Posted by Sarah S. on April 27, 2001 at 14:01:06 from 128.205.124.4 :
I'll never forget the first day of class with Ed Powell. There I was, a cocky sophomore who'd grown up on the streets of New York City, and of course, that meant that I knew it all. Little did I know that three failed autobiographical attempts and one semester later, I was STILL learning what life was really all about. I'm not one of those people who needs to be encouraged all that much to open her mouth, in fact it's always been hard to get me to shut up. But for once, Ed managed to do just that, allowing me to open my eyes and mind to things that were always there, but I had somehow never seen. Usually when people disagree with me in class I simply shoot them down with a tongue that can most certainly be a lot harsher than my small frame would have them believe. But there was something different about Ed's way of getting the point across- somehow he managed to argue with you just enough to get you thinking, questioning those beliefs that you thought were stuck in your brain so tightly. Though gone, Ed will live on in my mind and heart forever as one of the first professors to ever make my face red with frustration, and my mind open to any and all suggestion; and one of the first professors to believe that even if he disagreed with what I had to say, standing up for it was more important than getting a grade on a piece of paper. I'll never forget, Ed, how you believed in me during times when you couldn't possibly understand how important that was. Thanks, Ed...
-Sarah S. Sidar
UB Student