Kenny Cox

I want to honor the passing of Kenny Cox, prep wrestling legend, coach, adventurer, and friend.



I'm hoping to place an essay about his life and impact in the R-G or Oregonian before his memorial; otherwise, I'll post the piece here. For now, suffice to say that Kenny was special, and will be missed.

Another Student...

Having found one student from my fourth grade class, more find me. I am struck again and again by the fact that they're still out there, starting high school, changing...

HEY MR COPPERMAN HOW ARE U I THOUGHT U WOULD HAVE FORGOT ABT US WE REALLY DO MISS U WER DA BEST TEACHER EVER!!!!AND GENTRY IS OKAY I HAVE MADE A BIG CHANGE IN MY WORK AND MY SELF BUT IT WAS GREAT 2 HERE FROM MY OLE 4TH GRADE TEACHER

A Student finds me on Facebook

A couple days ago, I opened my email to find the following message from a former student:

HEY MR. COPPERMAN HOW ARE YOU DOING? AND I AM A SOPHOMORE THIS YEAR AND I REALLY MISS YOU SO MUCH YOU WAS THE BEST TEACHER I EVER HAD I WISH YOU COULD COME BACK!!!! WHERE DO YOU LIVE NOW???

I told him I taught at the University of Oregon now-- as if the concept of University or Oregon had any substance to him. He went on to say:

I WILL START MY FIRST DAY OF HIGH SCHOOL TOMORROW, IM KINDA NERVOUS THOUGH!!!!!!! BUT I HAVE AN AMAZING LIFE I HAVE A CAR NOW AND ALOT OF AMAZING FRIENDS!!!!!!! BUT I WILL NEVER FORGET THE TIMES IN FOURTH GRADE!!!!!! I WILL CHERISH THOSE MEMORIES FOREVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In these last five years, I have written all about this student in my novel-- he is a central character, and a tragic one, a bright, promising kid with no outlet for his boundless curiousity and energy. I have fictionalized his life as if it were frozen in the moment I left: for me, Indianola was fixed and static. What a strange and wonderful discovery, that this student remembers, that he's in high school now, with a car and friends and a future discrete from my imagining.