Mike Farmer was a teacher, mentor, and friend to me and so many others. Brilliant and proudly unconventional, he made the most difficult subjects accessible, revealing the miraculous connections in chemistry and physics as simple common sense. He taught us how the world works. He pushed us and pissed us off. He cared about us individually. He wanted us to learn to persevere, believe in our own capacity, take no crap, and not take ourselves too seriously. He told us that we could do anything we put our minds to, and made us do it. I believed him, and it changed me.
The world was Mike's passion. He didn't just talk about following passion; he did it himself, aspiring to be the first teacher in space and throwing himself into it. Out of 11,000 applicants he was one of the top ten finalists to be aboard the Challenger. He wasn't chosen, a disappointment to him, but as a result he was with us for many more years and was able to touch the lives of many more.
May the mysteries of space be revealed to you now, Farmer. Goodbye. I'll always see you in the stars.
Contributed by Margaret Ward McClain, Riverside High School Class of 1986
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