ALBERT Einstein, who got so very many things absolutely right, once commented that it is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge. The late Frank (Buck) Rogers was a master of this art.

In the week that has passed since his death at the age of 96, I have been in contact with any number of his former students from Saltus Grammar School ? where he began teaching in 1936 ? and Warwick Academy, which he retired from in the 1980s. This extraordinary man influenced generations of Bermudians: his former students now range in age from their late 20s through their late 80s.

But regardless of age, race or background, one common denominator has run through all of the spontaneous tributes to Buck I have heard in recent days from former students. And that is how he encouraged, supported and, when necessary, cajoled his young charges into fulfilling potentials they often did not even know they possessed but that Buck discerned in them with his academic answer to a jeweller's eye ? an eye for dull stones that he intuitively recognised could be cut, shaped and eventually polished into scintillating brilliance.

It is education, after all, not politics, that is the art of the possible. And Buck Rogers made possible any number of life-changing and life-affirming transitions among his students as a result of his teaching skills.

First and foremost among the gifts he deeded to us was the ability to apply independent, critical thought in the classroom ? and in our lives. While he encouraged us to never passively accept the received wisdom about any subject (whether or not it was on the school curriculum), he wanted us to topple the false gods of outdated conventions and stale dogmas with intelligent, well-reasoned arguments, not fashionably contrarian bombast.

It was not enough to say such-and-such a philosophy was obviously flawed or a poet was entirely without merit or a historical figure should have anticipated the great reversals that overtook his ambitions ? Buck wanted us to explain not only when things failed but why and what could possibly have been done to correct them.

He required original thought from us, not regurgitated clich?s; sound arguments, not empty platitudes; critical analysis, not cant.

There were rarely any definitive right answers in the classroom discussions Buck encouraged ? but there was always the wrong logical way to approach whatever topic was to hand. Throughout the length of his long career Buck was always far more interested in disciplining students' critical faculties than their sometimes rowdy behaviour, despite his legendary reputation for rarely sparing the rod. Discipline ? mental discipline ? he considered to be the cornerstone of the whole edifice of education.

He was in truth a giant among men ? tall, rangy but well-muscled, his body a testament to the hours he spent in the gymnasium and boxing ring. His own discipline included regularly building up his physical stamina, not just his mental toughness ? his was indeed the soundest of minds in one of the soundest of bodies, as his long, healthy life attests to.

A few random thoughts on Buck Rogers from some of those he taught:

Leslie Johnson: "He was totally dedicated, and instilled discipline which is sadly lacking in today's educational system."

Francis Stephens: "He changed my life."

David Fisher: "He was my mentor and he helped me to face the world."

Will Parker: "Today the most spectacular decline is among young men and women. These are students who have been all but drowned in 'relevance' and political correctness. Teachers pander to their personal 'needs' and 'values' rather than inspiring them to achievement and excellence. It hasn't worked. Buck knew it wouldn't."

Sandra Taylor Rouja: "I was thinking about Buck Rogers and his contributions to so many. He was above all, a true teacher and mentor. He lived for his students, not for money. Nor had he any ambitions to be in politics or the public eye. His goal was for his students to meet their potential and develop character. He taught his 'boys' conflict resolution by means of the boxing ring, self-discipline and team work as part of the Cadet Corps.

"He also had a mean sense of aim. From the blackboard, his back to the class, he was able, in an instant to turn, aim, and throw a piece of chalk at someone, catching them on the ear. He was intolerant of distraction. I can still see a swollen, red ear of the boy sitting in front of me.

"As a much older, and hopefully wiser person that the teenage girl I was 50 years ago, I realise that for me, he was not so much a teacher of school subjects but rather an example of great intellect, wit and freedom of spirit ? all of which would have otherwise been unavailable to me given the restrictions of growing up in Bermuda."

The last word belongs to Keith Winter: "Buck was a teacher, mentor and great friend."

It's hard to improve on as concise an assessment as that.

Space does not permit me to quote so many of his numerous students and friends such as Jimmy Kempe, Colin Benbow and the late William (Cheese) Ray, who were all helpful to Buck in his final years. All of them have regaled me with their own "Buck" stories over the years.

Buck was a complex individual with diverse interests ranging from sailing to astronomy, a remarkable and extraordinary man who had a significant impact on many lives. Consequently it might seem foolhardy to some to try and distil his life into a few short paragraphs, to attempt to capture the essence of his personality in a relatively brief pen portrait. But Buck's guiding principles ? his commitment to truth, integrity and intellectual honesty ? were relatively few and remained remarkably consistent throughout the length of his long life; he was a man who was prepared to suffer almost any evil or tribulation rather than behave dishonourably.

Buck arrived in Bermuda in 1936, beginning his teaching career at Saltus Grammar School. Although the product of a classical education (he studied ancient languages at Cambridge), this scholarly grounding was wedded to extremely progressive views on education ? he wanted to mould his students into complete men and women rather than simply be content with the interchangeable, indistinguishable drones that schools of that era tended to stamp out like so many coins from a mint.

His views made him enemies among Saltus' board of governors, in those days a quite literal holdover from the Edwardian era ? stiff-necked, traditionalist and congenitally averse to anything hinting of progress.

But his students loved and respected him regardless of the antipathy of their parents and the Saltus governors. When life became professionally untenable for Buck at Saltus, enough of his former students had attained positions of influence in the community to engineer his move to Warwick Academy ? a more accommodating academic environment.

have said he should have left the island at that point, that he should have been lecturing at a world-class university not teaching in a Bermuda secondary school. The answer to that is simple ? he had a passionate romance for Bermuda, especially the individual Bermudians in whom he detected the seeds of future success.

He knew many of us who grew up in the 1940s and '50s could not afford to go on and attend university. So he spent countless hours (after school) introducing us to subjects that were not in the normal curriculum. Good teachers like Buck affect eternity. They are members of the most responsible, the least advertised, the worst paid and the most richly rewarded profession in the world.

He had a strong belief in "family values" yet never married. He would often say: "I don't have time for any children of my own because I am too busy looking after other people's mistakes."

In the classroom he affected disdain for us ? saying he was convinced we were all juvenile delinquents-in-the-making who would end up "sweeping the streets" and, when he stopped to consider our academic performances, he thought he was being overpaid.

He enthusiastically used verbal and corporal punishment in his attempt to turn us into useful citizens. In spite of his grim predictions about our futures ? or probably, in fact, because of them ? most of his students become successful in some field of endeavour.

In my judgment he was not a cynic. His caustic, wickedly witty remarks (he could shout as loud as any drill sergeant) and tough discipline was largely an act designed to propel us into working harder. In other words he believed a kick in the pants would carry you a further distance than a pat on the back..

Our class at Warwick, to put it mildly, was mischievous. On one occasion Buck caught us smoking and playing poker in the boys' lavatory. He threatened to take off the doors if we did it again. And he meant it.

Buck never owned a car, he rode an old Triumph motorcycle which a couple of us hoisted up over the roof of Warwick Academy. When he discovered this, all hell broke loose. He supervised the lowering of the bike and assured us that if there was one dent or scratch our parents would pay.

Another time, Joe Pratt and I were trying to wire his motor bike so he would get a shock when he started it. He caught us and after a tongue lashing, which must have lasted 15 minutes. In the end he pointed out our shortcomings in physics, chuckling while he said: "Your plan would not have worked anyway."

Here I would like to explode a few myths because he lived alone, some thought he was a recluse. Wrong. How could a man who had so many friends and whose little cottage in Warwick was always open to them, be described as reclusive? Some of the girls thought he was a misogynist, uncomfortable teaching women.

Wrong again. It's just that he expected them to excel and did not hesitate to use discipline. My cousin Sandra and my sister Jeanette spent long periods standing in a corner outside the classroom for talking too much or creating a distraction. The only difference was the girls escaped a whack on the head as many boys received.

He did like the girl students and once he joked to me: "A woman's mind is cleaner than a man's. She changes it more often."

The stories are endless. He was tough but fair. Any boy he punished was invited to meet him in the boxing ring after school. Some of us did. The result was he had his nose broken three times ? which he just popped back in place himself.

When school recessed for summer it was traditional to have a beach party. Part of the entertainment was to shave Buck's body hair with a dull razor followed by a good dunking. Once we held him under water for so long I was afraid we had drowned him. He suffered it all with great humour.

I have always felt we do not honour dedicated teachers enough while they are alive. Fortunately, this was not the case with Buck. Many families such as the Kempes, the Stephens and Whites in Southampton were close to him. Over two decades ago, several of us, ex-students from Warwick Academy and Saltus, had a party for him at the old Bermudiana Hotel. It was a stunning success. He was "roasted" by several speakers and John White, late of Advertising Associates and The Travellers, composed a brilliantly amusing song for the occasion.

was a classical scholar who could read Aristotle in Greek and Cicero in Latin but he had never been to Rome or Athens. So we sent him there, first class all the way. Years later many of us still feel it was one of the best parties we ever attended.

Several years ago I made a mistake. I arrived at his house with a TV for a gift.

"Take that damn thing out of my house," he said. He was not wasting time watching mindless programmes. Indeed, he thought television was coarsening culture. He was also worried about computers ? while they have produced whiz kids who can obtain information quickly, many remained culturally illiterate.

His first and most passionate love was literature. And I learned from him that if you love good books you can walk alone and never be lonely. This man with a huge intellect enjoyed the company of us ordinary guys.

He had great compassion for the underdog and was like a surrogate father who always found time to help us with our problems when we got into trouble. Problems that most of us were afraid to discuss with our parents we could talk about honestly with Buck.

He was the consummate confidant ? you could trust him with your most intimate thoughts. And with his fine analytical mind you always got good advice ? usually laced with a healthy dose of humour. Right into the 1990s, long after his official retirement, he was still tutoring many of our children preparatory to their going abroad for higher education and would never accept a cent for his time.

So, goodbye to a rare man who possessed courage, unselfishness, self-discipline, endurance, self-sufficiency and fairness."

Surely, Buck is in heaven ? because God wouldn't want to miss out on such interesting company.