by Tom Griffin and Jon Marmor
Photo by Mary Levin.
What are they up to now? Who were some of their most memorable students? What happened in the classroom that they'll never forget? Did they hear a student excuse that really caught them off guard? Looking back, what are their thoughts about teaching at the UW?
To honor the 25th anniversary of the Distinguished Teaching Award, Columns Editor Tom Griffin and Associate Editor Jon Marmor undertook a gargantuan task, contacting all the living winners and researching the lives of deceased honorees--a total of 85 professors. There is so much to say that we had to break the article into two parts. What follows is a brief sketch of what the winners from 1970 to 1985 are up to now. Look to the September Columns for the second part, covering 1986 to the present.
WINNERS FROM 1970 TO 1985
(in alphabetical order)
ALBERT W. BLACK, JR.
DAVID KIRK HART
C. GEORGE RAY
GERALD VAN BELLE
NATHANIEL (NED) WAGNER
CAROLYN ALLEN, ENGLISH, 1980
Currently: Teaches "Women Writers" as well as courses in 20th century writers and literary theory. "I'm also in charge of teaching all the English department TAs; there are about 90 of them." On the faculty since 1972.
Writings: Just completed the critical text Following Djuna: Women's Erotics in the Barnes Tradition, a look at women authors whose style was inspired by 1920s writer Djuna Barnes. Also is co-editor of Signs: The Journal of Women, Culture and Society. "It's the premier journal in its field. We get more than 500 submissions a year and we print 24 of them."
Thoughts on Students: "It's much more conservative than it was in the '70s. That makes it challenging. ... I find it really interesting to talk with the white, male, undergraduate students. They learn to see how gender operates in this country. There are students who come back and tell me, 'Your course really changed my life.' That means a lot to me."
Thoughts on Teaching: "There are always new ideas and new students with new ideas. If I didn't learn from my students, I wouldn't enjoy teaching as much as I do."
ARNOLD ARONS, PHYSICS, 1973
Currently: Retired from full-time teaching in 1982 after serving the UW since 1968. Lives in Seattle with his wife, gives frequent workshops. Also the author of the 1990 textbook A Guide to Introductory Physics and the 1994 workbook Homework and Test Questions for Introductory Physics Teaching.
UW Years: Founded the Physics Education Group, which prepares teachers for physics instruction at high school and introductory college levels. Taught Physics 101-102-103 sequence for these students and non-majors and later taught Physics 114-115-116 for pre-med and other students.
Most Memorable Students: "The pre-meds had a terribly rigid outlook. I tried to reach them with respect to their own intellectual development instead of the goal of getting as close to a 4.0 as possible."
Thoughts on Teaching: "There's one thing most of us who've been in this business a while discern: Lately our students wish to get effortless learning. They want to receive knowledge passively and all they have to do is regurgitate the answers. Fewer and fewer students will struggle with a problem until they make a breakthrough."
GEORGE BEHLMER, HISTORY, 1982
Currently: Teaches a large class, "Modern Europe from the Renaissance to the Present," plus several on British history. Finishing a book on traditional family values in England and the United States. On the faculty since 1979.
Most Memorable Student: "One student was absolutely determined to get her college degree. Her husband, though, would only allow her to come to see me for writing help on Saturday mornings, and he would come to oversee everything, because he was afraid that when she left the house, it was for things other than what she said. She ended up dropping out with one week left in the quarter, and I have not heard from her again. It really drove home how pervasive domestic violence is."
Classroom Memories: "In the first Irish history class I taught, I had a role-playing exercise. The debate was over whether the British Army should be forced to leave Northern Ireland. One student, who was Irish and thought of the IRA as heroes, had to argue for the British. He got involved more than any student I've ever had. He even called the Rev. Ian Paisley in Ireland and interviewed him on tape. During the class, when he was asked a question, he played the tape. It blew everyone away."
Thoughts on Teaching: "A lot depends on the commitment of the administration. It sometimes feels like there is a rhetorical campaign for teaching but it doesn't have much teeth."
JOHN BERG, CHEMICAL ENGINEERING, 1972
Currently: Teaching at the UW since 1964. Most famous course is one he founded, "Surface and Colloid Science," the study of the dispersion of fine particles.
Research Interests: "We're working on new methods for recycling toner-printed materials--paper from laserwriters and copy machines. Recyclers are having great difficulty in the process of de-inking, though it's not really ink but molten plastic. We're also working on the replacement of solvents by water in coating formulations--everything from paints to coatings on video tape."
Most Memorable Student Excuse: "It was in 1979. A woman came in 10 minutes late for her exam. On the paper she wrote the reason. Her bus broke down and so she hailed a Roto-Rooter truck. She got the truck driver to radio his headquarters there was an emergency at the UW, and he drove her to the classroom. She was only 10 minutes late. I though this was worth five extra points on the exam."
Thoughts on Teaching: "It's rewarding beyond description to express. It is a continual learning process on my part. The technical field is never exactly the same. What changes even more is my own perspective about it. Being paid to generate a new course is almost a racket--it's a real high."
ALBERT W. BLACK, JR.
ALBERT W. BLACK, JR., AMERICAN ETHNIC STUDIES/SOCIOLOGY, 1977
Currently: Teaches "Race Relations" once a year, plus courses such as "Social Problems," "African American Political Thought," and "Youth, Violence and Gangs." Teaching at the UW since 1972.
New Courses: "The 'Youth, Violence and Gangs' course started last year. I haven't been able to accommodate all the students who want to be in it. I take a close look at the statistics and the increase in youth violence, mostly as a result of gang activity. ... I volunteer teach at Green Hill and Maple Lane (state juvenile facilities) and I take my students on a field trip where they can have a dialog with Bloods and Crips. ... There's been a dramatic change in race relations. The greatest threat today to young African-American males is not Nazis or skinheads or racist white people. It's other African-American males between the ages of 15 and 24."
Most Memorable Students: "There's lots of them, doctors, mayors, legislators such as Jessie Wineberry. There's a whole bunch of students in the NFL. ... There's a range of abilities in the football students. Some of them I had to kind of beat up. You have to push them around. In my classes I don't care who you are, you have to do the work."
Thoughts on Teaching: "Faculty make different types of contributions. Some have careers based on the discovery of knowledge, others have careers based on the transmission of knowledge. We have not been doing an adequate job in the teaching area. We are not being rewarded. The two are co-equal and both deserve rewards and status attached to them."
JON BRIDGMAN, HISTORY, 1973
Currently: Teaches European history sequence, History 301-302-303, from 1450 to the present. Taught the Western Civilization sequence (111-112-113) for 15 years, which adds up to 1,200 students a year, or about 18,000 in total. On the faculty since 1961.
Research Interests: An authority on World War II, Bridgman's The Liberation of the Camps is particularly relevant on the 50th anniversary of the end of the war. "I'm currently working on a book about Pearl Harbor, which should be done in 1996. I'm going into great detail on a few interesting and cryptic events, but I draw no absolute conclusions."
Classroom Memories: "I've had President Gerberding address my History 111 class a few times. I thought my students, who were mostly freshmen, might like to see him. He would talk about the University and answer questions. He was very generous with his time. The students really liked it. They would ask him many questions."
Thoughts on Teaching: "I like teaching large lectures. If you've got something to say, you might as well say it to a large number of people rather than a small number. I get a sense of feedback from a large audience. It's sort of mystical. You can tell if your ideas are getting across or not. There's kind of an eerie silence that comes over them."
HENRY BUECHEL, ECONOMICS, 1971*
Died: May 25, 1972. Joined the UW as a lecturer in economics in 1942 and retired in 1971. Taught Economics 200, the introductory course and one of the most popular on campus.
Service to the UW: Buechel served as the department adviser and guided many lives into the field of economics. "Hank's class was so stimulating, I decided to venture a little further into the subject," wrote Andrew Brimmer, '51, later a member of the Federal Reserve Board. Almost 25 years after his last lecture, the economics department still gets contributions to the Buechel Endowment.
Classroom Memories: On Feb. 11, 1970, a student stood up in the middle of his lecture to protest the Vietnam War. "I told him to shut up and sit down or get out--that I didn't give a damn which it was, but that I was going to conduct the class," Buechel later wrote. When the protester refused to be silent, Buechel asked for a show of hands and felt that about 95 percent wanted him to continue his lecture. "So I said to the interrupter, 'There is your answer. Now shut up or get out.' Four or five other students then jumped up and started shouting things. I then asked the men present if some would assist me in throwing them out. There was a good show of hands. I took off my glasses and coat, prepared to take whatever steps were necessary, but no force was needed."
Thoughts on Teaching: "I teach young men and women, not economics. I ask myself such questions as these: Who are these students before me? What background do they have? What false beliefs do they probably hold? What do they need to know to be intelligent citizens in a democracy?"--from a 1951 letter.
CAROLINE BYNUM, HISTORY, 1981
Currently: On the history faculty at Columbia University, this year Bynum is taking a year's sabbatical at a university in Berlin. Taught at the UW from 1976 to 1987. Wrote Jesus as Mother: Studies in the Spirituality of the High Middle Ages, published by the Univ. of California Press.
UW Years: Taught medieval history at all levels, including "Introduction to the Middle Ages" and the History 331-332-333 sequence. "She focused more on the social and intellectual issues rather than the political issues or military history," recalls Jere Bacharach, the chair of history at that time.
Most Memorable UW Experience: Took place while she was on vacation in Spain. The MacArthur Foundation couldn't reach her to tell her that she won one of their ''genius" grants, a $244,000 fellowship with no strings attached. While sitting in a Madrid café, reading the International Herald Tribune, her husband came across her name in an article about the winners. "The first thing I said was that I don't deserve this! But then my husband pointed out that the MacArthur group includes a magician and all kinds of strange people. Then I realized I'll probably fit right in."
Thoughts on Teaching: "At that time, she was on the cutting edge, very creative in introducing feminist ideas into the mainstream. Now it is more common. She was very effective in bringing up social and religious issues."--History Professor Jere Bacharach.
FRED CAMPBELL, SOCIOLOGY, 1970
Currently: Dean of Undergraduate Education and Vice Provost. Teaches a freshman seminar in "Becoming Educated." Along with Giovanni Costigan, was the first winner of the Distinguished Teaching Award when it was inaugurated in 1970. Joined the faculty in 1966.
From Teaching to Administration: Taught many sociology courses, including "Human Population," "The Family," and "Human Sociology." While chair of sociology, 1978-81 and 1983-89, Campbell continued to teach, including a 700-student "Introduction to Sociology" course. He started a one-quarter teaching course for all sociology graduate students. "I asked myself how could I have an effect on the teaching of others. How could I help increase the importance of teaching in my profession?" Became an associate dean in arts and sciences in 1989 and moved into the new position of dean of undergraduate education in 1992. "My interests began to broaden. It was a natural progression for me. Here was a larger palette to work with."
Most Memorable Excuses: "I'm trained as a demographer and I taught population courses. I tried to understand mortality in the U.S. and in that course I really did discover something that was fascinating. I could, by myself, simply by assigning a term paper, produce a 15 percent increase in the mortality rate of grandmothers living in the Seattle area."
Thoughts on Teaching: "I miss teaching. For me, and for some other faculty, teaching is one of the best ways of learning. It was clearly tied to my own learning. Knowing that I was going into the classroom led me on to read that next book or pick up that next monograph. When I reduced the amount of teaching, I reduced the amount of learning in my life."
ROBERT CANFIELD, DENTISTRY, 1976
Currently: Retired from the UW in 1988 after serving for 21 years. Lives in Sequim with his wife. They are volunteers for the Lighthouse Society and sometimes spend a week tending the lighthouse at the end of Dungeness Spit.
UW Years: Taught restorative dentistry and oral anatomy. "My hardest course was oral anatomy. I designed it. Before it was a static course. I tried to bring it to life in a clinical context."
Most Memorable Students: "The early women stand out because they were originals. Dentistry was a man's profession. I was on the admissions committee when we took the first two women since the 1950s. We got a lot of heat from practicing dentists. They told us, 'All that those women are going to do is get married and get pregnant. They're taking up a spot my son should have.' But Dean Jack Hickey was adamant. One of the first women, Sharon Nelson, is now a very respected professor at the University of Maryland dental school."
Thoughts on Teaching: "It's really changed in dentistry. It used to be focused on the procedure at hand. Now they are taught to keep the patient in mind, the whole patient. It's grown by leaps and bounds as a true health science rather than just a technical skill."
ROY CARPENTER, OCEANOGRAPHY, 1972
Currently: Teaches "Survey of Oceanography" in the spring and "Introduction to Oceanography" in the fall. On the faculty since 1968 and was the first assistant professor to receive the Distinguished Teaching Award.
Research Interests: Marine geochemistry, especially the study of sediments. In addition to work in Puget Sound, has done work for the U.N. in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Korea and Pakistan.
Classroom Memories: "Until recent budget cuts, I would take my undergraduates out on a research vessel in Puget Sound for the day. About five to 10 years ago, there was a woman in a wheelchair taking the course. She asked if there was any way to make it possible to let her go on the field trip. I asked the captain and we figured out a way. About six of us guys lifted her onto the boat and we tied down her chair. She could run her hands through the core samples like the rest of the students and I could tell it was a real thrill for her."
Thoughts on Teaching: "The personal interaction means a lot. For my Fall Quarter class I try to know each student by name and something about them. Just this week I was able to call a few of them by name in my larger introductory course. They couldn't believe I really knew their names."
JAMES CHAMPOUX, MICROBIOLOGY/IMMUNOLOGY, 1985
Currently: Teaches Biology 201, "Introduction to Biology," a pre-med course and an advanced undergraduate course. Research focuses on viruses and DNA replication. Joined the faculty in 1972.
Hardest Class: "Biology 201, which I have taught since 1974. While it is often taught by two people, I choose to teach it by myself. It is a very demanding course because of the huge breadth of material, and we have 300 students. We cover biochemistry, energy, genetics, molecular biology and more."
Most Memorable Student: "Kathy Pullen, daughter of King County Council Member Kent Pullen. She took 201 as a sophomore in the 1980s, stayed in my lab for four years, published three papers as an undergraduate and received the President's Medal. She studies physics now and has been accepted into every top graduate school in the nation."
Thoughts on Teaching: "There is a strong connection between teaching and research, but some don't recognize the synergism between the two. I tell my students all the time about scholars who made great discoveries while preparing to teach."
RICHARD COSWAY, LAW, 1980
Currently: Taught at the law school from 1958 until his retirement in 1986. Lives in Seattle with his wife. "When I first retired we traveled all the time. But now my health has slowed us down."
UW Years: Taught "Contracts," a required course for first-year law students. His favorite course was "Commercial Transactions." Says the Paper Chase cliché of purposely weeding out first-year students never happened in his classes. "When I designed a questionnaire, I never made it harder for my first-year courses than I did for my third-year courses."
Classroom Memories: "Occasionally the students would organize a party on the last day of class. The kids would bring in a cake. It was a very nice, warm situation. Usually I didn't know it was coming, but when somebody walked in with a great big cake box, you knew what was going to happen."
Thoughts on Teaching: "I miss it. It kept me somewhat young. It was most satisfying to watch these people pick up an idea they had not thought of before and let it become part of their own lifestyle. They would take the material and use it."
GIOVANNI COSTIGAN, HISTORY, 1970*
Died: March 24, 1990, in Seville, Spain. First full professor to win the Distinguished Teaching Award. Taught from 1934 to his retirement in 1975 and continued teaching a UW Alumni Association lecture series until his death. His specialty was European history, particularly Irish and English history.
UW Years: Hired by legendary History Professor Edmond Meany, Costigan soon became a voice for liberalism, speaking out against Gen. Francisco Franco's fascist revolt in Spain. During the McCarthy era, he defended fellow UW faculty members called to testify before the Canwell Committee, a legislative panel investigating Communist "infiltration" of state agencies. At that time he was the subject of a smear campaign calling for his ouster from campus. Costigan was a steadfast opponent of the Vietnam War--he led a famous march on Seattle's federal courthouse one month before he got the teaching award--and spent his later years opposing U.S. intervention in El Salvador.
Most Memorable UW Experience: On Nov. 11, 1971, he debated conservative columnist William F. Buckley in front of a packed audience at Hec Edmundson Pavilion. "In verbal sparring evocative of great parliamentary debates, the two exchanged viewpoints on what was then 'Red China,' the domino theory and Vietnam for 2 1/2 hours," wrote the Seattle Times. "Although supporters of both claimed victory, moderator Bill Shadel later said that Costigan 'mopped the floor with him.' ... Costigan ended the debate with a quotation from Bertrand Russell, 'Remember your humanity and forget the rest.' "
Thoughts on Teaching: "He saw teaching partly as advocacy," recalls History Professor Emeritus Thomas Pressly. "The teacher had a duty to say what he thought and how he came to that conclusion. ... He had the way of presenting a finely crafted production. In his choice of words, in everything, he was elegant."
GARY D'ANGELO, SPEECH COMMUNICATION, 1973
Currently: Runs a Seattle consulting firm on communication skills, travels across the nation training business people, architects, health care workers, lawyers, engineers. "I'm working on a small book one of my clients asked me to write on how to make conference calls."
UW Years: Taught at the UW from 1970 to 1978. Biggest course was "Introduction to Speech Communication" with 240 students in Kane Hall. Also taught "Interpersonal Communication," "Listening," and "Advanced Persuasion." "I really enjoyed teaching there. There are times when I miss university teaching."
Most Memorable Student Excuse: "The time I gave an exam and three different students all claimed they had a flat tire on the way to the exam. All three of them didn't have a jack, either."
Thoughts on Teaching: "There are a number of people out there who have combined computers with overhead projectors. Audiences are expecting some pretty spectacular visual aids. It's a big, big challenge."
JANICE DeLANGE, SOCIAL WORK, 1978
Currently: Has a private practice in Grand Rapids, Mich., and give seminars and workshops. Was on the UW faculty from 1976 to 1983, when she was denied tenure. "I have heard it said that the teaching award was the kiss of death. They feel that if you are teaching that hard, you don't have the time to pay a lot of attention to research and other things. It was painful, but I don't dwell on it anymore."
UW Years: Taught clinical courses and methods of therapy and counseling to M.S.W. students. "We had some really talented African-American students. They were determined not to be part of the culture of dependency that they came from. I could say the same about some white women students. One was a single parent and on welfare all through graduate school. She now has her Ph.D. and teaches at St. Louis University."
Classroom Memories: "I had a thing about behavior modification. To demonstrate it, I would close the door as soon as the class began. That reinforced the people who came on time. If students came late, they had to open the door and slide into the back. Well, the day came when for some reason I was 20 minutes late for the class. Of course, when I got there the door was closed. When I opened it, there was one of my students carefully teaching the class. I had to slip into the back of the room. They kept it for up two or three minutes, and then they all cracked up."
Thoughts on Teaching: "It is so rewarding when you are standing in front of the class, you've got every eye on you, and what you are saying is so important and so relevant for them. When that happens, it's like magic."
PETER DETWILER, PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOPHYSICS, 1981
Currently: Teaches "Mechanisms in Cell Physiology" which every medical student takes during his or her first quarter. Also is lead teacher for "Molecular Basis of Cellular Function" for grad students in basic health sciences. On the faculty since 1977.
Research Interest: Phototransduction, "How photoreceptors in the eye convert light to a biological response. Basically, how do we see photons, which are subatomic particles."
Most Memorable Student: "That's hard. There are one or two students you remember every quarter. There was a woman, Mary St. Clair, who had five kids. She had one while she was going through medical school. I always found that to be inspirational. She's now a practicing physician in the area."
Thoughts on Teaching: "You read a lot about teaching, but the emphasis hasn't changed that much. If you are going to be promoted at the medical school, it's better to be an excellent researcher than an excellent teacher."
JAIME DIAZ, PSYCHOLOGY, 1984
Currently: Teaches "Neural Basis of Behavior" and "Introduction to Drugs and Behavior.". Involved with teaching fellowships for new UW teachers, pursuing grants for computer tutorials, and working with K-12 teachers to get them and their students more interested in science. Joined the faculty in 1978.
Research Interest: "Exploring the environmental and developmental factors involved in gestational and Type II diabetes, using an animal model. This study aims to show that genetics is not the be-all and end-all for diabetes, but that it can result from environment and development."
Most Memorable Student Excuse: "One student told me he was narcoleptic, and when he got anxious studying for an exam, he would fall asleep. It may have been true, but I don't think so. The narcolepsy excuse was pretty rich."
Thoughts on Teaching: "I can't tell you how strongly I feel about teaching and technology. Technology changes the infrastructure of the entire University. By using a lecture on a computer, students can take real notes and you can have a discussion on a higher level. These breakthroughs make for a better, more vibrant University."
RICHARD ELMORE, PUBLIC AFFAIRS, 1985
Currently: Teaches in the Harvard School of Education and chairs the department of administration and policy. Participates in the UW's Cascade Center for Public Service. His research includes studying the effects of education reform on school districts and classrooms.
UW Years: At the UW from 1974 to 1985. Taught "Introduction to Organization Theory" and team-taught "Public Policy." Taught one undergraduate political science class and said it was a "terrific" experience.
Classroom Memories: "It happened in 1974, four weeks into the very first class I ever taught. It was a graduate-level course, with about 25 students, and suddenly, about half the class got up and left as a part of a protest. Imagine someone who hadn't taught before having this happen. It was absolutely terrifying. It took me a while to find out what happened--the students were protesting the issue of minority student treatment, but I didn't know what was going on."
Thoughts on Teaching: "I think the key is to pay attention to what the students are learning and how they are learning. It hit me in a class I was teaching years ago that I was just listening to myself talk. I realized that I was not understanding the students."
JAMES GERHART, PHYSICS, 1981
Currently: Teaching Physics 114-115-116, the introductory sequence for pre-med and biological sciences majors. Also the author of a self-published cookbook, Cooking at Home.
UW Years: Has been teaching at the UW since 1956. Has taught the introductory sequence to non-science majors (Physics 110-111-112) and to science and engineering majors. "I've estimated that I've taught some 18,000 students."
Thoughts on Students: "They are radically different. The science majors are very numerically oriented. They relate easily to data. You could say they are hard, logical and unsentimental. The liberal arts majors, on the other hand, are almost exactly the opposite. They are interested in the history and the effect physics has had on other parts of society."
Thoughts on Teaching: "I always test and retest on a topic until they get a high grade on it. It's called mastery teaching. The retiring head of Harvard once said it was the only pedagogical tool of the 20th century that actually does something. I tend to agree with him."
EVE GREEN, DANCE, 1976*
Died: May 19, 1993. Joined the UW in 1967 and taught all levels of ballet. Became head of the Division of Dance in 1976. Retired in 1981(?).
UW Years: Fought to save the dance program when it was threatened with elimination during budget cuts in the early 1980s. "She had a sizable address book. There were perhaps hundreds of people that she contacted and told to call, write or come testify to save the program. We had such a turnout at one review committee meeting that they had to move the hearing to the Studio Theatre," says former student Sandra Kurtz.
Most Famous Students: Mark Morris, artistic director of the Mark Morris Dance Company; Harry Groener, actor who won a Tony award for his performance on Broadway in Cats; Stanley Perryman, who was a principal dancer with Alvin Ailey and the Dance Theatre of Harlem; and Chad Henry, Seattle composer known for his 1980s hit Angry Housewives.
Thoughts on Teaching: "The thing Eve offered her students was such positive optimism. She told you that you could get better, and that dance was a worthwhile thing to pursue and that the pursuit would make you a better person. ... She was one of the best teachers I ever, ever had."--Sandra Kurtz, a former student.
LARRY HANSON, GEOLOGICAL SCIENCES, 1973
Currently: Chair of the Department of Science and Mathematics at Marylhurst College in Portland, Ore. On the UW faculty from 1971 to 1983.
UW Years: As a lecturer in geological sciences, taught "Introduction to Geology" to 600-700 students each quarter for 12 years, a total of more than 21,000 students. "That's scary when I hear that," he says. "The 'rocks for jocks' image was the reputation we were trying to live down. ... The classroom became a theater. We were the performers, trying to get the students involved."
Classroom Memories: "One time we simulated an earthquake without notifying everyone and we affected a bit of a panic. All 12 or 14 of my TAs were involved. I was showing slides and some TAs made the screen vibrate, others hit the projector. I had some up on the catwalk in Kane Hall with sparklers to simulate electrical short circuits. Some threw bricks into benign areas, others screamed. Well, the students started to scream and scramble out of their seats and head for the doors. It took a while to calm them down."
Thoughts on Teaching: "The learning environment hasn't changed that much in 25 years and that's unfortunate. The tendency is still the large lecture hall with the central figure. ... There's the dominance of the instructor controlling learning, 'I will teach you what to learn.' "
DAVID KIRK HART
DAVID KIRK HART, BUSINESS, GOVERNMENT AND SOCIETY, 1974
Currently: Teaches business ethics for the Marriott School of Management at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. Co-authored Organization Values in America and is writing a book tentatively titled The Moral Dimension of Leadership.
UW Years: Taught business ethics at the UW from 1968 to 1983. His program, called Business, Government and Society, was eliminated during a round of budget cuts. Team-taught an undergrad course with that title to 350 students, plus M.B.A. seminars in ethics. "The UW was light years ahead of anyone else. It looked like we were going to dominate the field."
Classroom Memories: "I usually don't get caught by surprise, but some students really nailed me to the wall. There were two fellows who had been pilots during the Vietnam War. One of them came in one day munching cookies. Then it escalated and the next time, he was chewing a sandwich. I said to him in mid-chew, 'Next time I suppose there's going to be a candelabra and linen.' That got a laugh. Now, I was notoriously late for that class and the next time I came in, all the students stared at me. I turned to my left and there were the ex-pilots sitting at a table with a linen tablecloth, sparkling apple juice in an ice bucket, a lit candelabra and a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken. I was totally speechless."
Thoughts on Teaching: "You get to associate with people in a context that is always stimulating. You spend your time with young people talking about issues of real substance. I've taught for 32 years, and I love it more now than I ever have."
ALAN HESS, BUSINESS, 1976
Currently: On the faculty since 1967. Teaches "Financial Markets" and "Banking." Known for teaching the core courses in business economics.
Research Interests: "We're looking at interest rate risks, comparing three- and six-month terms. Then I'm studying the effects of Regulation Q, which was a Federal Reserve regulation that put a ceiling on interest rates. It was in effect from 1949 to 1988. And I'm also looking at the effects of massive capital expenditures by regulated utilities on their stock prices."
Classroom Memories: "The business school was occupied during the Vietnam War. A lot of faculty canceled their classes but I decided to tough it out. The room was occupied by the protesters and when I started my lecture they tried to get everyone to leave. When that didn't work, they milled about and lined the walls. They were quiet after that. It was tense at first, but they tired quickly."
Thoughts on Teaching: "The biggest reward is when a student gets a good job right out of school. Just last quarter one of my best undergraduates got a job at Intel. That was so pleasing. ... I don't know if students are as confident about getting a job as they used to be. I may be wrong, but I think they are having a hard time."
PAUL HEYNE, ECONOMICS, 1979
Currently: Teaches "Introduction to Microeconomics" twice each year and "Principles of Economics." Has been teaching at the UW since 1976. "I must have taught about 15,000 students in introductory economics."
Writings: His classic text, The Economic Way of Thinking, is now in its seventh edition. More than 200,000 copies have been sold in Russia, and translations also exist in Czech, Romanian and Hungarian.
Most Memorable Student Excuse: "A student came to my office and wanted to take the final early. He said he lived in Hawaii and needed to catch a plane for Christmas. I asked him for the date of his flight. I was worried about the test questions leaking out and I wanted to schedule it just before he had to leave. Well, he told me that he hadn't bought his ticket yet. 'Why don't I call my travel agent right now and we can set something up,' I said. He started to perspire. It turned out he was lying. He didn't live in Hawaii at all."
Thoughts on Teaching: "In the early years I lectured. I was entertaining my students more than I was educating them. Then I realized the only way they are going to master these concepts is by reading, writing and talking. ... Now the class starts out with a small quiz on the reading material. There might be two or three short writing assignments. We break out into small discussion groups."
ROBERT HIGGINS, FINANCE, 1971
Currently: Teaches "Problems in Corporate Financial Management" and "International Financial Management." Also teaches the required financial management course in the Executive M.B.A. program. On the faculty since 1967. In addition to fly fishing and hiking, says his newest "avocation" is sculpting in cement.
Writings: Just completed the fourth edition of Analysis for Financial Management, a casebook of problems for class discussion.
Classroom Memories: "I'm well known for calling on students. In the first Executive M.B.A. class that I ever taught, I called on a student but before he could answer, another student jumped up and said, 'Just a second.' That student gave the person I called on $42. It seemed there was a pool to see who I would call on first. The person I called on, by the way, was Mason Sizemore. He's now the president of the Seattle Times."
Thoughts on Teaching: "I continue to think that, despite what you read, my colleagues give serious effort to teaching and work pretty hard at it. We have an under-recognized program here. Success in teaching is not a portable asset. You don't find other universities trying to hire the best teachers away the way they do researchers."
GRANT HILDEBRAND, ARCHITECTURE, 1975
Currently: Teaches "Survey of Architectural History" and "American Utilitarian Architecture," as well as design studios and a course on esthetics and evolution. Has been on the faculty since 1964. Founded the college's preservation design program.
Writings: His 1991 book, The Wright Space, published by UW Press, is in its third printing. "It's a way of understanding Frank Lloyd Wright's houses, drawing on esthetics and evolution. ... I'm currently working on a manuscript linking esthetics to evolution, biology and psychology. I'm calling it To See Things as We Are."
Classroom Memories: "It was 1988 and I was offering the esthetics and evolution course for the first time, team teaching with Gordon Orians. By pure coincidence, the English geographer Jay Appleton was the Danz lecturer that quarter. He was the first to take the issue of our primordial experience and extend it to our view of the landscape. He was the one who inspired me to put together the course. So we had the great man himself sitting in on many of the sessions."
Thoughts on Teaching: "You have to watch out for the cyclical nature of teaching. There is a kind of repetition, even if one keeps inventing new courses. It's like agriculture; the seasons go round and you harvest in the fall. Pretty soon a decade has gone by."
TROVA HUTCHINS, SOCIAL WORK, 1974
Currently: Lives in Lacey, Wash. "I've been very ill the last couple of years, in and out of the hospital," she says, adding that the "prognosis is good." On the faculty from 1971 to 1980.
UW Years: Taught several required courses to undergrads and M.S.W. students, including "Research Methods" and "Practice Methods." Area of specialty was psychosocial aspects of persons with physical disabilities. She administered a five-year federal grant, the Project on Disability, to combat discrimination against the disabled in the 1970s. "It was new, but it was a very popular movement, I think, because the discrimination that disabled people faced then--and still do face--is so blatant and so visibly unfair."
Most Memorable Student Excuse: "I actually did get a student who said, 'You're not going to believe this but my dog ate my paper.' He brought in the pieces in an envelope and dumped them on my desk. I let him turn the paper in late. Anyone who could be that creative deserved to turn it in late. It was a good paper, too."
Thoughts on Teaching: "Part of good teaching is having the ability to take complex ideas and break them down into simpler ideas and then put them back together again so that they are comprehensible. That's what I tried to do."
WILLIS KONICK, COMPARATIVE LITERATURE/SLAVIC LANGUAGES, 1977
Currently: Teaches Russian literature and "Themes in World Literature," Comparative Literature 250-251-252. "I don't teach the small classes anymore. Now they range from 100 to 400 students. I do a lot more with non-Russian writers. I'm interested in Latin American literature and the Egyptian novelist Naguib Mahfouz." On the faculty since 1961.
Thoughts on Students: "The mid-60s were very conventional, the post-Eisenhower era with everything in its place. The late '60s and '70s were adventurous. We smoked in class. We talked about sexuality. I used the 'F' word for the first time. I didn't have to explain the rebels in Dostoevski or Turgenev. Then came the '80s and the students became very conservative. I had to explain the rebels. In the '90s they are not the same. They seem cautious and frightened about the future."
Classroom Memories: "I was teaching in 301 Gowen when several pigeons flew in. Naturally all the students looked at the pigeons instead of at me. To get them to pay attention I had to move from place to place directly below the pigeons. I took my chances. I got caught once, but it wasn't serious."
Thoughts on Teaching: "I'm not as flamboyant as I was. It was a '60s style of teaching and it is not a '60s world anymore. Yes, I still jump on desks. But I can't use some of the situations I once used. As I mature I have to play different roles. I do fathers rather than husbands, authority figures rather than little boys."
HENRY MAIER, SOCIAL WORK, 1984
Currently: Retired in 1985 after serving the UW since 1959. Taught "Human Development and Behavior" and the 521-522-523 sequence, "Social Group Work." Does a lot of guest lecturing and seminars.
Research Interest: Studying children living away from their homes and how they adapt. He focused on children living in group and foster homes, trying to find ways to help them return to their families.
Classroom Memories: "About 20 years ago, a woman handed in a paper that I thought was written for another class. I thought she was trying to pull one over on me. I asked what she was up to. She cried, and said that while the topic was from another class, she had based it on the teachings in my class. She was proud that she was able to relate what she learned from me, but I was too thick-headed. She applied what she learned, rather than regurgitated it. I apologized."
Thoughts on Teaching: "For so long, it had been publish or perish. But in the last 8-10 years, the edict says that a person has to be a good teacher, too. Peer evaluation and consultation is a good step forward."
GERHARD MUELLER, BUSINESS, 1983
Currently: Senior associate dean in the business school and coordinating the construction of the new business executive center and library. On the faculty since 1960.
Hardest Class: "Accounting 210, the first class for sophomores. Because it is an exploratory course, the range of student expectations is very wide. In one class, a young woman came up to me and said, 'My dad owns a car dealership in Yakima and told me that I had to take a business class. I want you to know right up front that I hate the class now and I will hate it until it is over.' It is a full-time job trying to meet students' needs and see to it that they get something out of the class and enjoy it."
Classroom Memories: "In one Accounting 210 class, I invited a former student to talk about what life is like in the real world. The next day, a student came up to me and said, 'He told us what it is really like. Why don't you do the same?' "
Thoughts on Teaching: "I feel strongly that teaching and teaching development will increase. Research makes a university important and different, and great teaching is a component a university needs and cannot exist without. It is an equal partnership."
PATRICIA NOLEN, EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY, 1982
Currently: Retired for six years, living in Wellesley, Mass., caring for grandchildren and doing volunteer work. Served the UW from 1969 to 1989.
UW Years: Taught the introductory course in educational psychology. A specialist in learning disabilities, she was known for her sensitivity as a clinician and her attention to the needs of her students.
Classroom Memories: "I remember when a young woman in the 1970s brought her baby to class, where there were about 100 to 150 students. It was the time when everyone let it all hang out. She needed to nurse the baby, so she got up behind me, where I was lecturing, and started nursing her baby, knowing all the attention was on her. I turned to her and handed her my room keys and told her she would be more comfortable in my office. Those were fun times and you never knew what to expect."
Thoughts on Receiving the Award: "I was grateful for it, and after I got it, I taught more clinic classes instead of great groups of young people. I remember at the end of one clinic course, two people came wearing T-shirts saying, 'We survived Nolen's class.' "
GORDON OATES, AERONAUTICS & ASTRONAUTICS, 1982*
Died: Nov. 1, 1986. Joined the UW in 1967. Taught more than 20 courses during his two decades, specializing in aerospace propulsion and energy conversion.
Service to the UW: A man who loved the outdoors, Oates often invited colleagues on hikes and mountain climbs and was known for his desire to excel at everything he did. He had a reputation as a demanding but conscientious teacher with a devoted, large following. He served as a graduate adviser and wrote three books. A month before his sudden death, he was named associate dean for academic affairs for the College of Engineering.
Thoughts on Teaching: "He was an example of a good, caring person who loved to teach. He inspired his students, not only with his lectures, but by following their careers and trying to help when he could. He was intense, but had a good sense of humor. He really took his responsibility seriously."--Dave Russell, former chair of aeronautics & astronautics.
LESLEY OLSWANG, SPEECH AND HEARING SCIENCES, 1983
Currently: Recently returned from five months in the United Kingdom on a Fulbright Award. She is associate chair of the department, graduate program adviser. On the faculty since 1977.
Research Interest: Child language development and disorders and early intervention. She is studying infants and toddlers who have language problems, looking into how language occurs and how treatment alters it.
Classroom Memories: "Last summer, Mari Clack, then president of the board of regents, visited my class. It was fun for me and remarkable for the students. They were terribly impressed by her visit."
Thoughts on Teaching: "We are clearly sending a message that teaching is important. I think this University's commitment to teaching is quite solid and taken seriously by students, our consumers."
BARRY ONOUYE, ARCHITECTURE, 1980
Currently: Has been teaching since 1967. Teaches a series of structural engineering courses, Arch. 320-321-322, for both undergrads and grad students. "Most of them look upon it as the 'bear' they have to take."
Thoughts on Students: "When I first started teaching, there were maybe one or two women in the course. Now we're hovering around 50 percent. It's been a really nice change. I remember one early woman, Carol Sakata. She was very good; she had to be. Women were a real minority and had to prove themselves to the men. She now practices in Hawaii and is a fellow of the American Institute of Architects."
Classroom Memories: "One day in 1970, the SDS decided to take over the Communications Building. They chained the doors shut and declared classes canceled. One of my students was a former captain in the army's Special Forces. He grabbed the two protesters, threw them out and declared that class was in session. At that point I decided to cancel the class; it was not worth the hassle. So here was a group of 60 students and I had to get them out, but the doors were all locked. Eventually we went down to the basement where there was an awning window and, one by one, 60 people crawled out the window."
Thoughts on Teaching: "When you see students actually understand the material, it is really rewarding. And every year you get a new crop of students. What worked the previous year may not work this year. At the end of it all, I really enjoy it. It's kind of a gas."
DON PEMBER, COMMUNICATIONS, 1975
Currently: Teaches "Legal Aspects of Mass Media" and other courses on mass media history and law. Taught the "Mass Media" survey course for many years. On the faculty since 1969 and was director of the communications school from 1980 to 1983 and acting director in the late '80s. "Right now I'm working on the seventh edition of my textbook Mass Media Law. "
Hardest Course: "The law course has the reputation of being the hardest class in the school. The subject matter is rigorous and I've been rigorous in my evaluation of the students. I tell them 'I'm going to give you my best for 10 weeks and I expect the best from you.' "
Most Famous Students: "There's Peter Rinearson who won a Pulitzer Prize at the Seattle Times. And Dave Horsey (Seattle PI cartoonist) was a student. Then there's the mayor of Seattle, Norm Rice. He really was an interesting guy. He was determined not to take advantage of any minority access program. He was really delightful and had a good sense of humor. And, there was Ted Bundy. I remember him very well. He was bright, talented and argumentative. He'd come up after the class and challenge me. ... (When Bundy was charged with serial murder) at first I didn't believe it. But the more I thought about it, I realized his personality was such that he always wanted to control the situation."
Thoughts on Teaching: "The students are the thing that makes it all worthwhile. A university is not the perfect place to work. If it weren't for the students, this place would be far less interesting."
GERRY PHILIPSEN, SPEECH COMMUNICATION, 1984
Currently: Teaches "Speech, the Individual and Society" every quarter to 250 students. Also teaches "Ways of Speaking" and other graduate seminars and fieldwork courses. On the faculty since 1978.
Research Interest: The rules of speaking, communication contact and social proprieties from all over the world. Also studying linguistic etiquette, with a focus on intercultural communications.
Hardest Class: "The freshman course is hardest. It is hard to select from a vast field of speech communication something to present in just 10 weeks. But the introductory course is enjoyable because the students are the most open to learn."
Thoughts on Teaching: "I think there is too much talking about teaching right now. I think there is too much concern with the public relations of teaching, and that it gets in the way of real teaching. The emphasis has created the illusion that education occurs through the behavior of the teacher. It removes the responsibility from the student. A teacher shouldn't have to worry about being popular. In the past, there was a lot of neglect in teaching, but now it has gone too far in the other direction."
LEONIE PITERNICK, BIOLOGY, 1975*
Died: Nov. 23, 1992. She joined the UW faculty in 1968 and retired in 1988. Her specialty was teaching basic biology to students having little background in the field, particularly elementary school teachers and disadvantaged students.
Service to the UW: Piternick's family was driven out of Germany by the Nazis. She often described herself as a political refugee who "knows what it's like not to be a first-class citizen." In 1971 she developed a course to assist Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) students in the biological sciences and also contributed her energy to the EOP Study Skills Center.
Most Memorable UW Experience: When she won $1,000 for the teaching award, she donated the money to the EOP to help its students. "Before anyone was interested in equal opportunity for students, Leonie was there," noted Zoology Professor Emeritus Paul Illg. In 1976, she was the first faculty member to win the Friends of the EOP Odegaard Award for service to minority and disadvantaged students.
Thoughts on Teaching: "She brought enthusiasm and excitement to her students. Any student who came in touch with her couldn't help but become affected. She had a love of the subject and the love rubbed off."--Microbiology Professor Emeritus Neal Groman.
THOMAS PRESSLY, HISTORY, 1972
Currently: Retired in 1989 after teaching at the UW for 40 years. "In the later years students would come up to me and tell me that their mother took my course." Most popular courses were "Survey of U.S. History to the Present," and "Civil War and Reconstruction." Lives with his wife in Seattle.
Writings: Voices from the House Divided, just published by McGraw-Hill, co-edited with Glenn Linden. "We took 20 people from the Civil War era and excerpted their diaries and letters, following them through the war." Pressly is currently revising his 1954 classic, Americans Interpret Their Civil War.
Most Famous Students: "It troubles me to single anybody out. The football players Paul Skansi and Jeff Jaeger come to mind. They were excellent students. Skansi never told me he was a player. He just said that he wouldn't be able to come on Friday and that someone would take notes for him. Two current UW professors were undergraduates in my courses, Herb Ellison and Willis Konick. So was former Seattle P-I columnist Shelby Scates. ... Robert Skotheim is another. He used to be president of Whitman College and is now president of the Huntington Institute in Los Angeles."
Thoughts on Teaching: "The essence of teaching is mutual respect. When teaching breaks down, it is because of lack of respect on one side or on both sides. It is a delicate thing and very subtle. Either you make contact or you don't."
C. GEORGE RAY
C. GEORGE RAY, PEDIATRICS/MICROBIOLOGY, 1972
Currently: Chair of the Dept. of Pediatrics at St. Louis University Medical School, also Pediatrician-in-Chief at Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital in St. Louis.
UW Years: Was an intern at the UW in 1960. On the UW faculty from 1966 to 1976, when he taught microbiology to first- and second-year medical students. Left the UW for the University of Arizona; joined St. Louis Univ. in 1993.
Most Memorable Student: "There were many, but I remember one who was a product of the '60s, a real rebel. His name was Jim Feusher and when the associate dean said that all medical students must wear a tie, he brought things to an impasse. The dean eventually backed down on that particular edict. The last time I saw him, Jim had gotten a haircut and a shave. He's a very successful pediatric oncologist in Oakland, California."
Thoughts on Teaching: "We were changing curriculum formats. I had to teach microbiology to first- and second-year students at the same time in two different classes in two different formats. ... I learned to be flexible. I learned to pay attention to a student's body language as much as the questions. I learned that I can't succeed if I don't express enthusiasm in both courses."
FRANK SMITH, LAW, 1977
Currently: Teaches commercial law and bankruptcy for the law school. Joined the UW in 1968, left for Brigham Young Univ. in 1978 but came back in 1985. Was acting dean from fall 1988 to 1990.
Writings: Co-author of The Law of Debtors and Creditors: Bankruptcy, Security Interest and Collection. "It summarizes the statutes and cases. It is a reference text for practitioners."
Thoughts on Students: "Our style has changed, the Harvard or Paper Chase style. We don't press them as hard as we used to. They don't like the way we used to push them."
Thoughts on Teaching: "A big change is the ability to use your own materials. Years ago you had to make stencils. Then came the copy machine, and now with downloading from data banks, you can prepare your materials much easier. We should have had it 20 years before we did. It is so much easier now. In teaching, we haven't exploited the technology as much as we could."
DANIEL STUNTZ, BOTANY, 1974*
Died: March 5, 1983. Stuntz joined the UW in 1940 and taught botany courses on fungi, yeasts and molds, and forest pathology until his retirement in 1979.
Research Interests: Stuntz was a world authority on Pacific Northwest mushrooms, particularly those of the Inocybe family. He did continuous fieldwork from 1934, when he was a UW undergraduate, until his death. His own personal collections numbered more than 20,000 specimens. Stuntz was the co-author of The Savory Wild Mushroom with Margaret McKenny, and a founder of the Puget Sound Mycological Society.
Most Memorable UW Experience: Strolling through campus in 1972, Stuntz discovered a brownish-green mushroom unlike others he had studied. A taxonomic guide indicated the mushroom could be one of two species, "but neither of them fit the description of the one we found," he told the Daily. It turned out that Stuntz had discovered a new species of the mushroom Psilocybe, known in the '60s for its hallucinogenic properties. It was later named Psilocybe stuntzii in his honor.
Thoughts on Teaching: "What made him so effective as an instructor? ... His belief in the intrinsic intelligence of all students, whatever their level of expertise, and his perception of how to communicate with them. He demystified science."--former student Susan Libonati-Barnes.
GERALD VAN BELLE
GERALD VAN BELLE, BIOSTATISTICS/ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH , 1985
Currently: Chair of the Dept. of Environmental Health since 1991. Joined the faculty in 1974.Teaches one class a year "Design of Lab Experiments." Used to teach the Biostatistics 511-512-513 sequence for graduate students as well as graduate classes in statistics. Two years ago, published the book Biostatistics: A Methodology for Health Sciences with UW colleague Lloyd Fisher. On the faculty since 1974.
Research Interests: Environmental risk factors in neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's. One project examines risk factors for the disease, both familial and environmental.
Most Memorable Student Excuse: "An older student, in his 40s, didn't show up for the final exam one quarter. A week later, he showed up and told me he couldn't make it because he had been kicked by a cow."
Thoughts on Teaching: "Students have changed over the years, and some don't seem to be as ambitious when it comes to hard work. In teaching, there is increased attention to rules and evaluations, which aren't always productive even though they are done for the best reasons. Sometimes they get in the way. And then, with budget problems and the salary freeze, that has made it tough for teachers these days."
MARVIN TURCK, MEDICINE, 1979
Currently: Teaches in a clinical setting at Harborview and the UW Medical Center and gives guest lectures on infectious diseases. Often invited to guest teach at other institutions. On the faculty since 1964.
Journal Editing: Spends about half his time as editor of the Journal of Infectious Diseases. "It's a very competitive journal. We get about 1,600 manuscripts a year and only a third are accepted. It is an intensive research journal that prints original scientific data."
Classroom Memories: "I'm known for my teasing and sense of humor. When I was head of medicine at the old U.S. Public Health Service Hospital, they played a trick on me during the morning report, when the chief meets with the residents and others about patients admitted the previous day. They fabricated a case. They told me a Russian seaman was brought in with pyelonephritis, a kidney infection, and that they treated it with what I knew to be a totally inappropriate drug. I took the whole group up with me to the ward, and in the bed was one of my interns wrapped up in the blankets. Finally I realized it was a tease."
Thoughts on Teaching: "What I do the best and enjoy the most is teaching. Some of my students have become my own boss, such as Walter Stamm, head of infectious diseases at the UW. My first chief resident was King Holmes, now an internationally recognized expert on sexually transmitted diseases. The mentoring process has been a pleasure."
NATHANIEL (NED) WAGNER
NATHANIEL (NED) WAGNER, PSYCHOLOGY, 1978*
Died: June 14, 1978, one week after receiving his teaching award. Joined the UW in 1962. Most famous course was "Introduction to Human Sexuality," which attracted a standing-room-only crowd of some 500 students.
Service to the UW: Also studied and taught the psychology of racism. "Graduate students credit him with single-handedly recruiting minorities into the Clinical Training Program, which he heads," reported the Seattle Times in 1976.
Most Memorable Experience: In 1973 the Archdiocese of Seattle refused to let him speak to a meeting at St. Joseph's Church because of his views on abortion and human sexuality. "He was too early for his time, because he was trying to help all people deal openly with human sexuality, and we as a nation were not ready to listen openly to his views. That time will come, but it seems to be destined for another leader," wrote one of his students.
Thoughts on Teaching: "I'm always careful to point out where I get my material and who influenced me, so that students realize they have the same potential to learn." --from a 1976 interview.
NICHOLAS WARD, PSYCHIATRY & BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES, 1983
Currently: Teaches "Introduction to Psychopathology" for medical and occupational therapy students. Also lectures on psychiatry. His text Essential Psychopathology came out in January. On the faculty since 1975.
Research Interests: The effects of child abuse on adult suicide attempts, using family practice patients. Studying more than 1,000 patients over the past five years, "We are trying to see who is more likely to attempt suicide as an adult."
Most Memorable Student Excuse: "One woman showed up two hours late into a three-hour exam. She said she was getting married the next day and something went wrong with her plans at the last minute. She didn't put on her alarm and didn't remember the exam. Everyone concurred that she was getting married, so it was a true excuse that allowed her to be temporarily insane."
Thoughts on Teaching: "I'm still a student of teaching, and I like to watch others to see what I can learn and bring to my class. There is more acceptance that teaching is a good thing to do, that it is equal to research."
ASTRA ZARINA, ARCHITECTURE, 1979
Currently: Lives in Rome and heads the UW's Architecture in Rome program. Comes back to Seattle Spring Quarter to teach design studios for advanced graduate and undergrad students. On the faculty since 1970.
Service to the UW: Founded the Rome program, which houses about 20 architecture students in two floors of the historic Palazzo Pio in Rome. "I was a guest lecturer in Seattle in 1965 and 1968. I told them I can teach much better in Rome. The chairman agreed to give it a try and with the help of Professor Hermann Pundt, we selected six students to come in 1970. One of them, Steven Holl, is now an internationally known architect in New York. It was supposed to be a one-shot deal, but those students felt it was so fantastic, the experiment continued and eventually became a significant part of the curriculum. ... In 1976 the summer program, Italian Hilltowns, was added and students could continue their studies in Rome during Fall and Winter Quarters. This year only Fall Quarter in Rome will be offered and I am concerned. Ten weeks are just not enough."
Classroom Memories: "We held classes in the Rome Center but did not have use of an elevator which had been installed. It took three years to get the Italian utility to give us power for it. On the day it was finally ready, I promised my students I was going to buy champagne, go up and down in it, and offer glasses to everyone. Well, the day arrived and out of nowhere this man with a large refrigerator emerged, loaded into the elevator and broke it."
Thoughts on Teaching: "I'm an architect. I am also by nature a teacher. I love to see people develop, grow, discover themselves. When I work with them, I discover things too."
*Many deceased faculty have been honored with memorial funds that support teaching or scholarships in their fields. To make such a gift, write your check out to "UW Foundation" and send your donation to Office of Development, University of Washington, Box 351210, Seattle, WA 98195.-1210 Be sure to specify which professor you would like to honor. For more information call (206) 543-2565.
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