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An Emotional Trip Down Memory Lane with “Dr. Z,” Former Principal of the Old Bingham Middle School
Description
He is a former principal of the old Bingham Middle School in Copperton, and the man who offered Superintendent Anthony Godfrey his very first job in education.
On this special 100th edition of the Supercast, Superintendent Godfrey takes an emotional trip down memory lane with his long-time friend, former boss and mentor, Dr. Al Zylstra.
Audio Transcription
Dr. Al Zylstra:
It's very good to see you.
Anthony Godfrey:
There's nothing to say except it's so good to see you. I've been thinking about this ever since we had it arranged. We're here at Bingham High School to celebrate the 100th episode of the Supercast, thanks to everyone who's been listening along the way. I thought there's no better way to celebrate the 100th episode of the Supercast than to invite Dr. Z, the principal who hired me as a brand new teacher into Jordan School District back in the 1990s. The way that he did things, and the way he led our school, and cared about everybody there has really shaped me as an educator, as a teacher, as an administrator and as a person and who I wanted to be and what I wanted my legacy to be. So it's a great honor to have you here, Dr. Zylstra. Thank you so much for taking the time to be here.
Dr. Al Zylstra:
Thank you.
Anthony Godfrey:
I haven't seen you for probably, what's it been now? Since the reunion?
Dr. Al Zylstra:
Since the reunion, we were just talking about that. That was a surprise. Wasn't it?
Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, it was. I ran into you in Best Buy or Sam's Club or Costco or something.
Dr. Al Zylstra:
You needed a winter coat.
Anthony Godfrey:
Oh yeah. Yeah, that's right, it was Costco. People had just talked with me about the reunion and I was a rock star because I brought you, that's what happened.
Dr. Al Zylstra:
That was really something that was, it was special.
Anthony Godfrey:
Middle schools don't do reunions. That's the thing that I found remarkable. Nobody says, 'Hey, you know what? Eighth grade, I'd really liked to relive some of those memories.' Yeah, they do, when you go through eighth grade with Dr. Z though.
Dr. Al Zylstra:
Yeah. Well, thank you. It was our pleasure to be there though. It was a wonderful reunion for those kids. How they grew up and improved their lives. It was great.
Anthony Godfrey:
The sad thing was going to the field and seeing that there was no building left. I get a little bit sentimental about buildings.
Dr. Al Zylstra:
I've been meaning to do that, but I, oh, I've had a hard time bringing myself to do that. A lot of good memories there.
Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. A lot of good memories. We went through some tough stuff too at that time.
Dr. Al Zylstra:
Yeah, we had three boys die in one year. That was some tough stuff. And then the boilers kept breaking down and flooding the gymnasium and the cafeteria. But it was good, the community really accepted us.
Anthony Godfrey:
Especially since the pandemic, but just in general, as time goes on, we lose memory of exactly when things happened.
Dr. Al Zylstra:
Some things get better, some things get better.
Anthony Godfrey:
It's true. How long were you principal at Bingham middle school?
Dr. Al Zylstra:
I think, five years, six years, and then I went to West Hills. I opened West Hills and I was there for three years, and then from West Hills, I went to Crescent View and finished my career Crescent View.
Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, I remember you were at Crescent View. When did you retire?
Dr. Al Zylstra:
When I was 62, in 1999. Sometime in there.
Anthony Godfrey:
Sometime back in the 1900s. Well, I gotta tell you, I have a lot of vivid memories of working for you and they shaped the way that I do t