My cousin Adam told me at Christmas that my AP English teacher had cancer and was out of class. My friend, who had him the following year and whose sister was also in his class this year, just sent me a text message to let me know he passed away this morning.
Mr. Fullington was such an amazing man. Down to earth, and very realistic about the fact that as Seniors, high school students are slammed with college applications, and all sorts of things. He was gracious with homework, very encouraging, and quite fun for literary debates.
I told him I felt I did not need to be In Advanced Placement English. He laughed at me, read a paper I wrote, and said, “With a few grammar studies, Lu (he called me that because he was tickled at the British term for the toliet being loo–and wanted to make me smile because I hated it) you’ll be a fantastic writer, and you already are an amazing young woman.”
Through him, I learned so much about so many literary classics–1984, Frankenstein, and Crime and Punishment–and found inspiration. There are several teachers I had over the course of the years that I could not stand. Mr. Fullington was always at the top of my list of favorites with another teacher I had my senior year, who also was pulled away from her teaching career by cancer.
He had never read Pride and Prejudice. We decided to read it as a class. At the end, after we all complained, he apologized for making us suffer through it. We also stopped reading Sons and Lovers, which I continued to read on my own, because he didn’t like it. 
When I was in his course, Mr. Rogers passed away. Fullington made us all sing the “Won’t You Always Be My Neighbor” song, because he knew we all grew up watching his show. If I could, I’d walk in his classroom tomorrow, and sing a modified version of this song just for him.
Though you’ll never read this, Marty–thank you, for giving me the courage to eventually start a career as a freelance writer. I’d hate to see what you have to say about some of my work, but, I am greatly saddened by the fact that you’ll never have a chance to speak of it at all.
My heart goes out to the Fullington Family and all of the students who loved him as much as I did.
Filed under: Writing | Tagged: Goodbyes, Inspiration, Teachers
