My memories of Liberty

Posted by melissa on July 15th, 2007 filed in liberty

The first time I saw Liberty was in my DOC class for Thurgood Marshall College. He always looked so mysterious, with his long dreadlocks and black jacket. I always wondered what was going through his mind, but let my thoughts pass in order try and focus on lecture instead. I had heard that Liberty was the hardest of the DOC TAs, so when I found out I would be in his section for DOC 3, I was initially a little intimidated. On our first day of class, Liberty barely introduced himself before jumping into the material. I could tell that he was very intent on our contribution to the section and his reputation as a tough TA was warranted. I remember getting my first paper of the quarter back with a grade was less than happy with. I decided that I needed to talk to Liberty in office hours. It turns out this was one of the smartest things I ever did. We ended up talking about my paper for over an hour. Although I was still dissatisfied with my grade, I ended up leaving feeling convinced that it was what I deserved. Liberty had a way of being persuasive when you least expected it. I knew Liberty was not unfair. On the contrary, he believed in reason and justice. Moreover, he believed in the potential of his students. He pushed us all to be more critical, more passionate, and in the end better students and better people. After visiting Liberty for many hours, I left the class feeling satisfied with myself and feeling like a gained a new friend.

After leaving DOC 3, I still saw Liberty pretty regularly, although our meetings were never planned. We would run into each other while walking to class and exchange friend smiles and hellos. I remember seeing him in the library often, where we would give each other best wishes with studying and endless papers. Those were all great memories, but my favorite meetings were on Friday afternoons. I had booked a concert series called F12, featuring mostly local bands. Each week, Liberty never failed to attend. He would sit on the patio, tapping his foot with a approving smile. It didn’t really matter what kind of music was being played. I think Liberty just liked the idea of creative, passionate people doing what they loved, although I never asked. At the end of each show he would tell me good job and ask about the next weeks performance. I always ended up felling proud, believing that I had Liberty’s approval of my work.

Even though we were not very close, Liberty has had a great impact on my life. I’m proud to say that I knew him and only maintain good memories of his company. His encouraging words and kind smile will stay with me.

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