One man's influence

It's a common truth that educators can hugely influence the trajectory of their students' lives. It's a similarly common truth that many of those students may not fully appreciate that influence until years later.

One of my mentors was a man named Arthur. Interestingly, he wasn't my teacher. He didn't even work at my school. See, I attended the St. Laurent campus of Herzliah High School, while Arthur worked as headmaster at the Snowdon branch. I knew of him long before I actually knew him. But as graduation approached and life decisions began to be made, I somehow found myself meandering through the halls of the "other" campus, talking to the guy who knew more about navigating post-secondary life than anyone I've met since.

His raison d'etre, it seemed, was to take every student under his wing and make sure we had everything we needed to kick it in our post-secondary career. He didn't just answer questions and provide pithy advice. He knew people at every school no matter where it was. Knew what they liked and didn't like. Knew how to talk to them. Knew how to write the perfect application letter to convince them to say yes. Knew when to suggest an alternative course of action if he felt you needed a nudge.

He was always there, too, never too busy to answer the phone or sit down with you if you dropped in unannounced. Never too preoccupied with the typical priorities of a senior administrative and academic leader to set everything aside and do whatever he felt you needed him to do. In Yiddish parlance, a mensch.

Largely because of him, I gained the confidence to ask questions, push myself into new academic and professional directions, and challenge myself to roll the dice even if others questioned my logic. I learned from him that the final choice is always yours.

Arthur Candib passed away this week after a long illness. When I opened up the e-mail from the alumni office, my heart sank. The simple dynamics of ages and generations teach us that we'll ultimately lose those who have guided us, but that doesn't make it any easier to swallow. The world lost a great man this week, a man who laid down roots within countless generations of students, all of whom have gone on to influence, improve and repair the world in their own unique way.

As the husband of a teacher, I appreciate deeply the influence that teaching souls like Mr. Candib (also known as "The Ace" to many who so often watched him hit it out of the park on their behalf) have on those lucky enough to cross their path. It's among the most precious of all legacies, because it continues to bear fruit long after the master has left us.

May his family derive comfort from all that he accomplished in his life. May his memory always be a blessing.

Your turn: Who influenced you? How/why?

Related links:

• Gazette obit
• Paperman's notice