Monday's Man

I wish I could say my dad and I had a great relationship growing up, but I can’t.

He worked a lot, which meant he didn’t see his family much. I often would go to the convenience store he and my mom owned just to hang out as a way to spend a little time with him. I thought then the time meant more to me than it did him.

He was more consumed with paying bills than spending time with his children and enjoying life, it seemed.

There is only one knuckleball pitcher in the major leagues in 2012. He is Robert Allen Dickey, better known as R.A.

This 37-year-old pitcher has been experiencing success with the knuckleball since last year. He is 8-1 with the New York Mets and has the most wins of any pitcher on the team’s staff.

A Nashville native, he graduated from the University of Tennessee, where he was an English major. He made the U.S. Olympic team and won both games he pitched at the Olympics.

Creating a balance in his life, psychologist Rollin Rhodes has made time to do a number of things he enjoys, not the least of which is building and sailing full-size wooden boats.

Rhodes, who has his own practice and also works at Ireland Army Community Hospital, said he began crafting boats as an offshoot of his woodworking hobby. Boat building proved to be the most challenging of his woodworking projects.

“There’s nothing square about them,” he said.

Earlier this month, schools and communities around the country observed Teacher Appreciation Day.

Whenever I hear about a day such as this one or about educators who leave a lasting impact on students, my mind always turns to Mr. Bond and Ms. Foulds of good old Cornwall Collegiate and Vocational School at the corner of Fifth and Sydney streets.

And for much different reasons.

Mr. Bond was a slender man, with thick black framed glasses who smoked a lot. He cared about all of his students, it seemed, even me.