Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, June 2, 1993 TAG: 9306020150
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: CATHERINE GEWERTZ LOS ANGELES TIMES
DATELINE: IRVINE, CALIF. LENGTH: Medium
Perking up the instruction will be Homer, a 2-foot-tall stuffed bear, who was adopted by the class in January, plunked on an airliner and sent on a worldwide tour. In his denim overalls and floppy brown felt hat, a small backpack on his back, Homer visited 20 nations in five months, passed hand-to-hand, relay-style, by caring flight attendants, cargo personnel and passengers.
Pinned to Homer's fur was a laminated note signed by his 33 Irvine classmates, expressing their hope that he would travel around the globe and return home by June 1 with lots of souvenirs and entries in his travel diary.
Did he ever.
Homer's diary is filled with immigration stamps - he carried no passport - and descriptions of his experiences abroad, penned by scores of schoolchildren and others who hosted him in their home countries.
"I was just thinking this is one of the best ways to learn about the real world and obtain experiences from different people in different countries," wrote a member of the ground staff of Qantas Airlines in Bangkok, Thailand, on Jan. 18.
So great was the international generosity heaped on the fluffy traveler that he returned to Los Angeles International Airport last weekend with six huge shopping bags stuffed with gifts, newspaper clippings and photos.
Homer brought home a gilded bamboo basket from Thailand, a tiny pair of wooden shoes from Holland, Swiss chocolate, a pen with wood carvings from Bangladesh, a flask of sand from a Caribbean beach, a guidebook from Oman, and a photo of a Sheraton hotel room where he had bunked in the United Arab Emirates.
Teacher Kathy Calkins will use Homer's odyssey as the ultimate in world geography lessons for her students, who jumped and screamed with excitement when they heard Homer had safely returned to the United States late last week. The greatest lesson Homer brought back for the students, Calkins said, was about humanity and goodwill.
"He obviously touched the hearts of a lot of different people," Calkins said.
Homer's journey was the brainchild of Sally Pearl, a flight attendant whose daughter is a student in Calkins' class. She heard of a stuffed bear from Wisconsin on a similar journey and suggested that Calkins try it as a geography lesson. Pearl's daughter, Stacy, donated one of her teddy bears and the class dubbed him Homer, hoping that the name itself would encourage his caretakers to send him back home again.
Homer will be feted like an Olympic athlete. On Friday, he will be the honored guest in the school's geography parade, in which students display floats representing places they have studied during the year.
by CNB