There’s a huge hole on this campus left by the death of Allen Ford. Or perhaps that’s the wrong metaphor. Because, for me, Allen is still everywhere.

I remember every morning arriving on campus at 6:30 in the morning, there he was raising the flag, with such dignity, like it was a sacred ritual. Ford seemed to treat everything in life with grace, respect and love.

When you needed something for your classroom, he would gently hold down the minute hand of time, to truly address the need and how he could help you. It seemed to all matter to him — people, the grounds, the objects inhabiting the grounds.

There are so many memories. I remember when the air conditioning in my room went down. Until it went back up he was in my room daily, asking me if anyone had come to fix it, wondering how I was holding up.

Ford was the saint of Daniel Pearl Magnet High School and we were his flock. As his flock, there were times we needed to be reminded of our moral responsibilities.

On the afternoon before vacation breaks, the staff would meet in the cafeteria. The moment we were about to stand and leave for our cars, there would be Ford, standing at the doorway, reminding us that we had a responsibility with our time to reconnect with the people we love, because life is short and unpredictable.

The earth was a masterpiece to Mr. Ford that demanded respect.

Sometimes I would throw out paper in my garbage can, only to find it on my desk the next day, and Mr. Ford would speak to me later in the day, reminding me to recycle.

Another time I was sitting on a cafeteria table talking to students—my air conditioning was down and we needed a cool place for my classes.

Ford approached me and asked to speak to me outside the cafeteria. In the hallway, he said, “I tell the same thing to our students. We want these tables around for as long as possible, and so let’s take care of them and find a chair to sit in.”

Mr. Ford was concerned about the longevity of all. It was a gift of love, and now we all fill this void and become shared stewards of our campus.

Ronald Baer is an English teacher at DPMHS