Letter to the editor: Teacher Jon Gentile was a powerful influence for good

Many have said much about Bethel Park High School teacher Jon Gentile, who died last week. I remember him through a lens different from that of most others.

Mr. Gentile was one of the first people I met when I moved to the United States in 2014. I had little experience with Americans, and my expectations of American life were largely shaped by Western movies and television shows. Mr. Gentile was a powerful emissary. Not merely patient with my ignorance of European history but joyful in my curiosity about the class he loved to teach. Not simply dutiful in his recommendations for college but vehement about the strengths he saw in me. Mr. Gentile taught as he lived — with passion, exuberance and thoughtfulness.

Perhaps the greatest of his ambassadorial qualities was his wide, unwavering smile. Whether in his classroom, wheeling his cart down the hall or walking to extracurricular engagements, every occasion was one for a smile — an outward manifestation of the inner compassion and delight that rendered every interaction with him an uplifting experience.

If I am today a dedicated American, it is only because of those like Mr. Gentile who served as beacons so dispelling of darkness that there were models of citizenship to be found in the light.

There are few of whom it can be said, “He was made for his vocation.” Mr. Gentile was one of them. He was more than a teacher; he was a champion of students. He was more than a great man, for he was good.

Rest in a peace well deserved, Mr. Gentile.

Akhil Rajasekar

Arlington, Va.