I have so enjoyed our correspondence during the past couple of years and learning about your life after CHS.  You continue to be a remarkable and dynamic man, active in mind and body, and worthy of all the respect your have garnered over the years.

When I look back on my years at Chatham High School, remembering several teachers brings a smile.  However, you are the one teacher who truly influenced my life and instilled in me the self-confidence to stand up and speak in front of a group, the ability to lose myself completely in a character’s personality and not to worry about appearing “silly” in front of an audience.  While being a member of your Speech Class in high school was a most enjoyable and beneficial experience, I value even more the adventure of performing on the stage (something I NEVER thought I could do) under your direction in the Chatham Summer Theater.  What joyful experiences were offered by those two summers!!  I will never forget your generosity in direction and the consistent humor you showed in the face of what must have been a rather frustrating task…trying to turn a bunch of college students into Thespians….

Every time I stand in front of a group to speak, whether it be a class of students or gathering of business colleagues or even fellow Town Committee members, I hear your voice in my ear, offering encouragement and direction.  Thank you for a life skill, Dr. Kushner, made even more special by your impassioned teaching skills and your love of the theater.

I will look forward to keeping in touch and hearing about more of your grand adventures.

With respect and fondness,

Dee Martin Montgomery

Class of 1963