The person I've known the longest since arriving in Charlotte 17 years ago was killed in a motorcycle accident yesterday. I first met Don Fumo at Carmel Middle School in 1993. It was my first teaching job and Don was an experienced math teacher. I was always a little jealous because he taught geometry which was something I wanted to teach, but there was only one class in middle school and I was new. 2 years later, Don transferred to East Meck HS when our principal, Ron Thompson, became principal of E. Meck. I got the geometry class and 2 years after that I transferred to East Meck. My room was right next to Don's and he was assigned to be my mentor. The two years I spent teaching at East Meck resulted in some of my dearest teacher friends. There was a group of us on the 9th grade hall who "congregated" every morning before 7:00 am. At the time, I was a young, very single teacher. I learned so much from Angie Dickison and Don Fumo about parenting and marriage. Angie gave each of her kids $100 each month and from that they had to buy everything they needed: lunch, clothes, gas, meals and movies out with friends, etc. Angie taught me that I should never ever go anywhere without my make-up and hair done. Don wasn't so outright in his life lessons to me. He just modeled great marriage and family values. One day I was teasing him about his wrinkled shirt and said, "Don't you have an iron?" He said he didn't feel like ironing his shirt that morning. I replied, "Well, don't you have a wife?" to which he responded that it was not her job to iron his clothes. I took that lesson very well and haven't ironed anything for my husband either. For most of the time I knew him, Don drove an old beat up car with plastic in the back window so that his wife could drive the nicer car. He made sacrifices that most men would be embarrassed to make. He taught part time at Central Piedmont during the school year so he could be home with his kids during the summer. Donna, his wife, worked 9-2 at the bank so she could be home when the kids went to school and when they got off the bus. They saved up for a pop up camper to use on family vacations. I would always tell Don how much I admired the way they lived and how they were one family that had their priorities straight. Don would always laugh his quiet, humble laugh, but what I said is so true. I have always respected how they put family at the top of their priority list and lived within their means. They didn't even have cell phones until their oldest son started driving.
This morning after hearing of his accident, I began to call my friends from East Meck who aren't at the school anymore. We are all in shock and bewilderment. Mary Lou was in utter disbelief. Niva burst into tears as I gave her the news. We all want to do something, but are at a loss as to what we can do. I talked to my friend Chris for a long time. He said he always told Don that he was the richest person he knew and Don always laughed it off. Chris said, "Don had a wife who loved him, 3 children who were well-behaved and grounded, a career he loved and great friends." How can you get any richer than that? Chris said he was lucky to meet him and grateful to have known him. I echo those thoughts.
Last Memorial Day, the old East Meck gang got together at the Fumos for a barbecue. It was a ton of fun and laughs and really the last time all of us were together. I am hoping to reunite our group at the little Mexican restaurant Don introduced us to 13 years ago on a teacher workday. It became the norm that we would go there on teacher workdays. Don was our quiet leader and I'd like us to celebrate his life.