Mr. Miracle was my graphic arts teacher in high school. Here is a flash back to my high school past and my start of my graphic design career.

Mr. Miracle

He is the one who taught us students at Fulton High School in Knoxville, TN about graphic design and the printing industry. I attended Fulton High in the early to mid-1990’s.

He only allowed two students to run the offset printing presses. I was not one of them.

But the rest of us got to learn to use a computer to do very basic layout. So all the prepress and post press work.

First we got to do the design work, we only had two computers. Once the design was ready we got to print the design on paper.

After that we got to take it to the big camera and shoot a picture. Then we developed the film in a dark room.

After that we stripped the negative by attaching it to sheets and checking for scratches etc on the negative. We used red pen to plot those out.

Once the negative was ready, we made a plate from the negative.

BTW, the print shop in at now is straight to plate. Just drop in pdf into the software and then the plate maker makes the plate.

Then those assigned to the printing press took the plate and printed.

Then it went back to us for the finishing touches in bindery. Cutting, face trimming, stitching, etc.

Mr. Miracle also taught us about safety and OSHA (Occupational Safety and Hazard Administration).

I always remembered if we had a fire alarm, Mr. Miracle would say Far Alarm all country like and for us to sit down. Once we all sat down from within the print shop we would go outside.

I also remember he always told us he ate possum not City possum but country possum. Not sure if he did but hey!

I remember one day my senior year, he asked if anyone had a pocket knife on them. He usually always had one on him. But that day he forgot it.

I also remember we did a catalog for a landscaping nursery and I did work study in high school and put in one hour a school day and I had to stitch (had stables) to the center of the catalogs on the stitcher.

Well, I had one that day he goes up to me, Steve, you are an Eagle Scout, do you have your pocket knife on you. At first I thought it was a trick question. I hesitated … thinking I’d get into trouble. He goes you won’t get in trouble. So I allowed him to borrow my pocket knife.

I got to take three years with Mr. Miracle:

• Graphic Arts I (Sophomore Year)
• Graphic Arts II (Junior Year)
• Graphic Communication Technology I (combined photography and graphic arts – you had to have one of the classes before hand)

I also got to take two years of Home Economic in high school. I learned more on cooking and learned to sew making my bow Steve Sews. Thank you to Mrs. O’Dell for that.

But, did you know, that I almost went to go to college for youth ministry but something else came up and I went to college for graphic design instead.

So thank you to Mr. Conley Miracle and Fulton High for offering graphic design that got me into the career I am in now.

Ready my story in graphic design since high school. So that makes it a very long time in this field overall.

I looked at my senior yearbook and he wasn’t in it, nor did I have a photo of him in my senior memory book. If you went to Fulton or knew him, could you hit me up and send me a photo please.

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