Man leaves huge tip in honor of former teacher

(WPIX/CNN) - A mystery diner in New York City stunned an unsuspecting server with a very generous tip, and that's just the beginning of a story that started nearly a decade ago.A patron at a Times Square restaurant recently decided to ignore the suggested gratuity portion of his receipt, opting instead to tip not 15 or 20 percent, but rather 6800 percent. He left his waitress a very generous $3,000 tip on a $43 bill.The tip also came with a note."Thank you for kindness and humility. My teacher in middle school had such a difficult experience a few years ago which has sparked me to do this. That teacher is Richard Specht."In Oct. 2012, Specht and his wife lost their 22-month-old son in a tragic drowning accident. Their community in Sound Beach, Long Island gave them much needed support during that time.Ever since, they vowed to give back, launching the Rees Specht Life Foundation in honor of their son. The mission is to keep kindness going, and it has."First thing I saw was the $3000 tip and it didn't register at first because you know people share acts of kindness with us from all over," Specht said. "And then I looked back at the receipt and I noticed the student's name and I knew exactly who it was. It was a student I had nine years ago and it just blew my mind."It all happened in a Times Square restaurant. The tipper, is not only a former student of the 8th grade science teacher, but also an established performer on Broadway, whose identity remains anonymous for good reason."They wanted it to be about the kindness, the act of kindness and what we're trying to promote, so I'm just humbled by that," Specht said.And that act was performed by a former student Specht describes as a standout."Just a super nice young man, the type of person who would do things for other people, who was very outgoing," Specht said. "He only had 22 months and I think everyone wants to make a difference in the world and we felt like he didn't have his chance and we wanted to kind of give him that chance to pay back the kindness we received after he passed away."Copyright 2015 WPIX via CNN. All rights reserved. href='http://www.fox5vegas.com/story/28947404/man-leaves-huge-tip-in-honor-of-former-teacher' - http://www.fox5vegas.com/story/28947404/man-leaves-huge-tip-in-honor-of-former-teacher -