Title: The Accidental Educator: Life-Defining Stories of Rites and Wrongs
Author: Dr. Eric Reno
Publisher: Gatekeeper Press
ISBN: 9781662932236
Pages: 262
Genre: Memoir
Reviewer: Barbara Bamberger Scott
Pacific Book Review
Author Dr. Eric Reno offers a close-up view of his personal history, intertwined with global events, sociocultural explorations, military involvement, academic and organizational achievements, eventually to include numerous awards for his work with an advocacy for America’s community college system in his book,The Accidental Educator: Life-Defining Stories of Rites and Wrongs.
Born in the Midwest to a respectable family, a move to Florida shook the teen who was unnerved by the region’s raucous lifestyles. He became reclusive by choice, while developing a notable, youthful attraction to the challenges of baseball, which “kept me afloat during the flood waters of adolescence.” After high school he was drawn to enlist in the Air Force, spending much time stationed in England, and later fulfilling his longtime wish to become his family’s first college graduate. This trajectory would gradually result in his becoming founder and long-time president of Northeast Lakeview College in San Antonio, Texas. Reno’s memories reveal both his penchant for acute observation, his ability to follow orders when required, and his flexibility to change directions as circumstances arose. He and his wife Pat experienced a deep trauma at the death of their first child during birth, occasioning moves and career adaptations as they searched for solace. A new son was born eight years later, and the couple were also happily convinced to become foster parents to twin girls. Some recollections detail congruence and communication with Black persons, rare for the times in which Reno was raised. The author’s wide range of interests and concerns are interwoven modestly yet unflinchingly with specific career events and satisfactions derived from family cohesion.
Reno’s achievements include being named to the PTK Texas Hall of Honor for distinguished CEOS, and a National Pacesetter award extolling his advocacy for two-year colleges. Northeast Lakeview College further recognized his contributions to that institution by naming its art facility the Reno Gallery. His memories from early childhood to the present day include such fascinating details as his admiration for Ernest Hemingway and the many ways that he was able to use that writer’s stories as teaching exercises to enlighten and encourage students regarding “what it means to be a man.” Memoir materials garnered over the years include accolades from former students and a gentle gathering of relevant photographs.
Readers both familiar with and new to some of Reno’s experiences and exploits will appreciate – and wish to share – the episodes of what he designates as his “journey” – informative, sometimes stressful, often amusing, always intriguing, and inspiring. This book is more than a memoir, The Accidental Educator is a masterclass in resilience and redemption. Dr. Reno reminds us that life’s wrong turns often lead to the right destinations. A must-read for anyone who has stumbled into their calling.
