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| By Billy (Mark) Rotter '86 |
I FELT I HAD NOT LEARNED MUCH BEING A NEW COLLEGE GRADUATE IN 1986 – LOOKING BACK OVER MY SHOULDER, I SEE TEXAS LUTHERAN TAUGHT ME A LOT. IT’S NOT THE “SPIT BACK A FACT” TEACHING THAT I HAD EXPERIENCED AT OTHER SCHOOLS. TLU IS DIFFERENT. A STUDENT LEARNS HOW TO THINK, NOT JUST MEMORIZE FACTS. I was a psychology major and took many classes with Dr. Hiner and Dr. Maroldo. They told students what they needed to hear, not want they wanted to hear. Dr. Maroldo did not care if a student was naturally smart. It was more important to have the strength to stick with something. She called this “sticktoitveness.” Prof. Vela armed me with an open mind and a nonjudgmental heart. I am Lutheran but was active in the Catholic Student Organization because of its sponsors – Dr. Sieben and his family, who were caring, patient, and compassionate.
I transferred to Texas Lutheran in 1984. Kraushaar Hall was my new home and Sonny Puckett my new assigned roommate. Sonny had to leave TLU in his earlier college years. He had cancer. In the spring of 1984 he stopped all forms of treatment and returned to Texas Lutheran that fall. Dr. Bier was his idol, and Sonny’s dream was to be Charles Puckett, M.D. He was full of life and reminded me of a character that would have been in the movie “Animal House.”
As the trees slowly dropped their leaves that fall, Sonny slowly stopped attending classes – not because he did not want to. He could not. The cancer was spreading. Sonny had no car and limited funds, and we spent many nights in the emergency room.
Living with a dying roommate is different than living with an ill family member. You extend compassion because it is the right thing to do. We did not hang out much around campus – I had my own friends and activities – but Sonny always had a fire and spirit about him and wished the best for everyone. He was always interested in how my classes were going or how my day went. Guilt would come over me for having a good day. I tended to talk things down. There were times I was overwhelmed with the living situation.
In the middle of the night in December of 1984, Sonny woke me up and said he was tired and just wanted to go home. I was still sleepy and told him I would not make it back for class in the morning. He spoke again. His words cut through the darkness. His words cut through me. “I am dying, I cannot go on. It’s time to go home.”
By 5 p.m. that afternoon the last of his belongings were loaded in his mother’s car. No one said much about his leaving. I was away the following year during the January-term, “Interim,” when Sonny passed away. When I heard, I don’t remember my reaction except I knew he was at peace.
That was 25 years ago. Sonny has been gone longer than he was here. This is my first time to reflect on that experience, and only now am I beginning to understand what I have learned from it and how it changed me. Dr. Maroldo, on the first day of PSY 331, Learning and Cognition, asked us the definition of “learning.” Each of the upper-level psychology students gave long, elaborate answers. After the last student spoke, Dr. Maroldo with a few short words said, “Learning is a change in behavior.”
Texas Lutheran changed me. I learned the most I ever had – not just facts. Facts change through time; knowing how to think does not. I was not handed a fish. I was taught how to fish. I am still learning these lessons 25 years later. I accept being told what I need, not what I want. I live with an open mind and nonjudgmental heart. I act and use the facts. I show patience and compassion without taking the dignity of others. Above all I have “sticktoitveness.”
Texas Lutheran, I offer my gratitude and thanks.
Billy Rotter today: Raising funds for cancer patients Billy Rotter is an artist, working in sculpture, pen and ink, and mosaic. His work, represented by various fine art galleries and exhibited throughout the country, reflects his Western heritage and love of cowboy boots. He and his wife, Sabina Perotte Rotter ’86, live in rural Texas.
But for years, the other side of Billy has been caring for the sick. He is now a lab supervisor at a 185-bed hospital, where he sees patients and their families struggle to hold their lives together.
Last October, Rotter created a special mosaic piece to help raise money for the Meyer family whose daughter, Jenna, was fighting cancer. The piece, with a yellow ribbon and hearts on a boot, was very meaningful to Rotter – and to Jenna and her family, who own Corral Western Wear Store in Rosenberg. When Rotter walked in to Jenna’s benefit with 3,000 people in attendance, he saw his piece front and center.
“I’ve been to my own art openings in New York City, but I’ve never been so honored. This blew me away. I felt like the art that I created had more of a purpose than just to be decorative,” he said.
The Meyer family was so touched by the piece that they wanted to keep it. Rotter quickly agreed and instead gave a certificate for another piece to be auctioned off for the benefit. It raised $1,000.
“When you do these things, it gets real emotional,” he said. “People were coming up to me asking me to do more pieces. And I had this idea to donate money from boot art to pediatric cancer patients. Before I knew it, the idea had taken off like wildfire.”
Rotter has set up a charitable foundation, “Boots to Heal, from Souls Who Care,” that gives money to families of children with cancer to help them cope with the everyday expenses not covered by insurance. M.D. Anderson Cancer Center has approched his charity, and he is now working with it as well.
Rotter is planning a national fundraising event for his charity. With sponsorships from Lucchese, Stetson, and BullsEye Boots, “Boots to Heal, 2009 National Juried Cowboy Boot Art Competition-Event-Sale” will be Oct. 24-Nov. 14 at the Morton Street Gallery in Richmond, Texas. Students and professional artists nationwide are invited to enter fine art featuring the cowboy boot. T.O. Stanley will be a special guest judge selecting “The Soul of the Boot Award.” Proceeds from the sale of the artwork will be donated to the charity. ♦
Boots to Heal
Boots to Heal,
from Souls who Care.
Your cross alone,
you should not bear.
Sun and Moon; Stars at night,
will shine on you through this tough fight.
Standing Tall in Boots so Proud,
stacked heel of wood and hide of cow.
Remember when those first steps took.
How you felt. How you looked.
A new pair of Boots to become your friend,
a dear close friend to the very end.
Daily armor protecting your foot,
the sole baring the weight of each step took.
Through all the rain and storms felt,
with Cowboy Spirit; Booted-Up and Buckled-Belt.
Looking straight; Head Held High,
your Soul Shines Strong through your eye.
There are times you feel all alone,
and times you just want to go home.
Being of tired flesh and bone,
Dear Child of God, on this walk you are Never alone.
On the longest of trails there are Souls who Care,
the weight of your cross will feel like air.
by Billy Rotter
For more information visit www.boots2heal.com “First Person” is an original, personal piece about any topic, written by a student, faculty or staff member, alumnus or friend of TLU. To contribute or for more information contact the Torch editor at 830-372-8049 or khughes@tlu.edu.
