Chapter 80

The Senior Bowl committee gave everyone vouchers good for breakfast at the Harbor Place Restaurant in the hotel for Sunday morning. Everyone had slightly different departure times so the hotel couldn't keep the players' dining room open from 6:00 am to sometime after 9:00 am when the last player departed.

Trevor, Shawn, Mitch, Josh, Hal, Jamal Anderson, Jake Smith, Jamal Brown and I met at the Harbor Place for breakfast. We had an 8:45 am departure from the hotel. I arranged for Doug Anderson from the Senior Bowl committee to ship my two helmets back to State College for me. I had no reason to risk them to the airlines again.

Check-in at the airport went smoothly, as did our trip through security. We relaxed at our gate until it was time to board. I gave Penny a call while we were waiting.

"Hey honey, how's it going at home?" I asked when Penny answered my call.

"Are you sitting down?" she answered.

"Yes," I agreed warily.

"You know the storm I told you about last night..." Penny explained, "the one they said would probably stay inland?"

"Yeah"

"It isn't," Penn continued. "Last night the Action News said we could expect a couple inches of snow. Now they are saying a foot plus ... and they're not real confident it will stop at one foot. You are going to have a serious problem getting home tonight. Philly shuts down when the snow gets like this. That might include the airport."

"Oh shit," I groaned. "That's just what I need. Maybe the airlines will redirect us to Baltimore or Newark."

"This weatherman says this is a huge storm. I don't know that you'll do better with any of them. You better talk to someone from the airlines. Otherwise you might be sleeping on the floor in an airport."

"Good idea," I agreed. "I'll call you when we get to Charlotte. They still list our first flight as on-time."

"I'll wait for your call," Penny said. "Be careful. I love you and want you to stay safe."

"I will," I agreed. I explained our dilemma to the rest of our group. Jake and Clinton weren't worried. Both were being picked up from the Charlotte airport and driven home from there. The rest of us ... well we needed some answers.

Trevor and I went up to the desk at our gate and talked with the lady about our flight to Philly. The airlines hadn't canceled the flight ... yet. They were monitoring the weather and airport status. The lady indicated there was a fair chance we might get stranded in Charlotte that afternoon. She thought the people at Charlotte might be able to reroute Trevor, Shawn, Josh and Mitch through Pittsburgh or Cleveland and get them back to State College that evening. Hal, Jamal Anderson and I were less lucky. She doubted we would get to any airport on the eastern seaboard that day. She suggested that we might want to go on-line and reserve hotel rooms in Charlotte for the night. It would beat sleeping in the terminal.

I discussed the situation with my traveling companions. Trevor, Shawn, Josh and Mitch were willing to gamble on getting back to campus that day. Jamal echoed Penny's sentiments. If Philadelphia got a foot of snow, we were not going home that day. Hal, Jamal and I decided to try to reserve a hotel room in Charlotte in case the worst happened and we couldn't fly home.

I found a hotel near Charlotte's airport on-line and made reservations for three in one room. Jamal and Hal didn't have a lot of money for a hotel room. I figured at worst, Hal and I would have to share a bed while Jamal took the second bed in our room. Nobody was sharing with the 323 pound offense guard unless they were VERY close to him.

Our flight pulled away from the gate in Mobile at 11:11 am, a minute ahead of schedule. The flight to Charlotte was smooth. We headed straight for the flight board when we debarked from the plane from Mobile. Flight 1578 to Philadelphia was still listed as on-time. Our group headed for our gate.

A long line of people were waiting at the desk when we arrived. We left our carry-ons with Mitch and joined the line. The man at the desk had worked his way through about ten people in front of us when the sign for our flight switched from on-time to delayed. A collective groan echoed through the queue.

Six people were ahead of my group. By the time Trevor stepped up to talk with the man, the flight status changed again to canceled. Trevor, Shawn, Mitch and Josh discussed their predicament with the gentleman. He was able to get them on a flight through Pittsburgh that left in a couple hours.

"We're on Flight 1578," I explained. "Is there anything you can do for us to get us to Philly, Newark or Baltimore?"

"The storm is forcing all three of those airports to close," the man replied. "I could reroute you to Pittsburgh, Boston or Syracuse. Would any of those destinations help?"

I looked at Hal and Jamal. Both shook their heads no. "How about Harrisburg, Pa.? Is that possible?"

"I have quite a few connections to Harrisburg," the man answered. "Many of them go through New York or Philadelphia, so they most likely will get canceled. I could route you through Atlanta or Boston, though I'm not sure that will help you. The big nor'easter is spreading far enough inland that we have a watch on flights going to Harrisburg, Pa. You may make the next connection and still be stranded."

"What do you think, guys?" I asked.

"Why would we want to go to Harrisburg?" Jamal asked. "It's a hell of a long way from campus. Where would we stay?"

"We both grew up in Lancaster County," Hal explained.

"My parents or Hal's parents could pick us up and take us home," I added. "We could provide a bed for you until we can get back to Philly."

"But the man says Harrisburg may close too," Jamal said. "Maybe we are better staying here. At least we have rooms here. If we fly to Atlanta or Boston, we're gonna stay on the terminal floor for the night."

"Hal?" I asked.

"Stay here," Hal answered.

"Can you book us on the first flight to Philadelphia when the airport opens up again?" I requested.

"I will do that, sir," the man replied. "Will you be staying in the airport or are you going to one of the local hotels?"

"God bless my fiancée," I answered. "She warned us about the storm when we were in Mobile. We have reservations at the Holiday Inn near the airport."

"Very good, sir," the man answered. He jotted a phone number down on a slip of paper. Call this number to check on our progress booking you a flight to your destinations."

"Thank you for your help," I responded. "Where do we go to pick up our luggage?"

"That could be difficult to track," the man said. Can you survive the night without it?" We looked at each other and agreed. We might be a little grubby in the morning but we could survive without a change of clothes.

Trevor, Shawn, Mitch and Josh wished us luck as we headed for the airport's transportation courtesy desk. We needed a couple minutes to arrange a ride from the airport to the Holiday Inn. Half a dozen other smart passengers heading north and east joined us in the ride to the hotel.

Thankfully the Holiday Inn was able to put us in a room with king sized beds. Hal and I are good friends but I had no interest in snuggling with him overnight so we could both fit in one small bed. Jamal and Hal decided to check out the fitness facilities at the hotel. I had a couple phone calls to make first.

I called Penny first. "Honey, I have horrible news," Penny said when she answered.

"I know, they closed the Philly airport," I interjected. "Every airport along the east coast is closed between here and Boston."

"Where are you?" Penny asked. "Did you get a room?"

"Jamal, Hal and I are at the Holiday Inn near the airport here in Charlotte," I replied. "After I talked to you in Mobile, I called ahead and made reservations for a room just in case we needed it. I'm glad you gave me a warning this morning. Otherwise we'd be sleeping in the terminal tonight. How are things in Philly?"

"The snow is probably eight or ten inches deep already," Penny answered. "Action News is running half hourly bulletins. They are predicting we will get between twelve and sixteen inches before the storm is over. The way the snow is coming down reminds of that blizzard we had two years ago over winter break."

"I remember that storm," I said. "Philly is shutting down, isn't it?"

"Pretty much completely," Penny agreed.

"Stay inside, stay warm and stay safe," I said. "Don't worry about digging my car out. I'll catch a taxi or bus from the airport when I get in tomorrow."

"Call me when you know when you're coming in," Penny asked. "I worry. I love you, Kyle."

"I will keep you informed," I promised. "I love too, honey."

My second call was to John Waters. I needed to let him know that I wouldn't make it to school tomorrow. Mrs. Waters answered the phone.

"Could I speak with John, please?" I asked politely. "This is Kyle Martin from school calling. I am..."

"John's student teacher," Mrs. Waters interjected. "Yes, John's told me so much about you. It is good to finally talk with you."

"It's good to talk with you too, ma'am," I said.

"Please, you can call me Emily," Emily Waters answered. "I'll get my husband. He will be happy for an interruption. I was ready to send him out to clear our walks and driveway."

"Thank you, Emily," I said. It took John a couple minutes to get to the phone.

"What's up, Kyle?" John asked. "Are you safe inside enjoying a view of the snow?"

"No, I'm stranded in Charlotte, North Carolina," I explained. "I will not be able to get to school tomorrow."

John just laughed. "Tredyffrin/Easttown canceled school for tomorrow half an hour ago. I will be surprised if we have school on Tuesday either. You will have plenty of time to get back home from your trip."

"That's a relief, John," I replied.

"You had a hell of a game yesterday, Kyle," John added. "Congratulations on winning the MVP. You deserved it. Tell me more about how the game went."

I spent about five minutes talking with John about the game. He enjoyed hearing about all the other name players I met and got to know during my week down south. John gave me an assignment too. I would deliver a lecture to the AP Modern European History class on Napoleon's campaign in Russia in 1812 two days after school opened up again, whenever that was. John wished me luck and a safe trip home before we hung up.

I headed down to the fitness room to get in my daily workout. Hal and Jamal were half done with their routines when I arrived. They hung out with me until I finished. They headed back to the room to watch some TV. There isn't much to do at our hotel when you're stranded without transportation. I headed for the computer center with my laptop. I could get started refreshing my memory about Napoleon's catastrophic Russian campaign.

It was a boring afternoon for the three of us. We had dinner at the hotel lounge. The food was OK, nothing to write home about. We called the airport after dinner. They gave us the rearranged flight times. Both Philly and Newark expected to have the runways cleared and planes operating tomorrow. Jamal and I would be on a flight that departed at 11:20 am for Philly. Hal had to get moving earlier. His flight left Charlotte for Newark at 9:17 am.

I gave Penny a call after we confirmed our departure times. The snow finally stopped at home. Penny said the airport got 15.1 inches. The University of Pennsylvania canceled Penny's classes for tomorrow. Will wasn't going over to Princeton. It was closed too. Andy was storm bound at home in Paradise. Southeast Pennsylvania was at a standstill until the road crews could open things up.

Trevor called a little after nine o'clock Sunday evening to see how Hal, Jamal and I were faring. Trevor and his traveling buddies had been bumped twice before they finally got a flight to Pittsburgh. They caught the last flight into State College that evening. Damian, Chip and Brian sent their regards.

--oooOooo--

We ate the continental breakfast before we left the hotel on Monday morning. Jamal and I decided to ride over to the airport with Hal even though our flight left an hour and a half later. There wasn't anything to do at the hotel except stare at the walls in our room.

Jamal and I helped Hal get checked in for his flight. We hung out by the check-in area until the staff could process us. The lady at the check-in desk assured Jamal and me that our luggage was already tagged and ready to load on the airplane. We headed through security hoping she was right.

Jamal and I hung out at our gate until about forty minutes before departure. We grabbed some food to take aboard the plane for lunch. Both of us knew we wouldn't be getting anything from the airlines on a flight that lasted an hour and 35 minutes. We boarded on time but were caught by the jam up of airplanes in Charlotte that hadn't gone on to their east coast destinations yesterday. Takeoff was about fifteen minutes behind the 11:20 scheduled departure.

The flight was quiet and routine, thankfully. Our landing was delayed thanks to the snow. We circled Philly for half an hour before our plane made it to the top of the landing queue. Philadelphia looked so pretty blanketed in white. Very little traffic was moving on the highways around the city.

We got jammed up getting to a gate too. The grounds crew was still clearing around the terminals. We got off the plane around 2:40 pm, fifty minutes behind schedule. Thank God we were back in Philly!

Miraculously, U. S. Air got our bags to us on time. Jamal and I lugged our bags down to Terminal A. The SEPTA trains ran into the city from that terminal. Jamal's train arrived first. He had a train that ran directly through the center of the city and on to Temple's campus. He had an easy trip home.

I took the next train to 30th Street Station. I had to lug my bags over to the trolley terminal and take a trolley across West Philadelphia. My stop at 36th Street and Lancaster Avenue came seven minutes later. I lugged my bags through the streets two blocks to reach my apartment building. Residents were out trying to clear the 15 or 16 inches of snow off the sidewalk when I was hiking home. The Courtyard Apartments had the snow removed, so the last half block was easy walking.

It was a Monday afternoon, so Vincent Rizzo was on duty. He gave me a big smile as he opened the door for me.

"You had one hell of a game on Saturday, Kyle," Vincent said as I stepped up to the door.

"Thank you, Vincent," I replied. "It's great to get home. I hope the snow wasn't too much of a hassle for you."

"No, it wasn't too bad for me," he answered. "My boys loved the day off from school. I didn't work yesterday so I didn't get trapped here. Poor Sam couldn't get home when his shift ended at noon yesterday. He didn't get to leave here until after lunch today."

Sam Tartaglione was one of the weekend security men. I hadn't seen much of him yet, since I was rarely at the apartment on the weekends.

"Have a good day, Vincent," I said as I stepped inside. "I guess I'll unpack, rest a bit and then go find my car and start digging." Vincent chuckled.

"That may be easier than you think" Vincent replied. "Penny and her friends worked on it for a while this morning. I think it is nearly cleared out ... at least until the city plows the street it's on."

"I guess I'll see," I agreed. "Have a good day, Vincent."

I headed upstairs to our apartment. Penny met me with a big hug inside the door when I stepped into the apartment.

"I'm so glad you are home," Penny exclaimed before we exchanged kisses. "Did you have much trouble getting here from the airport?"

"Not really." I replied. "The train from the airport was on time. The trolley was late but got me within two blocks of here. I had to walk in the street half way here. Not many people have their sidewalks cleared."

"I'm glad you made it safe and sound," Penny said. We exchanged kisses again. "Dakota and Dave came over to help me dig your car out. It's mostly cleared, except the city hasn't plowed Pearl Street yet."

"I'll deal with the car after dinner," I said.

"Why don't you go unpack," Penny suggested as she released her hug. "I'll get dinner started. We can see about your car after dinner ... assuming you have school tomorrow and need your car."

"Do you think there is any chance of that?" I asked.

"Penn already canceled tomorrow's classes," Penny answered. "The university was concerned that the staff won't be able to get into the city for classes in the morning. I will be surprised if you have school."

"I guess I'll find out later," I answered. "Maybe I'll talk to John Waters after dinner."

Penny splurged on my welcome home dinner. We had steak, baked potatoes, green beans and cheese cake that Penny picked up from the Stan's Deli a couple blocks down the street. John Waters called as we were finishing dinner. Tredyffrin/Easttown canceled school for tomorrow. John expected we would also have a two hour delay for Wednesday.

I did a light workout at the fitness room in our building. I had no interest in trying to get over to Edberg-Olsen for a workout. I doubted enough buses would be running in the evening to get me there and back anyway.

--oooOooo--

Penny and I got to sleep in Tuesday morning and have a leisurely breakfast. I borrowed a snow shovel from the maintenance people at our apartment and hiked over to my car. The city had plowed the snow one lane wide on Pearl Street. I spent an hour moving snow away so I would be able to head to school Wednesday morning.

I spent the rest of the morning preparing my lecture on Napoleon's Russian Campaign. I sent the lesson plans off to John Waters. I gave John Waters a call after lunch to warn him to look for the lesson plan. John was kind enough to assign me two other lectures for next week. I wanted to use my rare day off to get ahead on my planning.

I would give lectures to our two ninth grade World Cultures classes about the Philippines. My second topic was for our AP Comparative Government and Politics class. I would lecture about the Cuban constitution at 7:20 am next Wednesday morning. I was going to need to be creative to keep a bunch of seniors awake with this topic. I spent the rest of the afternoon researching and preparing my lesson plans. I e-mailed them to John when I finished.

I received a call from Jonathan Atkins late in the afternoon. "Kyle, you need to come in and see Professor Buchanan at 8:00 am tomorrow morning," Jonathan explained.

"What's up?" I asked. "Conestoga High School has a two hour delay tomorrow but that might leave me short on time to get over to the school before our first period. Could Professor Buchanan meet me fifteen or twenty minutes earlier?"

"I have my orders for you," Jonathan answered. "You are to be at the professor's office at the appointed time."

"What is this about?" I asked. It seemed unusual for me to be called in to see the professor. Normally he tried to visit us at our schools so he didn't disrupt our teaching schedule.

"I haven't been told anything more," Jonathan answered. "The professor got word from the department on Main Campus that you are to be here and that's all I know."

"From Main Campus?" I responded. "Why would they be calling me in? I guess I'll see tomorrow morning." I thanked Jonathan for giving me a call. I was taught to be polite when I was raised, even if the message I received from Jonathan was confusing.

Penny and I picked up some Thai takeout from the restaurant a couple blocks away on Lancaster Avenue. The sidewalks were mostly cleared. The sun was out and the temperature was in the mid-thirties, so the snow was starting to melt. Give the city a couple more days of nice weather and travel should be passable again.

After dinner, I took the subway over to the 11th Street Station in center city, walked from there over to the Market Street Station and transferred to the light rail heading north. I had a two block walk from the Temple University Station north to Edberg-Olsen Hall.

The Owl's weight room was busy for a weekday evening. There was an empty machine beside the one Jamal Anderson was using. I walked over to begin my workout. Jamal stopped, stood up and offered me his hand in a high five.

"Good to see you, Kyle," Jamal said as I exchanged a high five with him. "I see you made it home safely."

"I did," I agreed. "It was slow and I had to walk the last two blocks up the middle of the street, but I made it. Did you have any trouble?"

"No, it was easy," Jamal answered. "Temple brought Bobcats in to move the snow off the walkways around campus. I got off at the station and walked straight to my dorm. It was a piece of cake."

I settled in at the machine beside my friend. "Last week was fun but I'm glad to get back to a normal schedule again." Jamal agreed. We went to work. About a dozen of Jamal's teammates, including Dave Mitchell and his roommate Jaden Williams, stopped by to talk with Jamal and me about our experiences at the Senior Bowl. I took the train and subway back home when I finished my workout. It took half an hour to get home, slower than driving. Driving wasn't an option right now, until the university and city got more parking spaces cleared.

--oooOooo--

I took off around seven o'clock on Wednesday morning for the drive to the Brandywine Campus. The drive out to the campus took nearly fifty minutes, instead of the normal half hour to thirty-five minutes. The drivers were still maniacs in the snow, but there weren't too many of them on the road with me. I guess most employers wanted to let the sun come up and let PennDOT do more work on the roads before their employees came out.

I showed up at Professor Buchanan's office a couple minutes before my appointment. Professor Buchanan did not have his usual cheerful smile on his face when he greeted me.

"Have a seat, Kyle," the professor said. "There is no easy way to do this. This letter arrived from Main Campus yesterday." He took a deep breath. "Please read this. I will do my best to answer questions when you are done." Professor Buchanan handed me a sealed envelope with my name on the front. I opened it quickly and began reading.

January 28, 2013

Mr. Kyle D. Martin

3500 Powelton Avenue, Apt. 306

Philadelphia, PA 19104

Re: CI495E, Practicum in Student Teaching

Dear Mr. Martin:

It has come to the attention of the College of Education that you have taken five days of unexcused absence from your student teaching assignment at the Tredyffrin/Easttown School District's Conestoga Senior High School last week. Successful completion of the CI 495E course requires your constant attendance to all classes at your assigned school throughout the duration of your student teaching assignment. Student teachers are permitted no more than three days of absence for sickness during their assignment.

The College of Education agreed to allow you to miss the first two days of your student teaching assignment since you were engaged in university business in Arizona at the start of the semester. The College can accommodate athletic schedules to an extent, but you have far exceeded the allowances that can be made. Since you will be unable to attend the numbers of days required for CI 495E, you will be unable to satisfactorily complete your student teaching practicum.

You are hereby dropped from CI 495E effective immediately. Please see the bursar at the Brandywine Campus to file the necessary forms to officially drop this course. You may want to consider changing to a less demanding major, as failure to complete this course will prevent your obtaining an undergraduate degree in the College of Education.

Sincerely yours,

Dr. Daniel M. Friar

Dean of the College of Education

The Pennsylvania State University

PTH/edt

cc: Dr. P. Thomas Henderson

Professor Charles Buchanan, Brandywine Campus

Dr. James T. Cooper, Tredyffrin/Easttown School District

Mr. John H. Waters, Tredyffrin/Easttown School District

file

I stared at the piece of paper in my hand for a few seconds, too stunned to speak. "How the hell..." I stuttered before realizing locker room language was inappropriate here. "Uh ... what the heck is going on?" I demanded. "How can they call last week unexcused absences? I cleared my attendance at the Senior Bowl with you, with Mr. Waters and with Dr. Cooper at Conestoga High School. How can they do this?"

"I wish I could give you a proper answer, Kyle," Professor Buchanan answered. "I have been on the phone since I received my copy of this letter yesterday. The College of Education is firm on this. Apparently I exceeded my authority when I granted you permission to attend the Senior Bowl."

"Exceeded your authority?" I growled. "What am I supposed to do now? Can I appeal this decision?"

"I am deeply sorry for this, Kyle," Professor Buchanan said. "I thought this was a routine request that you made. Someone in the department learned of your trip and hit the roof. I was unable to find out whom in my phone calls yesterday. I suppose you will be able to appeal to the Dean."

"I think I know whom," I said. "My advisor, Dr. Henderson, has been at war with my playing football since I was a freshman. He has tried to get me to leave the College of Education numerous times. I would guess he was the one behind this. Can you help me fix this, Professor Buchanan?"

"I would like to, but doubt I can," Professor Buchanan replied. "I am an adjunct professor working out of a branch campus. I work semester to semester at the pleasure of the department. I have very little pull compared to Dr. Henderson, a tenured professor and a senior member of the College of Education."

"How do I start an appeal of this crazy decision?" I asked. "I am scheduled to give my first full period lecture on Friday morning. I have to get this fixed as soon as I can."

"I know, Kyle," Professor Buchanan replied. "Mr. Waters forwarded copies of your lesson plans for your next three lectures to me yesterday. They are well prepared. I doubt you will get the chance to deliver them. I don't see an appeal process moving quickly enough to resolve this situation before Friday ... unless you know someone on Main Campus with enough clout to make a dean take notice."

"I do know a few people with clout on Main Campus," I said, smiling. The beginnings of a plan was forming. "I suppose I should start with Coach Burton and the football coaching staff. I probably should talk with Coach Paterno."

"That is someone with clout at the university," Professor Buchanan agreed. "Do you know him well enough to ask him if he would help you?"

"Coach recruited me to play football at Penn State," I explained. "He works part time as the players' academic advisor. This should be right down his alley. I suppose I could try President Spanier if Coach Paterno can't help."

"You know the President of the university?" Professor Buchanan asked.

"I do," I answered. "We shared a flight to New York City and back when I received the Campbell National Scholar/Athlete Award last month."

"It is inconceivable to me that the university would drop a student with your public profile," Professor Buchanan observed. "How would it look to the world if they dropped the national scholar/athlete and prevented him from graduating?"

"I hope you're right," I agreed.

"I will do whatever I can to assist you, Kyle," Professor Buchanan offered. "Would you like a letter attesting to the fact that your absence was an EXCUSED absence that does not interfere with your student teaching experience?"

"That would help," I agreed. "Do you have the phone numbers for the dean's office and the president's office? That would also help me."

"I will write the letter immediately," Professor Buchanan replied. "Why don't you go downstairs to the campus office. You can get the phone numbers down there. I will have a letter for you when you return."

"Thank you for your support, Professor," I said.

I headed out to the hallway. I had another phone call to make. I glanced at my watch. It was a little after 8:15. I called John Waters and explained what was happening. I asked John to write a letter indicating that my excused absences from his classes were excused.

"I will write the letter during fourth period and e-mail it to you immediately," John promised. "This can't stand. It just can't!"

"Thank you for your support, John," I replied. "I really appreciate it. I will keep in touch and keep you informed of my progress at getting reinstated."

"Good luck, Kyle," John said. "I want you back as quickly as possible."

"I hope I am," I agreed. I headed downstairs to the campus administrative office. The secretary looked up the two phone numbers I needed. I decided to call the Lasch Building first, to give Professor Buchanan more time to finish his letter.

"Ann Marie, this is Kyle Martin," I said when our receptionist answered the phone.