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Generosity erases uncertainty

A New Orleans teacher displaced by Hurricane Katrina finds a new job and an unselfish spirit at Springstead High School.

By ABHI RAGHUNATHAN
Published October 2, 2005

SPRING HILL - Linda Thomas grew up in New Orleans, and never really called any other place home. After all, New Orleans was where she raised a family. It was where she worked as a teacher at Walter L. Cohen Senior High School.

But when Hurricane Katrina barreled up the Gulf Coast, Thomas, 60, fled like so many others. She and her husband now live with one of his old friends in Weeki Wachee. Home, or at least her place of residence, is Hernando County for the time being.

After she arrived here and saw the images of a wrecked city that everyone else saw, Thomas knew she would not be able to go back for a while. The city was flooded and she still has no idea what has happened to her home.

"It was hard," Thomas said. "At my age, everything is very settled."

Her life filled up with more uncertainty. Her family was scattered all over the country - Mississippi, Georgia, Virginia. She and her husband, Theron Lewis, 61, were living out of suitcases.

So Thomas decided to apply for a job as a teacher in the county schools. It was something that would help out, she felt. She was soon hired at Springstead High as an exceptional student education teacher. Thomas had brought some of her teaching credentials along with insurance forms.

That might have been the end of her story, except for the outpouring of generosity Thomas found at Springstead.

It all began when Elba Gutierrez, another Springstead teacher, learned about Thomas in the middle of September. She didn't know much, just that an evacuee from New Orleans was now working at her school. Gutierrez sprang into action.

First, other teachers opened their wallets and searched their homes for anything they could donate. Then, the Interact club, a community service organization that Gutierrez advises, adopted Thomas. They raised $200 for her, and $340 more for Hurricane Katrina relief efforts.

"I just felt a need (to help)" Gutierrez said. "This is what we do."

Teachers gathered brand new Springstead High shirts for Thomas. One teacher has a color TV ready to give away; another has kitchen items, and yet another has a couch. A student plans to give Thomas a dresser if she moves into her own apartment with her husband.

On Thursday afternoon, Thomas spoke to several dozen students in the Interact Club about her experiences in the aftermath of Katrina. She told them what it was like to flee, and what it was like to live in a county so different from the city she knew so well. The kids were hushed, and they listened intently as she spoke slowly and softly.

"It's unbelieveable," said Ryan Russell, 17, the vice president of the Interact club. "I don't think people really knew what it was like."

Springstead is not alone in helping those who fled Katrina, of course. Students at Brooksville Elementary raised more than $1,100 for relief efforts. And many other families and friends have opened their homes and their hearts to those who may have lost everything.

The city of New Orleans is slowly reopening to residents. But Thomas, for now, is focused on her life here, as well as the people she has met.

As Gutierrez walked out into the hallway, the two women hugged.

"Thank you so much!" Thomas said.

Gutierrez shut her eyes and smiled.

Then, Thomas continued with her story, and her thoughts drifted back to what she missed about New Orleans. Big things like her family. And some small things as well.

"I'm a vegetarian, but I miss the food," she said. "I miss red beans and rice - you can quote me on that."

--Abhi Raghunathan can be reached at araghunathan@sptimes.com or 352 848-1431.

[Last modified October 2, 2005, 01:57:16]