Friday, July 9, 2021
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As an innovative educational leader, Don was ahead of his time. As his great-niece and a teacher, I could not be more proud to say "I'm related to that man." As the patriarch of our family, Don is my Atticus Finch. Take a pencil and construct a family tree. Among those apples you will see that he is the uncle to my father, James. But it was so much deeper than that. Don had the strength to be the true father figure my own dad deserved. It was Don who taught my dad how to drive. It was Don who would pick up my father every morning, spending their days at school together. One as a principal, one as a thriving student. It was Don who was chosen to be the driver for my parents as they left the church as newly wedded husband and wife. Think of a man with incredible wit, intellect, humble charisma, a genuine interest in humanity, and a sentimental devotion to his family. That is Don, the North Star. Thank you Don for all the warm days at the lake; you created a place of pine trees and love. Thank you Don for all the luminous Christmas Eve nights we shared together. The mark you have left on your family and the world, is deeper than any inked tattoo. I think I had the best dad in the world. How did my father learn how to be a man? Don Sayles. I will forever love you Don.
