In Memory of Dr. Bemer

Dr. Bemer was always extremely focused on his work, yet willing to dedicate his time for his students at any moment. When I encountered a difficult math, physics, philosophy, or a science problem in general, the first person that would come up in my mind was often Dr. Bemer, because I knew he would help me figure out the solution step by step, even if there wasn’t one yet. I would simply walk into the physics lab and explain the problem to him, which he would take with incredible patience and immediately start drafting equations on the board.

Dr. Bemer always encouraged his pupils to search for a second outlet. I remember when Mr. Nassar was teaching AP Physics and Dr. Bemer sat at the back of the room watching. Many times, when Mr. Nassar finishes explaining a problem to us, Dr. Bemer would say “another way to think about this is…” or “what do you guys think, is there another approach to this problem…”. Sometimes he confused himself by asking this, and sometimes we as a class found the solution was a mistake at the very beginning, which was followed by awkward laughter. But that’s okay. Mistakes were okay in his class, and even the teacher often made them; in his class, inquisition for the truth is what matters.

Once, Dr. Bemer juggled two juggling balls with one apple, taking bites of the apple while he juggled, and stunned the whole class. That was when I decided to learn juggling from him. Just like how he helped students with coursework, he guided me patiently from knowing nothing, to doing simple one-hand and two-hand throws, to being a master juggler. Occasionally he showed off with his back throws and under-leg throws, which only made me envy him more. Being as modest as he was, many of us wouldn’t have discovered Dr. Bemer’s many hidden talents, but that made the discovered ones more memorable. Mr. Nassar often analogizes a good teacher with a “bad magician”, who presents clearly the procedure of the magic tricks he performs. Dr. Bemer, in my mind, was this “bad magician” in its most perfect and impeccable sense.