Magnanimous in spirit, you give without measure, shaping minds with grace.
In quiet strength, your presence steadies the English Department’s scholarly pulse.
Language itself seems kinder when spoken through your thoughtful guidance.
Dedication marks your days, a testament to love for both words and people.
Resilience defines you—firm yet gentle, principled yet compassionate.
Every lesson you share becomes a bridge between intellect and humanity.
Deep in our hearts, with sadness I recall moments when absence felt unthinkable.
Blessed are we, for God, in wisdom, placed you where your light could serve many.
Despite change that tempts us to rescind what time has altered, gratitude remains.
Amid shared laughter and quiet counsel, friendship grew sincere and enduring.
You are a moonlight flower beauty, calm, luminous, and quietly rare.
Appreciation rises not only for what you do, but for who you are.
Praise be to God for sending you to us—our colleague, our friend, our gift.
Loving Day
When Richard and Mildred fell in love,
their fate was decided by a judge.
For he was white and she was black,
their marriage broke Virginia's Integrity Act.
Forced to move to Washington DC,
they opposed the ruling in 1963.
In 1967, a supreme court ruled that Richard and Mildred Loving could live together,
as an interracial married couple in their own state of Virginia,
and declared that the law prohibiting this was unconstitutional.
June 12 is National 'Loving Day', when many Americans continue to celebrate the freedom to marry a person of another race.
Festivals, barbecues, parties are held,
to show that love knows no bound.
Here lie the remains of Mildred McBreck
She perished in a horrible car wreck
Seems her breaks failed on a curve
Sending her into an uncontrollable swerve
And that was the last of Mildred McBreck
Written June 23, 2022
Mildred fled when Joe asked her if she
would let him see 'below' for a fee.
As she shot to a run
though, thread caught and unspun...
So instead, Joe got showed it for free!
I wish I had just one more day,
to say the things I wish to say.
To walk along behind your wheelchair;
How you could out run me just wasn’t fair.
Have our morning coffee; sit and chat,
once again call you an old senile bat.
Millie, I always admired your will to fight.
Talking with you made everything all right.
Funny how nature’s rules centrist and bend;
Millie you were much more than my friend.
You were the mother I so long ago lost,
you taught me how to face and pay life’s cost.
You were always there to lend me an ear;
offer advice, which I shall hold forever dear.
I will miss your voice; raspy from the smokes,
you were one of a kind who loved to tell jokes.
We found my family and we found your son;
two wonderful things, which we got done.
Millie you may have passed but this is no lie,
up inside of my heart you could never die.
The message behind all of these tears I cry;
I will see you later, I will never say goodbye.
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