The Old Profesor (standard:Inspirational stories, 3041 words)
Author: Dave Sumner	Added: Nov 05 2005	Views/Reads: 3512/2339	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
A professor fears that none of his students will graduate from a seminary. He puts them to a test, only one student passes the test.

The 

Old 

Professor 

A story of love 

by Dave Sumner 

The old professor, Otto Burgenmeister slowly and a bit sadly, packed the
last of his books into his weathered, torn and crumpled briefcase. As 
he picked up and looked over, his class book, a tear escaped down his 
cheek. After more than thirty years of teaching, it appeared that he 
would not be sending forth any new preachers to proclaim the word of 
Christ to the world. 

Four years earlier, 23 eager young scholars had entered through the door
of the professor's classroom. One by one, they had left ensnared, 
either by the false promises of the world or in shame due to a lack of 
academic effort. Only three remained, and they had apparently failed to 
take the professors warning, to keep and study each of their previous 
assignments. Before the professor stood three final exams, none of the 
three, deserved the 70 points, that the professor had always required 
to be a passing exam. 

Professor  Burgenmeister looked up from his packing as the three, if
only temporary, survivors entered the room. The students took their 
assigned seats at the front of the room. They looked expectantly at the 
professor. The small group of students consisted of Fredrick, Lori and 
Hiram. Fredrick was the self?proclaimed leader. Lori, too emotional, 
was the only female member of the group. Hiram was a bit of a mystery, 
he did his work but generally did not socialize with the other two.  
The professor looked down at the exams. With a wisdom that had seen him 
through a lifetime, he casually dropped the exams in the waste basket. 
He walked slowly around his desk. 

"We seem to have had a problem with the final exams" drawled the
professor 

"What does that mean?" asked Fredrick, 

"Well..." the professor stalled, still not sure, what was, the
appropriate action. He thought as he went. Then said 

"The exams if recorded, as they stand, would mean that you have all
failed this course.” The students looked at each other and began to 
leave. 

"Wait" the professor calls "Your test is not done; I would like each of
you to meet me at 9:00 A.M. tomorrow morning. I will be at the corner 
of Main and Brown Streets" Then the professor picked up his briefcase 
and walked out of the room. 

The next day, the three students, shifted from one foot to the other as
they stole quick glances at the area around them. Main and Brown 
Streets was once the vibrant center of the city. Now, the area was run 
down both financially and physically. 

"Well, I'm not going to stay ‘here' if Professor Burgenmeister is not
coming" complained Fredrick. 

"It is only 8:55, He said 9 A.M., he will not be here for another 30
minutes, if we are lucky" said Lori. Just as the professor struggled up 
the street with two large shopping bags; Hiram muttered 

"Don't say 'Lucky' it is superstition" 

The professor walked to and past the students, and with a wave of his
hand beckoned them to follow him. The academic group picked their way 
over broken sidewalks, past buildings that looked like an old man with 
patches over both eyes and a lopsided smile. They darted around rusting 
cars and homeless people laying in the middle of the street. The 
students looked at each other and wondered where the professor might be 
taking them. Finally as the students began to look around and consider 


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