MR. NELSON

When Mr. Nelson was just Richard, he graduated from high school a year early. At 17 he matriculated at a small liberal arts college. He received a bachelor’s degree, with an undistinguished thesis. He left town for 2 years, and received a master’s degree. Immediately after writing a second thesis, he received a call from a former professor who said that the college was in dire need to fill a professor position, and that he should interview immediately. The hiring committee was uniformly unimpressed as Mr. Nelson lumbered about the lectern. A few days later he was offered the position because no one else was available. This fact was made clear to him.

Mr. Nelson had taught at the college for 26 years. He taught Greek and poetry, and it was rumored though unconfirmed that he wrote an important book on pathology.
Mr. Nelson often had scars from where he would fall while doing home improvement projects. He always had spackle on his elbows. Some thought he was sick.

He liked to talk about how Charles De Gaulle retired to Colombey-les-Deux-Eglises. It was a small town in the east of France, and De Gaulle translated Aeschylus in a small study. Mr. Nelson loved to recount this fact. Because it showed that every great man’s life eventually converged with his own. Mr. Nelson had effectively retired at age 17, and worked on his Greek. So had De Gaulle. And this relayed fact was essential for him to label his life good.