Mr. Berkowitz had a real impact, you can tell

I didn’t have Stephen Berkowitz’s classes in high school.

But after reading the tributes to him on the obituary page, I sure wish I had.

I noted one person lamenting that he didn’t take the time to send Mr. Berkowitz a note, saying how much he appreciated his effort. It’s a common lament, I suppose. None of us says “thank you” often enough.

But one of the few times I did was after I graduated from high school. I sent notes to Lois Owen and Bill Johnson, my sophomore English and junior year chemistry teachers. They both wrote back and said how much they appreciated the effort. (Of course, my selection overlooked a dozen other wonderful teachers, but …)

If you have kids graduating from high school, recommend they attempt this little effort. They’ll feel good afterwards — for years.