A Tribute To Mark Getz

Today is a day worthy of celebrating, for it is a very special day for a man named Mark. Today is the anniversary of the day when, back in 336 AD, St. Mark ended his reign as the Catholic Pope. On another note, on this day back in 1959 AD, my father, Mark Getz, was born. For those of you that can do quick mental math, that means today is a Milestone Marker! It has been 1,583 years since the time St. Mark ended his papacy and my dad was born...congratulations. Using that same mental math, that also means that today marks my Dad's 50th birthday. In honor of that, WDWG is honoring Mark Getz today with a special 50th Birthday Tribute Post. But before we get into the Tribute aspect of things, we need to get some background details.

Mark Getz was born on October 7, 1959 in Peoria, Illinois. He grew up in Morton, Illinois where he attended Grundy School, the Junior High, and graduated from Morton High School in 1977. After attending the University of Illinois, where he recieved a degree in something relating to medicine, Dad went on to bigger and better things. Coincidentally, in 1985, he got married to my mother, Ruth Rapp (also of Morton). This event came during the period of Dad's life called "medical residency," because, as far as I can recall, he lived at the hospital until he learned how to be a doctor. With all that education and practice, my dad has since become a very successful Rheumatlogist. He currently works in Peoria, IL, and when he's not taking care of people he's either telling bible stories, playing with his kids, planning sunday school lessons, or napping.

My dad has been very influential in my life. For one, he has modeled to me what a faithful husband, good father, and man of God is supposed to look like. As I've always said, "If I grow up to be half the man my Dad is, I'll be three feet tall." I'll also be a pretty good man. He has taught me some very important lessons. I wish I had time to list 50, as that would be more significant, but I only have time to list 3, so here goes:

1. Be Assertive, but Kind. One of the things I struggle with is resolving conflict. Somehow, conflict seems to be attracted to me like we're oppositely charged. During my growing up years, I was constantly coming to my dad asking questions like, "Dad, what do I do with all this conflict that is attracted to me?" Dad would always answer the same way: "Don't be a Casper Milktoast," he would say. After he got that chuckle out of the way, he would go on to explain that I needed to learn how to make decisions assertively, but not so forcefully that I hurt others' feelings. Conflict is just a part of life, and learning how to deal with it appropriately is just something that we have to do. I still try to heed to that advice when I face conflict (and it still seems to be attracted to me here at Wesleyan).
2. Look at the Big Picture. Several years ago, Dad took up a new hobby...Bible story-telling. It's amazing what he's been able to accomplish through that. He has taken the chronological event flow of the Bible and, after teaming up with professional story-teller John Walsh, has found himself going to National conferences, giving seminars at important conventions, and filling up sunday school classrooms at our church. (I know he's too humble to tell you this himself, so that's why I'm saying it for him...it's all a part of this tribute thing.) Because of his interest and knowledge in the Bible's "big picture," any advice he gives me about my future goals and aspirations comes from that perspective, and it can be so refreshing at times. He constantly is challenging me to pursue my goals and ambitions, but to keep in mind what's really important: Loving God and Loving Others.
3. Don't Be a Dopus. The joke in our family is that whenever one performs an act of absent-mindedness, that person is labeled a "dopus." As a boy, my dad was given the nickname by his uncle, and, in our house, the name has become synonymous with, sadly, myself. Years after the origin of the dopus, my dad is now very organized, self-disciplined, and punctual. You should see him pack our van when we go camping. Somehow, he manages to fit 10 bicycles and a burly into the back of our 15-passenger van. As swell as Dad is, he still sometimes falls back into a state of dopusness (and I think he would tell you that). For example, he once pulled into the Canton hospital on a Tuesday morning only to realize that he was supposed to be at work in Bloomington. Although I genetically inherited my dad's "dopus" genes (see previous post for example), I hope one day to inherit his ability to suppress one's dopusness to seemingly nonexistent levels.

So, Dad, there you go; Happy Birthday! I hope I learned your lessons well. If not, you can correct me next time we see each other.

As has been the theme in recent Birthday Tribute Posts, I leave a special YouTube video that has special significance to the person. Well, this tribute is no different. When we were young, Dad would always rent us classic movies to watch whenever we had to babysit the kids. Occasionally, he would watch them with us. I still remember cracking up with Dad after we watched this hilarious scene from this cinema classic:

Also, a shout out to my uncle, Allen Weeks. It's his birthday today too!