In Remembrance of James Marry

On June 27, 2007, I attended a visitation for a former high school teacher of mine, James Marry, who died on June 24, 2007 at the age of 72. There was a very long line at the visitation, which did not surprise me at all.

I had James Marry for psychology in the 1979-1980 school year. I remember him as an extraordinary teacher. He was always very warm and friendly, with a wonderful sense of humor. I remember when our class took a field trip to the Zeller center. The students kept asking if we could stop at McDonald’s on the way back and Mr. Marry kept shaking his head and saying, “No, we’re not going. We can’t stop. We have to get back to school.” Then suddenly the bus turned into the McDonald’s parking lot. He loved to set us up like that.

But what made him an excellent teacher was the way he held his students to high standards and both pushed and inspired us to meet those standards. I’ve had some teachers who were nice people but whose classes were so undemanding, I just breezed through them. Those are not the teachers you value as you get older. Getting an “A” in James Marry’s class gave a student a feeling of real accomplishment. Taking his psychology class influenced me to get my bachelor’s degree in psychology. And when I became a high school teacher myself, I realized how much preparation and hard work it took for him to maintain those standards in a classroom.

After James Marry and his wife Christine (who I had for P.E.) retired, I saw them frequently at bookstore where I work (after retiring from teaching a few decades early). I so enjoyed seeing them both and it makes me sad that I will not see Mr. Marry coming in the store anymore. But as one of his former students, I’m proud to be part of his legacy.