of them who I greeted by name, but they didn’t recognize me. They thought I was one of their classmates! (I felt good about that.) One woman said, “You looked so familiar, but I was thinking that you were in our class. I couldn’t figure out who you were.”

Lots of memories were shared this evening. One in particular was shared by Elise Duran (in the photo above), who was not only one of my students, but also played on the 8th grade girls’ basketball team I coached. She recalled a game we played at Saint Clare School in Santa Clara. It had been an unusually physical game. In the first half, the Saint Chris girls were getting beaten, both physically and in points scored. The game official seemed to think he should just let them play. So at halftime, I told my girls to be just as physical and not worry about fouls, as none were being called.

With less than a minute remaining in the game, Saint Chris had come within one point of tying the game. We regained possession of the ball after a missed free throw by a Saint Clare player, so I called a time out with only eight seconds remaining in the game. I quickly designed a simple play. The point guard would pass the ball to Elise on the right side of the court. She would immediately shoot the ball, but didn’t have to worry about whether or not it went in the basket. All four of her teammates, knowing she was going to shoot the ball, would be in a position to get the rebound and put up what would hopefully be the game-winning shot. 

Lisa, the point guard, got the ball out to Elise on the side, but a Saint Clare player defended her well and wouldn’t let her get the shot off, so Elise began to dribble the ball toward the baseline. As the clock ticked down, she stopped and threw the ball with both hands from over her right shoulder. Much to everyone’s surprise, the ball hit nothing but net. Elise had scored the game-winning basket!

It turned out to be a magical season for that 8th grade girls’ team, as they went undefeated in league play to win the championship. They certainly didn’t dominate their opponents. Four of the eight league games were decided in overtime. It was just one of those magical times for an amazing group of girls.

Tonight’s reunion was a blessing for me. To see all these “kids” all grown up now was a real treat. I am proud to have been a small part of their lives 45 years ago. As Judy Blume said, “Our fingerprints don’t fade from the lives we’ve touched.” These men and women left a lasting impression on me, too.