cancersucks

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Celebrating a great teacher

Yesterday was bittersweet for me.

Rose Sunday is one of my favorite traditions, but another event followed it: Dr. Hokanson’s memorial.

Saying goodbye is hard–even if you know someone’s a Christian.

ChrisHokansonDr. H’s memorial, though, was the best one I have ever attended. I know that’s a weird statement to make, but it’s true.

We focused on the lessons Dr. H left us, lessons that are very much alive and well.

Dr. Hokanson’s brother, Charles, gave the greatest eulogy I have ever heard.

We learned more about Dr. H by listening to his brother share precious memories with us. 

I walked away from the memorial with two thoughts:

  1. Am I using the gifts God’s given me?
  2. Am I encouraging others to do the same?

Because Dr. Hokanson did both of these things quite well.

And that’s all we talked about, really.

These two themes that made up Dr. H’s every day life.

The memorial was brimming with hope, with life.

Yes, I’m still a little angry that cancer took away such a great man too early.

But I know Dr. H is in Heaven, hanging out with Jesus. The pain is softened when I think about how much fun he’s having.

Plus, if Jane Austen’s there (I’m sure she is) he’s probably having tea with her right now.

His scones were the best too!

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Remembering a great teacher

One of my former English professors passed away. He was battling multiple myeloma (cancer of the blood plasma).

Dr. Chris Hokanson was a great man and a wonderful teacher.

At first he intimidated me because of his credentials:

B.A., Stanford University
M.Ed., Harvard; M.A.
Ph.D. Indiana University

My first thought was, “I’m going to fail a few classes this semester.”

I quickly discovered, though, that Dr. H wasn’t an academic elitist, ever boasting about his superior education.

He was a quiet, yet confident man who wanted all of his students to reach their full potential.

ChrisHokansonDuring class discussions, Dr. H made an effort to point out your good thoughts and comments. Sometimes he’d even say, “That would make a great topic for your paper!”

(Any time a professor says an idea is a good paper topic, you’d be foolish not to take the suggestion and run.)

Even when I turned in a horrible draft–probably written at 2 AM–for review, he never complained. Sure, he’d joke about the noticeably poor quality of my work, but he always ended by saying that it was well on it’s way to being a great paper.

Dr. H took an interest in his students’ lives beyond the classroom doors.

When my dad came to visit me at Judson (our first meeting), I was late turning in a paper–really, really late. Dr. H asked me how everything was going and offered me an extension.

I deserved an automatic “C” yet I was granted an extension…

Many Judson girls have similar stories. Whether it was a family crisis, sickness, or just general slacking, Dr. H was gracious. He always gave students the benefit of the doubt.

Judson College will not be the same without Dr. Hokanson. He will be greatly missed by faculty, staff, and students alike.