RE Log Spring 2018

16 Ransom Everglades LOG SPRING 2018 Now at Stanford, John Mistele ’17 recalls lessons from Crabtree’s ninth-grade biology class that were so mesmerizing or hair-raising they compelled him to break his customary silence at the dinner table when his parents asked him the dreaded question: What did you learn today? “I would spill whatever awesome biology arcana Doc had woven into the routine lecture on plant cell anatomy or DNA structure,” Mistele said. I would say, “‘Have you heard of Rosalind Franklin?’ or ‘Doc told us about this terrifying virus in West Africa,’ or ‘Vitamin C is a scam!’ It was all so exciting!” After 36 years of exciting students and exemplifying an all-in approach to teaching at Ransom Everglades, Crabtree will retire from the classroom at the end of this school year. He plans to continue assisting with RE’s athletics teams; he has been a girls’ cross country coach for more than three decades and coached track and field for 20 years. Last fall, his cross country team qualified for the state championship meet for the 40th straight year. Ransom Everglades is “a special place, a special group of students, a special faculty,” he said. “If I couldn’t be at the hether it was competing alongside his anatomy classes in local triathlons to better understand the human body, frightening biology students with grisly details of deadly diseases, or ruining the appetites of entire classes by explaining the composition of a mouthful of chicken wings, Ransom Everglades teacher and coach Robert “Doc” Crabtree brought science so vividly to life that his students can’t shake the memory of his classes even years later. forefront of science or athletics myself, I’d like to think I contributed by pushing others to that level. The kids are so talented. They’ve taken me a lot farther than I’ve taken them.” In class, Crabtree has never used prepared notes. As a coach, he has never stood quietly on the sidelines. His classes have always been lively and interactive. And his training ses- sions have always included pieces of wisdom and encourage- ment and … Crabtree himself. He has toiled with his teams, either by running with them or, as the years went on, tailing them on a bicycle. “Nothing good comes easy,” he has told thousands of students. “Nothing easy shows how good you are.” Countless former students went on to become physi- cians, scientists, researchers, collegiate athletes or lifelong runners. “His influence on me with regard to science was greater than he probably knows,” said Vicky Bedell ’05 , an obstetri- cian-gynecologist who shares a practice with her mother and sisters in Kendall. “Doc Crabtree was truly one of the greatest teachers I ever had…. His enthusiasm during the AP Biology W “Doc never read from notes, he never used a presentation, he always lectured in a casual yet extremely engaging manner. Somehow he made complex anatomy lessons feel like he was telling a gripping story… I was constantly smiling in his class, as he would keep the classroom environment so fun while simultaneously so insightful.” Isabella Morcos ’13 Publicity assistant at Sony Pictures Entertainment “Doc Crabtree nurtured my love for both science and running. His mentorship during my senior AP Biology class put me on the path to pursue a career in medicine as an OB/GYN … I will forever hear his voice in my head motivating me during the long haul, ‘This is a running sport, ladies.’ Thanks for everything Doc; I hope to continue making you proud!” lsabelle McKay ’05 Fourth-year medical student at Tulane School of Medicine