{"id":117468,"date":"2020-01-29T07:12:20","date_gmt":"2020-01-29T12:12:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.sleepyeyeonline.com\/goodnews\/?p=117468"},"modified":"2020-01-29T12:15:37","modified_gmt":"2020-01-29T17:15:37","slug":"weeds-mr-blackstads-opus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sleepyeyeonline.com\/goodnews\/weeds-mr-blackstads-opus\/","title":{"rendered":"Weeds: MR. BLACKSTAD\u2019S OPUS"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Dean Brinkman<\/em><\/p>\n

Ed Blackstad passed away on January 15.\u00a0 Ed was a fellow Lion, patient, and good buddy.\u00a0 I had many great conversations with him through the years. \u00a0We liked to review movies.\u00a0 In 1996, we did our best \u201cSiskel & Ebert At the Movies<\/em>\u201d of Mr. Holland\u2019s Opus<\/em>.\u00a0 I asked him \u201cWhat did you think?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ed replied \u201cI loved it!\u00a0 Glenn Holland arrives in the school parking lot in the 1960\u2019s driving an old Chevy Corvair. Just like the one I had!\u201d\u00a0 I told Ed that I loved the movie, too, especially because it reminded me of him, to which he humbly blushed.<\/p>\n

Ed\u2019s first teaching assignment was in Frost, Minnesota.\u00a0 In the fall of 1968, Mr. Blackstad moved to Sleepy Eye with his high school sweetheart wife Cathy, five-year old son Peter, and two-year old daughter Stacy.\u00a0 Through the years, Ed taught Physics, Chemistry, Calculus, Trigonometry, and Computer Programming to three thousand students at Sleepy Eye High School.<\/p>\n

Back then, St. Mary\u2019s students could \u201cride the bus down to Public\u201d for shared-time classes. Hundreds more St. Mary\u2019s kids signed up for Ed\u2019s classes throughout his career.\u00a0 Ed retired from teaching in 1999 but stayed on as the school\u2019s technology expert until 2006. \u00a0He continued a computer repair business as a hobby in retirement.<\/p>\n

Mr. Blackstad had a soft spoken and occasionally monotone delivery. Along with that came a dry sense of humor. \u00a0He was extremely funny, the kind of teacher that you cannot forget. \u00a0He was a kind teacher, human being, and family man.<\/p>\n

Comparisons to Glenn Holland continue. \u00a0I like to think that we all have \u201cthat\u201d teacher or \u201cthat\u201d coach who has impacted our lives. They turn that painful subject into a fun class and motivate us to learn. \u00a0A great teacher can do just that, even if the subject can\u2019t.\u00a0 Let\u2019s face it. \u00a0Physics, Trig, Chem, and Calc aren\u2019t usually in most kids\u2019 top ten favorite subjects list. \u00a0They can also be the subject that \u201cweed out\u201d decisions on which career path one pursues. Mr. Blackstad could empower your drive to clear that subject hurdle and kick that subject in the \u201cmass\u201d.<\/p>\n

One of the derivations of \u201copus\u201d is from Latin meaning, \u201cWork, effort, product of labor, work of art.\u00a0 Commonly referring to music.\u201d\u00a0 Mr. Blackstad\u2019s opus was one of technology and science.<\/p>\n

My closest friends have been texting regarding Mr. Blackstad\u2019s impact on their lives. \u00a0My texting group didn\u2019t assemble in the old high school auditorium to present Mr. Blackstad with his composed symphony like Mr. Holland received after his retirement. \u00a0Instead, we met cell phone to cell phone honoring the man after his life.<\/p>\n

This group of Ed\u2019s former students represent careers in electrical and aerospace engineering, obstetrics and gynecology, dentistry, computer software developer, insurance agent, Delta aircraft lead mechanic, 28-year Air Force, retired full Colonels, and teachers. These best friends are scattered all around the world. All their careers were impacted by Mr. Blackstad, including my own just down the street from where Ed lived.<\/p>\n

So, I present to you Mr. Blackstad\u2019s Opus in their words: \u201cI loved Mr. Blackstad.\u00a0 He was both kind and funny. \u00a0He helped shape what intellectual curiosity is for many of us, and that will continue to live on despite his passing.\u201d\u00a0 \u201cI loved his classes.\u00a0 He definitely influenced my choice of career.\u201d \u00a0\u201cMr. Blackstad never understood the logic of golf. \u00a0He said, \u2018If you\u2019re playing something that you enjoy, why would you practice to get better, only to play less?\u2019 \u00a0I think of that every time I play forty years later.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe gave me a D+ in his Physics class, and he said to me privately, \u2018You earned the D; the plus is because you\u2019re a great guy.\u201d\u00a0 \u201cI remember he made the whole class hold hands around the room. Two students held wires attached to a hand crank generator. He cranked it quickly and the students became a series circuit. \u00a0We all felt the electricity.\u00a0 I have one like it in my class now.\u201d \u00a0\u201cI will never forget shooting a pistol with wax bullets in his classroom to measure projectile velocity.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe did have a unique way of making you look at things. \u00a0He helped me with college, because I didn\u2019t just study for the test. \u00a0I wanted to understand the \u2018why\u2019 behind things. \u00a0I got that from him.\u201d \u00a0\u201cHe addressed us as Mister or Miss and treated us more like young men and women, kind of training us for that transition. He loved learning and did his best to help us learn.\u201d \u00a0\u00a0\u201cHe never lost his cool when frustrated. He would rub both sides of his head, take a deep breath and admonish us in a voice of frustration.\u201d<\/p>\n

My brother Dave had Mr. Blackstad for physics in 1972-73, eight years before I had physics with him. \u00a0Dave told me that Ed was one of his favorite teachers.\u00a0 Not surprising as Ed was the kind of teacher who transcended the generations and decades. Ed and Cathy came through my brother\u2019s visitation line to console our family when Dave died in 2008. \u00a0I will never forget that. Ed cared for his students after school, not just during.<\/p>\n

Teachers do not get enough credit for all of the hard work, time, dedication and passion they inspire in changing lives. Our lives. Your children and grandchildren\u2019s lives.<\/p>\n

His son Peter asked him for advice before starting to lecture engineers in the corporate world, to which Ed replied simply, \u201cAlways remember, no one likes to feel stupid.\u201d<\/p>\n

Please share this column with the thousands of students Mr. Blackstad taught. And thank your favorite teacher for making learning fun, changing your life, and inspiring your passion or career.<\/p>\n

Since Ed\u2019s passing, I watched Mr. Holland\u2019s Opus<\/em> again. This time with tears in my eyes, as I was reminded of Mr. Blackstad throughout.<\/p>\n

Here is my Siskel review of the movie\u2019s Mr. Holland and the real-life Mr. Blackstad. \u00a0Glenn Holland aspires to be a music composer and takes the job as a high school music teacher to \u201cpay the bills\u201d and changes lives. \u00a0Ed Blackstad is recruited after getting his master\u2019s degree from The Ohio State University to build top secret munitions for the government. \u00a0This was during the buildup for the Vietnam War. \u00a0After careful consideration he chooses to change lives\u2026by teaching.<\/p>\n

Richard Dreyfuss was nominated but did not win an Oscar for his portrayal of the fictional Glenn Holland.\u00a0 Mr. Edward M. Blackstad won more in life than any award sitting on a mantelpiece ever could.<\/p>\n

I can picture Ed pulling out of the school parking lot right now in his Chevy Corvair. \u00a0He, too, was a classic. \u00a0Rest in peace Mr. Blackstad.\u00a0 Let the sweet music play.<\/p>\n

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By Dean Brinkman Ed Blackstad passed away on January 15.\u00a0 Ed was a fellow Lion, patient, and good buddy.\u00a0 I had many great conversations with him through the years. \u00a0We liked to review movies.\u00a0 In 1996, we did our best \u201cSiskel & Ebert At the Movies\u201d of Mr. Holland\u2019s Opus.\u00a0 I asked him \u201cWhat did …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[162],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-117468","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-weeds-by-randy-krzmarzick"],"aioseo_notices":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-22 13:09:00","action":"change-status","newStatus":"trash","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sleepyeyeonline.com\/goodnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117468","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sleepyeyeonline.com\/goodnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sleepyeyeonline.com\/goodnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sleepyeyeonline.com\/goodnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sleepyeyeonline.com\/goodnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=117468"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.sleepyeyeonline.com\/goodnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117468\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":117469,"href":"https:\/\/www.sleepyeyeonline.com\/goodnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117468\/revisions\/117469"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sleepyeyeonline.com\/goodnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=117468"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sleepyeyeonline.com\/goodnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=117468"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sleepyeyeonline.com\/goodnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=117468"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}