CAPE UPDATE: LOSS OF FRIEND EVIDENCE OF A VIOLENT SOCIETY

On Monday, Feb. 7, just two weeks and one day ago, an ex-teacher shot and killed Jim Adams, superintendent of Lee County, Fla., schools. Obviously the community of Fort Myers was shocked at such a violent act.

I first met Jim while we both served as district administrators approximately 50 miles from each other in Indiana. Jim served as superintendent of Indianapolis schools, while I served as assistant superintendent in Brown County, Ind. The ex-teacher who murdered Dr. Adams and later walked out of the Lee County administration building and killed himself was attempting to regain a teaching position with the Lee County schools for the fourth time.

Larry Shelton, the ex-teacher who turned homicidal, had resigned from Lee County schools, and had resigned teaching positions in Florida, Ohio and Missouri.

To the families of the two educators the reasons and the events leading up to the tragic act appear unimportant. Now two individuals, who had so much to give to the children and to the future of their community, are lost forever. I'm sure the clarion sound of "why?" echoes in the minds of family and friends. Why Jim? Why Larry? Why couldn't something have been done to prevent such a tragedy?

Similar questions were probably asked this week in Cape Girardeau with the death of Michael Davis. While the circumstances are different as are the events leading to the tragic act, the result is the meaningless loss of another life. This time the death of a student: a student nearing graduation, a student prepared to exit college and enter the competitive workforce. Michael Davis was ready to contribute to a community and give back to society what we all had collectively invested in him.

As a society we obviously take the issue of life too much for granted; thereby these acts against life, resulting in the cold reality of death, have lost their full significance. We continue to live with the myth that it will always happen to someone else or to some other family. The harsh reality is we all suffer the same loss.

While the law and medical officials bring closure to these cases with the proper report filings, others will wish to affix blame. This blame or responsibility is only meaningful if it serves to save other lives and to stop the violence we face today in our communities. The United States has long been recognized as a nation of great resources. The resource of our people, and especially our young people, has been ignored if not totally negated.

In 1983, a publication entitled "A Nation At Risk" declared a crisis in American education which threatened the future of our nation. Today, our most precious resources and our future are being robbed from this nation in the form of violence and crime.

While nothing will serve to bring back these outstanding people, if their deaths can serve a purpose then let them serve to send a clear message to this nation to stop the violent acts which kill. As a nation we are not strong enough morally, spiritually nor economically to withstand these acts without it threatening our future.

Neyland Clark is superintendent of Cape Girardeau public schools.