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Hail and Farewell: Joe McEachron
Note: I wrote this several years ago about the passing of Joe McEachron. During the last week, I have been worried about what is and is not being taught — specifically a decision to deemphasize or , frankly, to discourage the reading of a masterpiece of American Literature, namely “To Kill a Mockingbird.” Joe and I fought many battles over the years with admin and we stuck our necks out — and stuck together. I know Joe would be with me on this latest issue. If you did not know of Joe’s passing, this essay may come as a surprise. He was far too young and a man of integrity. He is missed.
So here is my original essay: I lost my ‘pal Joey’ this year — far too early in his life well lived. As the year ends, we see so many fond remembrances of those heroes past — famous ones, of course. But to those thousands of students, teachers, and friends, Joe will be sorely missed. And that is an understatement.
Joe and I worked at Mt. Carmel High School for 30+ years. Joe was Captain Radical to some, but he was no ordinary Joe to me. It’s hard to remember exactly when Joe and I joined forces as members of the Union to fight for and win concessions for wages and conditions. It’s just one day we looked at each other and said ,”We gotta piss some folks off; so much so they stop assuming we will just go along with the status quo (that was my language Joe…not so polite). So we did…
