Walking through the basement of Donnelly Hall, senior Lauren Laudan hardly glances at social studies teacher Pat Sirridge as they pass each other.  Suddenly, something hits Laudan as she turns around to look at Sirridge again. She only remembers how her mom liked the color of a certain house in her old neighborhood in San Mateo, Ca.  Sirridge passes by, also failing to realizing the connection he has with Laudan. Now a teacher at STA, Sirridge lived in San Mateo in the San Francisco Bay peninsula for two years before returning to Kansas City.  Laudan was a toddler when she lived in San Mateo with her parents before moving to Kansas City, so no connection was obvious.
According to Sirridge, the Laudan family lived about two blocks away from him in San Mateo. He did run into them several times, becoming familiar with the family though they were not close friends.  Laudan has yet to have Sirridge as a teacher, so she did not easily recognize the relationship.  Sirridge does not know exactly how he discovered the connection; it was probably through other students.  For Laudan, class with him next semester might be slightly awkward due to their connection.  The moral of the story: be nice to your neighbors because it is one small world.
