{"id":731,"date":"2011-04-21T17:17:01","date_gmt":"2011-04-21T21:17:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/freddiegershon.com\/freddiesblog\/?page_id=731"},"modified":"2013-05-20T12:58:06","modified_gmt":"2013-05-20T16:58:06","slug":"how-one-sondheim-award-winner-gave-a-student-the-confidence-to-succeed","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/freddiegershon.com\/freddiesblog\/?page_id=731","title":{"rendered":"How one Sondheim award winner gave a student the confidence to succeed."},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"This is how Debra Fordham (pictured right) went from a drummer in her brother’s band to a three-time Emmy-nominated television writer (for Scrubs, twice in 2007 and once in 2006.)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

I first met Jacque Wheeler in 1988. I\u2019d stopped by Valdosta State for a campus visit before deciding that college wasn\u2019t for me. (My brother had a band in Nashville, needed a drummer…) To my surprise, over the next year, Jacque called several times. Never mind that I hadn\u2019t left a phone number. She\u2019d track me down and tell me I was always welcome at Valdosta State.<\/p>\n

At first, I thought she was crazy. Yes, I\u2019d expressed interest in the theatre department, but my only experience came from one semester of community college. I couldn\u2019t sing, couldn\u2019t dance. I didn\u2019t know any monologues. Why was she pursuing me? Still, there was something about those calls. Jacque seemed to genuinely believe that I could be more than I was — and she made me believe it too. So I put down the drumsticks and enrolled in college, all based on nothing more than a stranger\u2019s faith in me.<\/p>\n

I spent three years tucked under Jacque\u2019s wing. \"\"I wasn\u2019t sure what career path to take, so naturally, she encouraged me to try everything \u2013 acting, directing, stage managing. But then I found my way into her playwriting class, during which she declared with absolute certainty, \u201cYou are a writer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Me? A writer? It was laughable. Writers are Ivy League grads, English majors, worldly people with biting wit \u2013 not small-town Southern girls who learned what little grammar they knew from watching \u201cSchoolhouse Rock\u201d. I simply couldn\u2019t accept her conclusion.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you writing? You should be writing…\u201d<\/em>
\nAfter graduation, Jacque would call every few months, determined to convince me that I could write.
\n \u201cAre you writing? You should be writing…\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

It took years, but her belief eventually became my own. And two decades later, I am a three-time Emmy-nominated television writer, living a life I never dreamed possible.<\/p>\n

Here’s the thank you letter Debra sent the Sondheim award:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

I just wanted to thank you again for awarding my nominated teacher, Jacque Wheeler, the Sondheim Inspirational Teacher Award.\u00a0 In the weeks since the announcement, Jacque has been flooded with congratulations and has achieved a new-found respect from the college at large.\u00a0 Honors have included various newspaper articles, a formal ceremony\/reception thrown by the president of the university and a mayoral proclamation from the city.\u00a0 Even our representative to the state legislature is drafting a resolution to honor Jacque!<\/p>\n

But more than these superficial honors, I wanted you to know that this award is solely responsible for Jacque’s theatre department receiving an additional $25,000 in scholarship money from the university — and for a small college during an economic downturn, that is HUGE.<\/p>\n

\"\"As I’m sure you’re aware, the arts are often given short shrift on a college campus — both in resources and in respect.\u00a0 This award has single-handedly sparked a seismic shift at VSU.\u00a0 And for that, I simply cannot thank you enough.<\/p>\n

Perhaps this was your intention all along when creating the award, but I suspect even you might be surprised to know just how far-reaching this kind gesture has been.\u00a0 Please pass along my gratitude to all involved.\u00a0 And know that the work you are doing is not only important, but life-changing.<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a><\/span> to see a related story, online, that appeared in the Valdosta (Georgia) Daily Times.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This is how Debra Fordham (pictured right) went from a drummer in her brother’s band to a three-time Emmy-nominated television writer (for Scrubs, twice in 2007 and once in 2006.) I first met Jacque Wheeler in 1988. I\u2019d stopped by Valdosta State for a campus visit before deciding that college wasn\u2019t for me. (My brother […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":5,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-731","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P70teA-bN","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/freddiegershon.com\/freddiesblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/731","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/freddiegershon.com\/freddiesblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/freddiegershon.com\/freddiesblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/freddiegershon.com\/freddiesblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/freddiegershon.com\/freddiesblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=731"}],"version-history":[{"count":40,"href":"https:\/\/freddiegershon.com\/freddiesblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/731\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1397,"href":"https:\/\/freddiegershon.com\/freddiesblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/731\/revisions\/1397"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/freddiegershon.com\/freddiesblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=731"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}