On Sunday, my band played music at a Celebration of Life event for Monica Havelka, a longtime Shasta High School teacher (ceramics, physical education, health sciences) who died of brain cancer in July at age 53.
I didn’t know Havelka, although I did meet her once. But I’ve come to know her a bit more through some of her friends and colleagues. I certainly have a more expanded picture of her after yesterday’s event at the Senior Citizen’s Hall in Redding.
For starters, the majority of the 250 or so people in attendance (including my band) were dressed in Hawaiian shirts, per Monica’s request. She wanted a party with a band, food and casual attire for her remembrance, not some kind of morose affair in a church.
Still, when a slide show of her life played to tunes like James Taylor’s "Shower the People," there were a ton of damp eyes in the crowd.
As the photos flashed before us, it became apparent that Havelka’s whole life was a celebration of life.
Athletics was certainly one big piece of the pie for this Renaissance woman.
She was an all-American basketball player at Long Beach State University, played on four national championship AAU teams, and was a member of the United States women’s squad that won a silver medal at the World University Games in 1977. (She played with basketball great Ann Meyers Drysdale, wife of Dodger great Don Drysdale, one of women’s basketball’s first true stars.)
Havelka went on to star in rowing, where she won a gold medal in the double sculls at the 1983 Pan American Games and competed for the U.S. in the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, Korea.
My friend Marcia Ames, who has rowed with Havelka, remembered how intense Havelka was about the sport. On Sunday, Ames told me something to the effect of: "Man, she was tough. You had to get it right."
Of course no one rises to that level of athletics without a great deal of dedication and intensity in their character.
Havelka was equally intense about ceramics, which was her dream job at Shasta. It seems her athletic passions seamlessly transferred into artistic passions, and her beautiful creations were on display on Sunday.
But here are some other sides of Havelka: She was a private pilot and member of the civil air patrol. She adored dogs and was an avid bird hunter. She loved to fish. She loved to cook, and according to one friend, had a "butt-kicking recipe for chili." She was a hilarious storyteller.
In an article in the Volcano (Shasta High school newspaper), Havelka was quoted as telling students they should (I’m paraphrasing what I remember said), "Dig a little deeper and expect more from themselves. But also enjoy and embrace all the moments of their lives."
We hear these kinds of sentiments a lot. Almost to the point where they become cliches. But somehow hearing them from Havelka, they take on a more visceral quality.
Push yourself hard. Don’t give up. Find a way. Do it right. But, also, don’t forget to step back and enjoy the ride. Laugh. Live.
Those are some great lessons from a teacher who departed this earthly realm far too soon.
