Random Thoughts from a Random Memory - A Tribute to Sonja Shoup

By Edward Master

If you read any of my stories/columns, you can thank one of my high school English teachers who recently passed into that great classroom in the sky.

Sonja Shoup, from St. Petersburg, recently passed away. Sonja was a lovely lady, in addition to a very special teacher. Among Sonja, her sister-in-law Betty Shoup (Sonja and Betty were married to brothers), and Dorothy Tippery, I became a ‘devoted’ student of the English language. From these three women, I learned the ins and outs of English grammar. These three teachers knew the usage of the adjective, the participle, and adjective like normal people breathe. Mrs. Tippery often said how the sandwich was the world’s greatest invention since it enabled a person to eat and read at the same time.

Sonja Shoup

I wish I could say I was the exemplary ‘A’ student, but alas that was not to be, but I did get the chance to prove my worth in later life in other ways.

I came out of graduate school at Clarion University as a communications major (undergrad in earth science). Eventually, I secured employment as a technical writer in Philadelphia. Early on in that position, I learned that I already knew practically everything I needed in terms of English/grammar for my job, thanks to high school English (and those three teachers).

To this day, I can still envision Sonja at the blackboard diagramming a sentence. The odd thing about that is my wife, Eileen, was a PhD student at IUP in English. She actually had coursework in what was referred to as “diagramming.” She remarked the course was similar, but not the same as her school days. But, so it was that the technical writer was married to the English teacher.

You could say that I really got into this writing business in two steps. First, my wife convinced me, following a work layoff, that I could teach composition (writing if you will). I did that and then came step two, newspaper work. Here I am at the “Progress.”

Sonja was my homeroom teacher as a senior at A-C Valley. Undoubtably, that was the beginning of our friendship, and being in the congregation at St. Peter’s put the so-called icing on the cake. Some of my buddies (and I) took joy in teasing her just a bit to hear her laugh and watch her smile. I’ll miss her laugh and smile.

I hadn’t seen Sonja in awhile, especially since doing away with driving and being at PPC, but each time I write I can always thank Mrs. Shoup.