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By
Donna MacLean
When Bill and LaVeta Sergeant came to Taiwan in July of 1976,
Taichung was a much different place than it is now. Rice fields
instead of high rises surrounded Morrison Academy, where the
Sergeants teach school. A trip to Taipei meant traveling on
a one-lane road instead of a freeway. The mode of transportation
in town was bicycles instead of late-model cars one sees on
the streets these days. If you've ever been to a running event
in Taichung, you have probably seen Bill Sergeant running
at the front of the pack. At the age of 61, he can still out-run
most of the high school students he coaches. This teacher
of physical education has been for his students the living
example of a fine athlete. Along with the household goods
he and his wife, LaVeta, are packing are thirty-five trophies
and an equal number of medals earned from running events he
has participated in while he has been in Taiwan. Those events
include seven marathons and seven triathlons. Stories about
Bill are legendary such as one report of him finishing a marathon
on a broken foot.
He has taken teams from Morrison Academy to city meets for
over two decades, and his team consistently places well against
athletes from much larger schools on the island.
As an American Red Cross Instructor Trainer, Bill has taught
Lifeguard Training to over four hundred people, trained over
a hundred Water Safety Instructors, and taught Standard First
Aid and CPR to hundreds of people. Several of Mr. Sergeant's
students have made rescues and saved lives both at Morrison's
pool and other places. As a prime example of 'practicing what
you preach' he saved one student's life using CPR right after
he completed teaching the CPR section of a Lifeguard Training
course. He also has been responsible for maintaining the Morrison
pool, to the enjoyment of many expatriates in Taichung.
Bill's students especially remember his commitment to God
and to his students and his caring heart. As Bill leaves the
island of Taiwan, he is 'passing the baton' to two of his
former students (Don Dwight and Jeff Johnston) who are carrying
on at Morrison as P.E. teachers.
When the Sergeants came to Taiwan in 1976, their two sons
were in elementary and middle school. At that time, grocery
shopping was an all-day affair. Yet, LaVeta managed to teach
full-time while caring for the needs of her family.
When she first came to Morrison, LaVeta taught English and
Journalism, but she soon became a librarian at the high school.
The ensuing years brought many changes both at home and school.
The Sergeant's sons, Terry and Curtis, graduated from Morrison
Academy in the '80's, just about the time LaVeta was realizing
the library needed to graduate to bar codes. Several years
ago, LaVeta (with the help of several competent helpers) completed
the painstaking task of converting the high school library
to a computer system, putting bar codes on every book, magazine
and video in the library holdings of approximately 11,000
acquisitions. She even planned a funeral for the old card
catalog and had it carried down the steps of the library to
a trumpet funeral dirge.
LaVeta has used her gift of hospitality to encourage her Morrison
colleagues and her Taiwanese friends. She and Bill have regularly
invited Morrison students to their home to partake of LaVeta's
delicious home cooking. The Morrison staff will miss the annual
Chinese New Year game night held in the Sergeant's home.
The Sergeants have spent a lot of the past year saying goodbye
to their friends in Taiwan as they head for retirement in
Arkansas. The Morrison staff and students will miss the strengths
they have brought to the athletic department and to the library.
The Sergeants have lived through a lot of changes, but the
'Top Five Things They Will Miss The Most' are things that
aren't likely to ever change: the pleasant people, the fabulous
food, the beautiful beaches, the majestic mountains, and the
wonderful weather.
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