Dr. Donald Calvin Page (1949-2019)

My older brother died on Saturday after a long battle with Parkinson’s Disease. He finally won the war and is resting in peace and joy in his Heavenly Father’s arms.

Donald was two-years-old when I was born. He was one of the few constants in my childhood as our minister father moved us from one church to another and even from one country to another. Growing up, we lived in Shelby, Michigan; Elmira, Illinois; LaPrairie, Illinois; Amman, Jordan; DeTour Village, Michigan; Edinburgh, Scotland; DeTour Village, Michigan, again; Lake City, Michigan; and Schoolcraft, Michigan. Actually, Donald started college when we moved to Lake City and doesn’t have much of a history there, but he lived with my parents at Schoolcraft while earning his master’s degree.

Donald was a typical Page in many ways. Aside from being a committed Christian and having a strong work ethic, he also exhibited the other two dominant Page traits: a belief in higher education and a love for travel.

On the education front, Donald received a master’s degree from Western Michigan University and a PhD from the University of Michigan. His degrees were in communication, with an emphasis on television and film production. Between college and his master’s degree, he worked for a television station in Lansing, Michigan as a cameraman.

After receiving his PhD, Donald took a teaching job in the Department of Communications at Tennessee State University in Nashville, Tennessee. He told me at the time that he planned to teach for five years and then he’d try something different—perhaps producing documentary films—for the next five. He expected to change positions every five years or so because he wanted to be challenged and to keep learning.

Fast-forward to 2017, when Donald celebrated forty years on the TSU staff. When I reminded him of his five-year plan, he laughed and said there was always something new to learn right where he was. I’m sure he would have taught for many more years if his Parkinson’s hadn’t forced him to retire in 2018.

Already widely traveled, Donald’s biggest regret near the end was that he wouldn’t get to visit some of the other places on his list. His final trip was to Japan in March with my brother Gordon and nephew Ian. Donald’s Parkinson’s created complications on that trip, but he was glad he had done it.

Shortly after Donald’s return, he fell and ended up in the hospital and eventually in a nursing home. He went downhill quickly after the fall, and I’m grateful for his final relief from pain and from the helplessness that he experienced these last few months.

Although I will miss Donald, I’m happy for him.

Death is swallowed up in victory. Halleluiah!

The Secret to Forty Years

My brother was honored on Friday for his 40 years on the faculty at Tennessee State University. That’s 35 more years than he originally intended.

When Donald finished his PhD in Communications and accepted the job at Tennessee State, he told me he planned to teach for five years and then he’d try something different—perhaps producing documentary films—for the next five. He expected to change positions every five years or so because he wanted to be challenged and keep learning.

Thursday night I reminded him of his five-year plan, and he laughed. He said there was always something new to learn right where he was. He teaches television production classes, and the technology is constantly changing, so maybe that was what he meant. But it was clear from the reflections and comments from colleagues and former students that Donald couldn’t have stagnated if he had tried. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, he mentors new faculty and is everybody’s student advisor, whether assigned or not.  

I am going to use Donald’s experience to make a point about writing, but first I’ll take a short detour to post a picture of all the family members who attended. My children couldn’t make it, but my brother Gordon’s family were all there, as were my cousin Gail and her granddaughter and great-grandson.

Now back to the original itinerary.

I’ve never wanted to stagnate, either, and that’s as true of writing as it was of law. My original attempts at fiction were okay, and I wouldn’t be embarrassed if they were published. But every subsequent book has been better. And that’s the lesson for writers. There is always something new to learn.

So if the next book isn’t better than the last one, hit the refresh button.