JOE CASTLEN

I saw Joe Castlen today.
I first met him almost 40 years ago. He hired me for my first Special Education job. He and his wife, Elizabeth, immediately became two of my favorite people in the world. They remain so even now.
That first year of teaching was an experience. Our classroom was in the basement of the Beaver Dam Baptist Church. The school board declined to let us use a classroom. They did agree to let the children ride the bus to the high school. An uncle of one of my students volunteered to drive us the rest of the way to the church and pick us up in the afternoon. The school board allowed him to use his bus for this.
During that year Mr. Castlen was a constant support. He and Mrs. Castlen have a son with Down's Syndrome. After returning to school to complete my degree, I did my student teaching in Mrs. Castlen's classroom. She taught me many things about talking to parents and the things she told me helped me my entire teaching career.
I kept in touch with them, sent them cards, called them. They did the same. They came to visit us on occasion. After their trip to the Middle East they came to our house to eat and talk about Israel and Egypt. I was so happy to be in their company.
Mrs. Castlen died a few years ago. I hadn't seem him since. But today, there he was in Walmart.
He was in a wheelchair, strapped in, feeble but bright as a new penny. HIs eyes have not lost one bit of their sparkle, his voice has not changed.
I walked up to him and said, "Joe Castlen."
He looked up and said, "Well, yes."
Then he smiled and asked, "Are you who I think you are?"
I was given the most wonderful of gifts, I was able to tell him how much I like him, that he is my favorite person, and how much I respect him. He said I was putting him on a pedestal. I told him that I did that many years ago and had never taken him down.
We were happy to see each other. What a gift!