There were a lot of great professors at Ohio University when I was a student. Math, philosophy, psychology, English, etc. They all contributed to my education. But one of the best was Manuel Gevas, my bartender at the Towne House Grille.
Manuel passed away this week, and he will be missed by all of us who learned as much or more from him than any other instructor, coach or advisor we worked with in Athens. Academics are important but the lessons learned outside the classroom are far more important to the success and enjoyment of life than any course we were graded on.
I met Manuel the first time I visited Ohio University in Athens. He was a role model of professionalism and a mentor to all who enrolled in his classes. He taught important lessons in management, sociology and business to all of us who regularly attended his classes at the Towne House.
There were never any lectures, no homework assignments and no tests. But Manuel graded all of us at the Towne House. When we screwed up, we knew it. When we did well, he recognized it. But always we were learning about life and how to live with others. Manuel understood that life and living with others was everybody's major topic to study.
The only tuition at the Towne House was the price of a beer or two. Once a student paid that price and became a regular at the Towne House, he was assured of individual attention by the Professor Manuel. Those of us fortunate enough to be enrolled in the Towne House for 4 years graduated Cum Laude. Some of us were lucky enough to do special independent study with Manuel and learn about real estate investment, conflict resolution, negotiation, and people management. It was a holistic curriculum from a complete teacher.
Because of bartenders like Manuel the education an Ohio University student receives on Court and Union Streets is as valuable and important as anything learned on the greens or in the halls.
For sure my bartender, Manuel Gevas was as important to me as any classroom professor I spent time with at Ohio University. It's time to bring back 3.2 percent beer so that students can get four years of education from their bartender rather than four hours on the weekend when they are 21-year-old seniors at Ohio University.
Tom Gosiorowski is a 1965 graduate of Ohio University.
4 Opinion
