Todd’s Take: Farewell, Mr. G — A Tribute To My Fifth-Grade Teacher

I take the Sunday paper at my house (yes, I'm old school that way.) I'm now at the age (45) where I check the obituaries to see if there is anyone I know or know of via friends and family.

Yesterday, I was saddened to see that one of the more influential school teachers I ever had passed away.

His name was Ron Galbreath, but I knew him as "Mr. G."
He was my 5th grade teacher at Apple Valley Elementary for the 1981-82 school year.

He gave me a lot of confidence in myself at a time when I needed it. I was always one of the littlest kids in my class. He was short fellow as well and I think he knew what that was like at an age where kids can be pretty cruel to one another.

He threw me and my classmates innumerable football passes at recess. He'd even wager with me on outcomes of Sonics/Blazers & Cowboys/49ers games and pay up his losses by taking us to Dairy Queen for sundaes.

He would read aloud to his class "Where The Red Fern Grows" each year and he would visibly be brought to tears -- just like the rest of us.

He taught us math by taking us to the "horse racing track" -- basically, a dice game that taught us odds and probability.

I ran into him and his wife Angela at Jackson's in Terrace Heights a few years ago where he, like me, was there to watch our beloved Washington Huskies football team. I don't think he was capable of recognizing me anymore.  As I read in his obit, Mr. G had a long battle with Lewy Body Dementia. It made me sad because I will not soon forget him.

R.I.P, Mr. G
Go Dawgs!