Settle

Sounds like I am saying don’t try for more, but really I am referring to my old High School Ag Teacher, Jerry Settlemeyer.  He has been in my mind quite a bit the past few weeks.  His Celebration of Life was this past weekend at my old High School in Davis California. The fact that it was held in Davis is a tribute to him in and of itself, since he was living in Idaho when he passed, but his family knew what an impact he had made on the members of this community that it was only fitting it be done here.

Mr Settlemeyer, or Settle, as many of us called him was more than just a teacher at a high school.  I know people often say that of their favorite teachers, and there is often a good reason why to go with that.  Almost everyone who ever went to school had a favorite teacher.  For some maybe it was the one who didn’t make them work hard or try, those people don’t count in my book.  For the rest of us, it is a teacher who made an impact on our lives, not just in the classroom.  Settle was one of those.

He started the FFA Program at Davis High School many years before I got there.  I knew nothing of FFA prior to attending High School either.  I did find the class ‘Fisheries and Wildlife Biology’ to be most fascinating when I saw it in the course book when signing up for my Freshman year classes tho.  Little did I know what kind of a Springboard that class and that teacher would be for the rest of my life.

During my years at Davis High I took every class that Settle taught and became heavily involved with FFA, and while I may not remember all of what I was supposed to learn in those classes, the real lessons learned have stuck with me to this day and will continue to do so.  Settle was a real teacher, but he was fun and he made learning fun.  His quirky sayings in his unique voice ring in my head on a regular basis.   I learned the basics of surveying in his Forestry Class, I learned all the species of game animals in California in his Wildlife Biology class, I learned how to make my own fishing rod in that class too, a rod I still have and still fish with to this day.  He also taught a class called ‘Independent Ag’ where students had to come up with a project, formulate a plan of action, and complete the project.  My senior year I did a Quail Habitat project.  I had to research habitat, come up with ways to improve habitat, and then create new habitat on my families hunting club.  I worked on that project for a year, for my final exam, I took Settle Quail Hunting, and since we both bagged limits, I got an A.  We also got his truck stuck in the mud and then he couldn’t get it into 4WD, that’s when I found out he actually knew real cuss words, not just the made up words he used in class!

During his celebration of life, many of his former students got up and talked about their relationship with Settle.  One theme that came up constantly, aside from his sense of humor, was his ability to listen and relate.  He never looked down on anyone, or disparaged them, but he actively listened.  Many students would come to him with real life problems, completely outside of school problems, and he was always there for them, for some he was a true life saver.  He was a man that you knew you could trust to be there for you when you needed him.  There are plenty of stories I could tell, like how I got my first cigar from him while on a school fieldtrip fishing for sturgeon in the San Francisco Bay, but I’m not sure about the statue of limitations on certain details so I won’t go into that.

I am now a Hunter Education Instructor, have been for over 15 years, and every time I teach a class I think of my three top mentors.  One is my father who was a professor at U C Davis and who won over 15 teaching awards during his career. The other is Michael DeChambeau, who is one of my best friends and was a huge mentor for me growing up and continues to be to this day, and the last is Settle.  His voice is in my head during every class I teach.  I try to emulate his style a little with humorous anecdotes to help my students remember the point I am trying to make, sometimes the jokes are pretty corny and I know Settle would be proud of that!  He used to show us old reel-to-reel hunting movies in class, and now I show old Hunter Ed movies to my students to break up the monotony of just listening to me talk.

Most all of my current friends from High School were in Settle’s classes, and virtually all of them are in Ag or the Outdoors Industry today, I think in large part thanks to Mr. Settlemeyer.

Settle, you were a great man, you lived a great and storied life, and you truly did make a difference for so many people, thank you and God Speed.

Until we meet again ,I wish you straight shooting and tight lines my friend.

Jerry Settlemeyer in his element, the wild outdoors