Hear more about Mr. Waldron here:
Throughout our lives, there are people we look up to as giants. Although he wasn’t very tall, Chad Waldron will always be remembered as one. Mr. Waldron didn’t earn giant status for any one thing he taught his students. He earned it by being a life-changing, community-shaping force for many at North Lake School. Diplomas, friendships, careers, and even significant others can be owed to Mr. Waldron for his work in and out of the ag room. I am just one of the students who owe him an unpayable debt. Here is how he shaped my life:
On a cold January day, I routinely walk into the North Lake agriculture room for class. When I walk through the door I see a group of classmates huddled around large boxes on a table near Mr. Waldron’s desk. Joining the group, I see they are filled with audio recording equipment. I ask Mr. Waldron why the equipment is in the ag room. He tells me he used grant money to purchase the equipment for an audio production project. With excitement, I ask if we can make a podcast with the new equipment. He says yes.
After a few days of figuring out where to plug in cords, we have a podcast studio. When it comes time to press record, Mr. Waldron and I are the only ones brave enough to speak into the microphone. We adopt the titles of host and co-host. We record a few simple news updates about North Lake FFA and the ag program. After a few episodes, we start interviewing guests. Guests include everyone from Mr. Waldron’s daughter, Raven, to state legislators. What begins as a fun project suddenly turns into a community news outlet.
School and life get turned upside down by the COVID-19 pandemic. Mr. Waldron and I realize the podcast can be a way to share news with the community in light of public places closing. Our first pandemic episode was with Mr. Kerr, North Lake’s superintendent. We continue to record episodes over the phone so community members can share their experiences in a locked-down world.
Despite the pandemic making Mr. Waldron’s life more stressful than ever as a teacher, he still loves recording podcasts. The project becomes a shining star when finding the bright side of anything is difficult. It is a dark time in life. I am in the minority of students who miss being in the classroom, especially the agriculture classroom. When school is cancelled so are FFA activities, the things I look forward to the most throughout the year. Dreams of running for State Office fade with each canceled event. In a world of cancellations, the podcast is one of the few things that keeps going.
When school reopens in the fall of 2020, I can stay online or attend two days per week. The podcast is motivation to come back to school. Throughout the fall I spend most of my school days working on the podcast. The passion I would have used for FFA is put to work interviewing community members and public officials with Mr. Waldron. When January rolls around I have to decide if I will chase the dream of state office or let it die like the FFA calendar. I ask Mr. Waldron if I should try to become a State Officer. He repeats the same word from almost exactly one year before: yes.
With Mr. Waldron’s support, the dream is revived. I spent the next two months preparing for an extensive virtual interview process. When the virtual interview process starts, Mr. Waldron unlocks the ag room on a weekend so I can use his computer’s reliable internet connection. When I make it to the election process, Mr. Waldron invites the chapter to watch me give my speech on the computer. When I get elected, Mr. Waldron stands behind my computer screen smiling.
If the pandemic was like a dark winter, the next year as an Oregon FFA State Officer is a warm, sunny spring. I meet my best friends, mentors, and find meaning and fulfillment that seems impossible after a year of cancelled events. State Office connects me to the scholarship that sends me to Oklahoma State. It will allow me to grow when I run for National FFA Office. It will even connect me to the girl I plan to marry someday. I now realize State Office was not the root of what I cherish. Mr. Waldron is.
Today, on May 24th, 2024, I recognize one man’s role in a chain of events. If it wasn’t for Mr. Waldron’s support, we wouldn’t have started or continued podcasting. If we weren’t podcasting I wouldn’t have returned to the ag classroom. If I hadn’t returned to the ag classroom or had Mr. Waldron’s support (again) I wouldn’t have ran for State Office. If I hadn’t become a state officer, my life wouldn’t be the same. Today, it’s hard for me to think of a single opportunity that doesn’t lead back to Mr. Waldron in one way or another. Last fall when I failed to become a National FFA Officer Mr. Waldron sent me this message:
“I’m very proud of you. You have represented well and have put North Lake on the map. It has been the talk of the town, and Oregon FFA all week.
Peace, Mr. Waldron”
I appreciated the message but he was wrong about one thing. I didn’t put North Lake on the map, he did. He was the foundation of my accomplishments, and I pale in comparison to his. What about the dozens of students Mr. Waldron inspired to graduate by breaking the monotony of common core education? What about North Lake’s commercial-grade meat lab? What about the careers in agriculture and mechanics that started in Mr. Waldron’s classroom? Fancy jackets are flashy, but graduates who left North Lake changed– as productive members of society– are infinitely more important. He did that.
Mr. Waldron, I’m proud of you. Rest in peace giant.
Proud of you, Justin. His impact through you allowed you to impact many. Thank you, Mr. Waldron.
Justin, this is a beautiful tribute to a great man. Chad Waldron was also a life-changing force for the teachers who had the pleasure of working with him. He will always be “fearless leader” to me.