Thank You, Mr. Ford

THANK YOU MR. FORD

I have learned—and forgotten—many things in my life. Guess it started with Mother defining words and diagramming sentences on the windshield of the car as we drove to football games. One particular learning moment sticks out for me. It was the first time I realized that science lay at the intersection of mathematics and nature. In many ways, that moment has framed my life’s work. It was a moment of intellectual awakening that still keeps me up at night.

Thank you Mr. Ford!

I have no idea why you decided to show our eighth grade math class the film on the discovery of the speed of sound. What was your inspiration? Maybe you knew I was bored. Maybe you needed the time to grade papers. Maybe they sent you the film by mistake. Maybe no one else remembers it, but it was a defining moment for me.

Part of the thrill was the speed and the math and the mathematization of space and time. Part of the power was that something was unknown then it was known. Part was that I didn’t understand and then I did. That day I learned that nature was knowable, and even I could come to know it.

I didn’t become an aeronautical engineer or applied mathematician or jet pilot, but I did learn to challenge my own assumptions, to explore different ways of knowing, and to engage in inquiry of nature in the company of others.

Thanks!