From: Bill Olsen
Sent: Wednesday, June 05, 2013
To: Walt (Russ) Reston
Subject: Former EHS Teacher Mary Dorn
Russ I saw this on FB – can it be posted on the EHS 62 site? Thanks.
Hello,
My name is Jeff DelRossi. I did not attend Everett High. I am actually a Melrose High grad currently living in Wilmington.
However, I wanted to make you aware of a very sweet person I met today, of all places at the Sunrise Assisted Living Center in Lynnfield MA. I am a contractor doing business with management there and while waiting for my contact, had a conversation with a very sweet woman named Mary Dorn.
Through our conversation I learned that she spent much of her teaching career at Everett High. I believe she had mentioned 30 or so years were spent there teaching Spanish.
It broke my heart to see this 94 year old, quick witted, friendly woman have tears roll down her face as she tells me that she is all alone with no family to speak of and has attempted multiple times to reach out to the Everett High offices to ask if anyone would like to visit her. She has never received a response back, only empty promises given to her over the phone that they will “pass on the message”. She now spends her days thinking that no one cares and that she never touched the lives of any of her students.
As she cried, I tried to console her and to explain that she IS important and that people do care, and assured her of the lives she has touched and unfortunately we all get caught up in what we call LIFE and some of the important things that we should pay attention to, get lost in the shuffle.
I quickly realized at the moment those words were leaving my mouth, that I would be no better than the person on the phone that gave her empty promises if i didn’t write this and that I, too was going to leave her with empty hope.
I feel compelled to make sure her message gets to you in the hopes that she can connect with past students or possibly past co-workers and for you to be able to share with her how she made a lasting impression on you.
If you want to see tears of absolute, pure joy that you can bring to someone by having as simple as a ten minute conversation like I did, I will tell you that Mary quickly put my fast paced life into perspective and moved me to not only write this but to think about the people in my life that have shaped who I am and make sure that they know of my appreciation and that I DO care.
I am asking that you please consider paying it forward (or back) however you may look at it to a woman that seems very deserving of it. I know that it will be a very moving experience for both of you and one that you will never forget.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Jeff DelRoss