Mike Hilliard ’71, Jim Garrett ’61, and Tom Waxter ’52 returned to campus in May to serve as guest speakers for Gilman’s tenth grade elective course, Becoming Human.

The course, taught by Director of Health Education Bessie Oster, uses the perspective of special classroom visitors who share their experiences of “becoming human” at various points across the lifecycle. The 8-month-old son of a faculty member was the students’ first welcomed guest, while one of Gilman’s oldest living alumni culminated the experience. 

Helping to fill the time and space between infancy and golden years, the other guests throughout the course helped the boys explore this central question: What is my purpose?

In advance of the alumni’s visit, they each shared with the class a short life summary, a favorite or important song for the class playlist, and a recommended book, podcast, show/movie, or other cultural phenomenon. 

They were then tasked with responding in person to the students’ questions about what is most important to them, their passions and gifts, what they take responsibility for, and how they use their time. The boys came away from the experience with meaningful insights, appreciated the purposeful lives the three men had created and led. 

Hilliard’s work with the Baltimore City Police Department was fascinating — and characterized by great thoughtfulness. The class was struck by his reflections on purpose. He addressed the three primary parts of his life upon retirement, a phase of life when he gets to choose how he spends his time: his connection with his family, his civic volunteer work, and his conflict-resolution work with the Episcopal Church. 

Garrett reflected on the importance of his Gilman education. He commented on his time as a boarder at Gilman and how the lessons he learned here applied across many experiences in his life. He drew inspiring connections between his work with Outward Bound and his work at Gilman, and spoke proudly of the legacy of his efforts to create the Middle School’s TALK program. 

Waxter, a retired judge, shared his unique wisdom with the students, ranging from his days as a hopscotcher to his years at Gilman and the value of racial equity instilled by his parents. The students were particularly intrigued by the legal cases he shared, both as a lawyer and as a judge. His emphasis on the importance of professional and familial relationships was heartening, too. 

In sharing their journeys of becoming human, the boys gained a deeper understanding that a life of purpose is built through curiosity, commitment, meaningful relationships, and service to something larger than oneself.