I lugged my book bag up to the second floor of the University of Tennessee’s Humanities Building on that beautiful spring day. It was the last semester of my senior year and I had senioritis big time. The sky was blue and the dogwoods were bursting like popcorn across Knoxville. My speech professor had gray hair and commanded the very tan and drab classroom with authority. She walked willfully as she handed out graded exams. It was our first grade of the class — I knew I had done well. She finally got around to me and placed my paper on my desk. I looked down at my paper and saw a very prominent “95%.” YES!!!!
But my joy popped like a balloon when Dr. Faye Julian looked me square in the eye and said, “You can do better than that.”
“Um, yes, ma’am.”
I guess I could have argued, “WHAT? It’s an A…” But I didn’t. At that moment, the best professor I’ve ever had lit a fire in me. I responded to her challenge. I did better.
See, Dr. Julian believed in my talent. She knew I what I was capable of and challenged me to achieve it. And I rose to her dare.
How many people are like that in your life? How many people expect your very best? And an even better question is this: Are you like Dr. Julian? Do you bring out the best in other people?
I drew Dr. Julian the other day. She’s in a really neat print I did for UT’s College of Communication & Information. You see, Dr. Julian went on to become its Dean before she retired. And I look forward to seeing her again soon.
She saw me speak a few years ago and agreed that I had done better. I, of course, asked her if I was her favorite student. She smiled impishly and said, “Nah. Peyton Manning was my favorite.”
I laughed and wondered, “Did she challenge him to do better, too?”