Muncie Times, Muncie, Delaware County, 18 November 2010 — Page 4

Page 4 • The Muncie Times • November 18, 2010

continued from page 3 “Alan called me not too long ago saying that he was writing another book and wanted help. I told him, ‘OK I will be glad to do whatever I can.’ I never heard from him again. A friend from his church told me he had gone to his daughter's to live because he was very sick. Then I got the news that he had died. I will always remember Alan. “He did so much for the city and community of Whitely and 1 am sure that his former students and others that came in contact with him feel the same way. I loved him, but God loved him best.” One of Garringer’s students was Stephanie (Smith) Sanders. She said, “Alan was my 6th grade teacher at Longfellow Elementary School in 1960-1961. He was a young teacher and, as such, still excited about teaching. He passed that excitement on to our class. We were encouraged by him to learn and question what we learned, to determine if it was real or true. “Our class extended beyond the four walls. We took field trips and even created a game called stink pink, which we played on the local TV station. It was a word game, very simple. We had to say two words that rhyme and be able to spell them, I also remember that the words had to have at least four letters. “Alan showed an interest in us as people, not just students. He got 11 know our parents, our triends, our ene-

mies and he followed up on us as we grew into adults. After leaving Muncie, whenever I came home Alan and I would get together for lunch and just shoot the breeze. He often joked about being a poor (money wise) author, he would show me a paper clip and tell me that was a money clip for authors. “He was the kind of person that would correct your English as you spoke, forever the teacher. Alan enjoyed teaching, but I think he enjoyed seeing the results, knowing he made a difference. He often told us we could study for a test or learn the information for life, it was our choice. When one of us got in trouble he would ask what did you learn and how was what we learn going to make a difference in the way we lived our life. As 6th graders we got in trouble a lot, so we had a lot of life lessons. “I don't know how Alan will be remembered by others, but for me he will remembered as my favorite teacher and friend.” Garringer’s former students, brothers Jaralynn and Kent Blair, released this statement: “We are the children of John and Jackie Blair (deceased). Our mother, Jackie, worked with Mr G. at Longfellow, which is how we came to know him back in the 60's. At that time in Muncie, race relations were strained. As we shared at Mr. G's funeral, Mr. G was one of the first people that we felt welcomed us across

Dr. Robert Foster

the color barrier. He was a regular guest in our household, as we were in his. “We thought his kids, Karen and Lyle, were our family. With him there was no black or white. My best memory of Mr. G. was our greeting, me: ‘Mr. G. got a book?’ Him: ‘What, do I look like, a librarian?’ And with that, he would always have a book for me. In doing so, he instilled the importance of feeding my mind by reading. Mr. G. always invited and challenged you to use your mind. He always had time for you, he always engaged you in interesting conversation and activities. Mr. G. was a trailblazer and an activist, as he consistently reached across the color line and just saw people as people.

Mr. G. was a very inspiring, generous, loving individual.” Garringer was bom in Portland, Ind., on Aug. 9, 1932, to Walter F. and G. Vivian (Allbright) Garinger. He graduated from Portland High School in 1950. He served in the U.S. Army in Germany during the Korean War. Then he attended Ball State University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education in 1957 and a master’s in administration in 1961. He was a member of Friends Memorial Church in Muncie, a board member of Friends Preschool and a director and faculty member of the Midwest Writers Workshop. Garinger spent 27 years in the Muncie Community Schools as an elementary

teacher, principal, and community education director. He retired in 1984 to pursue a second career as a freelance writer. He wrote scripts and textbooks for Kentucky Educational Television, including the groundbreaking series “GED on TV.” He wrote the script for an award-winning PBS special, “A Good Beginning Has No End,” for Mississippi Educational Television. His books for youth include Water Monsters, Torch in the Darkness, the Jeremiah Stokely series, and Alone: The Journey of the Boy Sims, which was published in 2008. Mr. Garinger received numerous professional awards, most notably the Indiana Community Action Award for Outstanding Work in Human Rights, the Governor’s Pride Award for Environmental Action, the Indiana Outstanding Community Educator Award, and the Midwest Writers Dorothy Hamilton Award. Survivors include his daughter, Karen Garinger, Bloomington; granddaughter, Elizabeth Grooms, Bloomington; his sisters, Ardis Bailey, Selma; Katherine Michael, Harlingen, Texas; and Mignon Windmiller, North Manchester. He was preceded in death by his parents, his son, Lyle, and his high school sweetheart and wife of 46 years, Kathleen.