Kent Metcalfe, 1952-2022

Kent was born to Matthew S. Metcalfe, who became Chairman and CEO of Loyal American Life Insurance Company, and Phyllis Metcalfe, a community volunteer who worked with civic and arts organizations in Mobile, Alabama. He was the eldest of four children. They were very well looked after by their loving parents and also their grandparents, who were devout Christian Scientists.

One of Kent’s most memorable early experiences was when he played one of the shepherds in the Christmas nativity play, perhaps laying the seed for his later involvement in speech and drama. Kent had a hunger for education, including spiritual knowledge, and loved studying and researching. He did not find his spiritual home in Christian Science as his grandparents had. As a young man, he found his first book by Rudolf Steiner at a used book sale. The content spoke to him and had a lasting impact.

He graduated from the University of Massachusetts with a BS in Education and Human Development. Around this time, he taught and co-directed in a Waldorf preschool in Silver Springs, Maryland and later co-founded the Acorn Hill Waldorf Kindergarten. During that year his conviction of the value of Waldorf education and anthroposophy was confirmed.

Kent went to Emerson College in England in 1978 to do a foundation year in anthroposophy, followed by the education course and an internship in remedial education at Michael Hall Waldorf School. He blossomed under the tutelage of a number of fantastic teachers. The late 70s and early 80s were the heyday of Emerson College. John Davy, an inspiring teacher, was leading the college. Francis Edmunds, who had founded the college in 1962, was still involved and made a deep impression on Kent. William Mann’s courses on art history changed many students’ lives. Kent later referred to his time at Emerson College as some of the happiest years of his life. He met Bettina there and they were married by Adam Bittleston through the sacraments of the Christian Community in the Eurythmy House in the presence of the whole college.

By now, Kent had realized that his heart was in the spoken word. He began to study speech and drama, first with Masie Jones in London, then for a few months with Virginia Brett in Dornach, before enrolling in the fouryear course of speech and drama at the Alanus School in Germany near Bonn—a bold decision, because it meant he had to learn German to study speech and drama in German. This was of great advantage to Kent, as it allowed him to study Rudolf Steiner in the original language. Kent joined the Anthroposophical Society in Dornach in 1981 and was ready to join the First Class in 1984. From 1987-89, Kent taught high school German and speech at Vancouver Waldorf School, and performed plays with the students. However, he felt drawn to go back to Mobile. Luckily, he found some work teaching public speaking at a few colleges in and around Mobile and directed plays with volunteers. He enjoyed motorcycling on country roads, ballroom dancing, and became a scuba diving instructor later on and lived a year in Hawaii. When Kent’s marriage ended after 12 years, he enrolled at the University of South Alabama to gain a masters in English Literature. He found his vocation by teaching a “Theory of Knowledge” course to high school students in the International Baccalaureate program, basing it effectively on The Philosophy of Freedom. That led to teaching courses for gifted students at a different high school. He was allowed to develop his own program and devised lessons using his comprehensive knowledge of history, philosophy, religion, art, anthroposophy and Waldorf education to work with the students, leaving a lasting legacy. The beautiful letters he received from his students (below) demonstrate movingly how much he had touched their hearts and helped them pursue their careers and lives with confidence and new insight.

Kent was widely read and had a very deep understanding of anthroposophy. He was never happy with half-truths and researched Steiner’s work until he received answers to his many searching questions. When Kent met his second wife Laura in 2007, he introduced her to anthroposophy and she became an avid student. He had found his soulmate! Laura was a loving and devoted companion. She was by his side through many trials of failing health. When injury limited him and might have cut short his ability to carry on working, her support enabled him to continue teaching.

Kent had grown up by the water and loved the delta. When he retired from teaching in 2017, he bought a boat and Laura and he were able to explore the waterways of the Mobile Delta together. But Kent’s main work in his retirement was to write a book based on spiritual truths in the form of a novel. He was engaged in this activity right to the end of his life, leaving Laura only with the final editing and submission.

Kent died on Saturday October 2, 2021 at the age of 69. His fierce idealism, passion and intensity will be remembered as a guiding light by many, continuing to plant seeds for the future.

Excerpts of some letters from students...

“I was planning to drop out of high school and do rock music with my friends, but your humanities classes made me stay through high school because I loved them so much... I would never have even considered going for a PhD if I hadn’t taken your classes …”

“I’m thankful that you guided us through classics like Dante’s Inferno and the Epic of Gilgamesh. That has helped me be able to understand and deconstruct philosophies and cultural narratives and understand how they influence us in “the real world.” I’m thankful that you gave us guidance in oration and speaking through the poems we had to recite. It’s helped me become a more authoritative and confident speaker. I’m thankful that you gave us water colors and encouraged us to explore our creativity because I am able to appreciate beauty in art, even when it’s abstract and in all its forms.”

“Looking back, you really helped us learn to be more fully human. You encouraged us to feed and develop the parts of ourselves that were not just quantifiable numbers to go on a report card, but the parts of us that inspire us to be and to empathize and to see how we connect to each other and our world...”

“From a student’s girlfriend: I suppose it is time to formally thank you, though I’ve never met you. I’ve heard about you for years now from James. You have been a major influence in his high school experience and for the person he is today. He cares and respects you so much…”

“I don’t think that anyone will leave this class unaffected. If you could hear us talk out of class, you could tell that we have paid attention and absorbed a lot. Matt and I joke all the time about how you “messed with our heads.” I only wished that we could have had you all year …”

“After four years of being taught and guided by you, you deserve a letter... You have been a continuing source of knowledge and light in a dark age. I entered your class starving for knowledge, and the food for thought never ceased. I find you fascinating and am continually astounded by your wealth of knowledge and experience. I feel inspired to take hold of the world despite my fears and worries. Thank you for being a Virgil to my Dante and seeing me through a dark mood. Although I know I am still developing, I would not be the person I am today if it was not for you. I feel blessed to know you.”

“Thank you for everything, you have been by far the most insightful and enlightened teacher I’ve ever had...”

“Thank you for your class. You invested so much in your students and we never once felt uncomfortable or out of place (except maybe when we first began poetry recitation and had to pretend to throw a spear while shouting one syllable). Your class allowed me to explore not only my beliefs but the beliefs of others, giving me insight and teaching me patience as well as tolerance, a valuable life skill that no standard classroom ever taught. I read novels and epics that I had no idea I would love because I never would have read them on my own. When I emerged from your course, I was no longer a child who depended on my parents’ teaching for my views on society, but rather someone who felt confident enough to form her own opinions. I am still a strong Christian, but it is my belief and one that came from study and extensive exploration of other religions and worldviews … Your name will definitely be one that I recall to my children.”

“These past few years I have definitely taken a lot from your classes. You have been a great influence on me and now I see the world in a whole different way. You are a great teacher, I appreciate everything you have done for us...”

“Thank you for teaching me about humanity and many other wonders, art and religion, great stories and poems. I also want to thank you for believing in me...”

“I loved your classes and all of the life lessons I have learned. You do so much good for other people, I know you make a difference in their life just like you have with mine.”

“Through my three courses with you, I have learned about many forms of art, history, culture, and most importantly about the struggle of mankind to find himself. By teaching this you helped a young man in high school find himself. This short letter could never express how grateful I am to have met you. Thank you, for everything.”