“And when the One Great Scorer comes
To write against But how you played the game.”
I once heard a preacher say that the Book of Life fan will have not only a record of the good deeds of his lifetime but also a record of the good that results from his influence on the lives of others continuing through the years long after the Christian’s death. If this be true, entries in the Book of Life for Mrs. Ora Felton Goza will continue to be made through ages to come.
Bricks and mortar do not a school make; it is the people, faculty and students, who care and share to make a brighter future for all. My association with Mrs. Ora Felton was in four areas: in the Houston High School building that burned in 1973, as a Latin student for two years and as a fellow teacher for several years, as a fellow Christian and member of Houston First Baptist Church, and , through all these years, as a very dear friend.
Those of us fortunate enough to sit at the feet of this master teacher know that she taught by precept and example as well as by word, that her stern countenance as a keeper of order in the study hall was for the good of all, that discipline meted out by her was to teach us respect for authority and help us develop our own self-discipline, that the Ten Commandments and pictures of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln on the walls of the study hall spoke in silence of loyalty to God and country, that the sparkle in her eyes and the big smile of approval came spontaneously when merited. She believed with Robert Burns that “a man’s reach should exceed his grasp, else what’s a heaven for?” And her years of teaching were dedicated to inspiring young people to set high goals and to strive always to be the best of whatever they chose to become.
Caesar, chariots and Roman gods and goddesses became a part of our lives as we laboriously conjugated verbs and learned feminine, masculine and neuter genders in Latin. No other one class in all my years as a student has contributed more to my academic background, my enjoyment of words and definitions, my analytical mind, and my teaching style than those two years of Latin; I share this with every class I teach. One of my favorite songs at Christmas is “Adeste Fidelis” because it brings back a very fond memory of that Christmas long ago when “Miss Felton” and her four little Latin students gathered around the piano in the north wing of the auditorium and sang Christmas songs in Latin. My life has been much enriched by these experiences.
In recent years my students and I have visited Dyer Manor at Christmas. Each time I have told my students and Ms. Goza again how much her Latin has influenced my life and my teaching. Although the sparkle in her eyes had dimmed somewhat with the years, the friendly smile and words of encouragement continued to display her love and concern for young lives. And the students are always touched by that visit with her.
And so the Book of Life for Mrs. Ora Felton Goza will read, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.” And from beyond the grave, she looks back and beckons “Adeste Fidelis – O come, all ye faithful!” A preacher once described heaven as a place where Christians would be doing what they enjoyed because it was a place of happiness, and so I picture in my mind that one day Mrs. Goza and I will be fellow teachers again, teaching classes of little angels!
Penned with affection by Omega Blanton
Suggested by Rose Nichols
Approved by Rayburn Sanderson
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