Jerome Garcia Walking into Jerome Garcia’s office, one is greeted by someone who looks more like an assistant basketball coach than a Biology professor. His young age and athletic build scream just that: athlete. And in fact, it’s not far off. In high school, Garcia played basketball and baseball, which he dropped when he came to ULV, despite remaining around athletics, doing his work study in the Athletic Department. “It’s always been there in some shape or form,” he said. Now, he still attempts to stay in touch with the Movement and Sports Science program, in addition to playing in a men’s basketball league once a week and continuing to work out. “I’m trying to practice what I’m preaching,” said Garcia, who, as a Biology teacher, constantly lectures on the advantages of taking care of one’s body and keeping in shape. However, Garcia was not born with a ball and glove in his hand. His path to athletics was not forged before him, as are those of many multi-generation athletes excelling today. “Sports was not a big thing back in the Philippines,” said the first-generation American. “It’s just something I got into and excelled at.” And this love for sports enjoyed from an early age extrapolated – as it so often does – into a staggering baseball card collection. What he calls “your typical collection” – the fruit of 20 years of collecting – includes Barry Bonds rookie cards, in addition to those of Randy Johnson and John Smoltz. “That was my primary sport,” he said. Now, when asked how many cards he has, Garcia said, “I don’t know. It’s too many.” However, in 1985, he calculated its net worth to be around $5,000. “Now, I would say double that,” he said. And that’s just the cards. Garcia also owns a basketball signed by Michael Jordan, worth a couple thousand, he said, a Jose Canseco signature, which has become increasingly interesting recently, in addition to an old picture of Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, signed by both. Most of his cards were collected by 1990, he said. Then, prices of cards began to rise and it became more about the money than the love of collecting. “That’s what put a sour taste in my mouth,” he said, also blaming his waning interest on spending $5-6 on what used to be a 25-cent pack. “After that, it stopped being fun. It wasn’t about the card itself.” But his office shows no evidence of such a daunting collection. In fact, plastic bags of candy largely fill his bookshelves, built into the wall. “I’ve been here for a year now, and I’ve been meaning to bring that into the office,” he said. “It’s still a work in progress.” Every once in a while, the consummate athlete will trade in his sneakers for waders and hit the water with his dad to fish. “That was the one thing that my father and I used to do on a regular basis,” Garcia said, adding his three brothers to the fishing conclave. “My father’s not a very expressive man, but when you’re out there, there’s a lot of time to bond.” Growing up in Central California, Garcia is still searching for primary fishing spots in the Southland. In addition, they can only go so often because they fish mainly for trout, which only bite in certain seasons. “If we could,” he said, “we’d do it every Saturday.” The only other activity Garcia could remember doing with his dad was work on old cars. They had a ’65 Mustang that they built inside and out, save the engine. THE PROFESSOR As for his students, Garcia picks the Gipper. “You always have a group of 10 percent, maybe 15, that are always going to do well,” Garcia said. “I try to reach out to the ones on the fence. I try to tell them, ‘You’re not an average or below average student. You’re an A student.’ Those are the ones I try to get. “There’s no difference between an A student and a C student. The person with the A just put in more time.” Garcia said his students enjoy his enthusiasm and his ability to break down complex concepts into contextual language. “They say, ‘You’re entertaining. You’re breaking it down for us and relating it to something we can understand,’” he said. There is, however, one fallback to Garcia’s teaching style. “I’m a morning person,” he said, nearly ruefully, “so I have my classes at 7:30.” RETURN TO FACULTY LISTmailto:GARCIAJ@ulv.edu?subject=HELLOHome.htmlshapeimage_1_link_1
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