All I Ever Really Needed to Know I Learned in from Mr. Adolph

I was asked to return to my old high school last spring to make a few remarks about my Ag. Teacher and FFA Advisor from years ago. His name is Mr. Adolph Warren, and he taught me a great deal; much of which was foundational, preparatory, and necessary for what I learned later. So, I borrowed from author Robert Fulghum and shared these thoughts.

Most of what I really need to know about how to live, and what to do, and how to be, I learned from Mr. Adolph. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate school mountain, but there in the ag. shop at the back of the school.

These are the things I learned: Don’t take life too seriously, do your best and have a good time doing it. Put things back the way you found them and if you can, make things a little better. Clean up your own mess. Set goals and work hard to achieve them. Don't take things that aren't yours. The things that other people don’t want often have a lot of hidden value if you know how to look for it and take the time to find it. This is true of old trucks, tractors, cars, tools, and people; especially people. The simple way is usually the best way but rarely the easy way. Do the job right or don’t do it at all. Persistence in the face of adversity may not change things, but at least you can sleep at night.


Take time to spend with your family and always be willing to help a neighbor. Say your prayers, read your Bible, attend worship every Sunday, and try to live a good Christian life. When you go out into the world, give a good day’s work for a good day’s pay. Always stop and talk to a friend, or a stranger who might become your friend. Don’t be afraid to ask questions or watch skilled people work, you might just learn something. Don’t do business with dishonest people, but when you purchase something from an honest person, count every item, because people can make mistakes. Respect agriculture and natural resources and respect the people who work in it. Realize there are no dumb farmers; the dumb one’s all went broke a long time ago. A good shop student can learn to fix anything; anything except the break of dawn and a broken heart. Remember that everyone is good at something and no one is good at everything, the trick is finding your something and then go out and “do your thing.”

Everything you need to know is in there somewhere; the Golden Rule, love, basic sanitation, ecology, politics, economics, and sane balanced living.


Think of what a better world it would be if we all - the whole world - had taken an ag. class under Mr. Adolph. Or if we had a basic policy in our world to always put things back better than we found them and clean up our own messes. And it is still true, we are all good at something, now go out and “do your thing.”


Mr. Adolph, thank you for “doing your thing” well so that many of us could learn to do ours.