4 Spring 2012 Applegater
A tribute to Jeff Rumelhart
‘He taught me how strong I really am’
BY mArGArEt DELLA SANtiNA
On Saturday, March 24, Ruch
families and friends gathered at America’s
Best Karate in south Medford to celebrate
the accomplishments of Ruch students
earning a green or purple belt in Tae-
Kwon-Do. Since fall 2011, these students
worked under the masterful direction
of Jeff Rumelhart in after-school classes
at Ruch School, progressing from belt-
level to belt-level with increasing skill
and determination. At the end of the
March 24 test, which included a complex
36-move palge form that the students
executed smoothly and confidently, we
watched proudly as Mr. Rumelhart and his
assistants tied a new belt on each student.
Just a few days later, on Wednesday,
March 28, we were stunned and saddened
to learn of the death of Jeff Rumelhart,
an honorary member of the Ruch School
community. Mr. Rumelhart, who had been
undergoing treatments for leukemia for
some time, died from cardiac arrest after
complications with his blood levels.
Mr. Rumelhart took obvious pride
in his “Ruch satellite program.” He and
an assistant (often his daughter, who has
a black belt in Tae-Kwon-Do) drove out
to Ruch School two days a week to offer
a karate program for about 20 kids. They
practiced in the cafeteria, tables pushed
back against the walls; Mr. Rumelhart
made the karate and the kids feel important
even in this make-do studio—there were
no mats and no mirrors, but there was
always a tremendous amount of respect
and learning.
A c o n s u m m a t e t e a c h e r, M r.
Rumelhart often reminded his students to
“be safe, have fun, and learn something.” He
challenged them physically and mentally
while providing just the right amount of
support for them to succeed: he understood
the importance of creating the optimal
“learning zone” where students would
feel a legitimate sense of accomplishment.
He held students accountable for their
behavior, yet always made it clear that
he respected and enjoyed them. He was
patient even when disciplining students
or asking them to work harder; he clearly
had a vision for where they were headed
and he held that vision for his students.
And at each step of the journey, he made
sure the students thought about why they
were doing what they were doing and were
aware of their own progress.
By offering Tae-Kwon-Do at Ruch
School, Mr. Rumelhart exemplified
the role of a “community partner.” He
Death Notice
Ken Holyome, 69 of Jacksonville, Oregon, passed away on Friday,
March 9, 2012, at his home (www.memorygardensmortuary.com).
responded enthusiastically to
the idea of bringing karate to
Ruch, offered a reduced group
rate for us, and drove from
Medford to Ruch twice a week
so that our students wouldn’t
have to commute in the other
direction. He contributed to our
school community through the
respectful, caring relationships
he developed with our students.
“Take the karate outside that
door,” he told them. “We’re not
talking about the kicking and
punching. We’re talking about
your character.”
Mr. Rumelhart’s students
took their karate inside
themselves, as much as they
took it outside the cafeteria doors.
Our son William remembers that Mr.
Rumelhart “taught me to be patient.”
Not to get frustrated when you can’t
do something right away, or don’t have
immediate success, but to practice and
feel the excitement of accomplishment
that comes from training over time. Also,
William says, “He taught me how strong
I really am.”
What better tribute to a teacher? This
The late Jeff Rumelhart, former Tae-Kwon-Do
instructor at Ruch School
is what education is really about. Education
is not just about what you learn, it’s about
who you are becoming in the process. We
are among the many students and families
who will miss Mr. Rumelhart deeply, but
we feel fortunate that our son’s life has been
touched by such a gifted teacher.
Margaret della Santina
541-899-9950
Poetry Corner
Starcrossed Lovers
by John Taylor, Grants Pass, OR
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The Gater thanks you.
You and I have met before,
And then, as now,
Our stars have softly exploded
Into one another.
We are changed for all time,
The path of our lives altered forever.
Such is the power of love between us,
Between you and me.
The voices of all lovers past
Will go singing through the halls of time…
And you and I have become part of that song.
z
Lupines
by John Taylor, Grants Pass, OR
Through fields of flowers, hand in hand
In sun so warm and sweet,
Pretty bowers…skin that’s tanned,
On bare and wand’ring feet.
Forgetting time and feeling free,
We laugh into the wind,
In loving rhyme like you and me,
Those lovely lupines bend.
H appy F a t he r ’ s D a y !