Yesterday, I had the opportunity to celebrate the retirement of a good friend of mine, Mr. Bruce Schaller, from his position as principal at Lutheran High North in Houston. Bruce has been in Lutheran secondary schools for most of his career, and will officially retire at the end of July. It was good to be together with him and many of his colleagues and friends in saying THANKS for a job well done
I take the time today to write about Bruce because he always knew WHO was most important in his vocation. No matter the time - no matter the circumstance - the student always came first. We would always comment on that if a teacher, a student, and a parent were standing outside our doors at the same time, all with equal need, I would invite the teacher in, another colleague of ours would have invited the parent in, and Bruce would have invited the student in. I guess that makes a good team. But more important, Bruce knew what was important to him.
Because Bruce knew what his response would be in any given situation, he could act with certainty. Because Bruce knew without a doubt what he would do, he could act quickly. His quick and certain action not only diffused tense situation, I believe it saved several lives. There are many young men and women (and their parents) today who perhaps owe their lives to Bruce Schaller. Stories have been told behind his closed door that will forever remain there. People have told him things they would never tell anyone else. That also speaks to this man's character - he could keep a secret better than anyone else I have ever known.
I want to take this space to personally thank Bruce for his friendship over the years and the partnership in ministry we have shared. I will forever be grateful to him for being at LHN during my years there as Headmaster. He is the epitome of Christian leadership - someone who understands and knows WHO is most important in the organization.
