Again, I couldn’t think up a great headline for this one. Any suggestions? And I wasn’t sure if it should go under News or Announcements since it was already announced that they were retiring earlier in the year but I just wasn’t sure News fit either.
This year, we have two teachers retiring from the Math, Physics and Computer Science Department. These teachers are Professor Lynn Davis and Professor William Marsh. These two have been phenomenal teachers and colleagues at Raymond Walters College for many years now, appreciated by the hundreds of students that they helped to mold into professionals in their fields as well as their coworkers that served alongside them.
Professor Davis has been teaching various math and computer science courses at Raymond Walters College since 1980, but stopped teaching the computer science classes about ten years ago due to changes at the college. She always knew that she wanted to be either a teacher or a librarian, but luckily for us she chose to become a professor by the time she was in Jr. High. In the beginning, Professor Davis started out teaching high school kids and after a few years she decided that she wanted to go to graduate school to finish her degree so that she could teach the higher learning courses. Her favorite class to teach here at RWC was Computer Architecture and Applied Calculus, and her favorite project to participate in with her time here was the Student Affairs Committee because it gives the student government an outlet, a voice; she even served as co-chair for this committee in the past.. Since being here, she has served two terms on the Board of Trustees, the Faculty Senate and Cabinet and some committees that she was elected to by the entire university. She said that she spent the most time and effort on the remodeling of the faculty governance structure, which was a major project for the college. Now that she is retiring, Professor Davis doesn’t know what she wants to do with her spare time now. Her decision to retire was really kind of a last minute thing-the college made a generous offer that she couldn’t refuse. She said that she certainly wants to travel and she even gave me her criteria for where she would like to travel: it has to have good food, nice independent book stores and a wealth of excellent culture. Her first stop for her and her husband she thinks will be Austin, Texas. After that, who knows? This sounds like an adventure and an excellent way to retire to me.
Professor Marsh accepted a teaching position in mathematics at RWC back when the college first opened in 1967. His previous seven years had been spent teaching at local high schools, meaning he’s been teaching for 51 years. In 1970 he started teaching the statistics courses and that became his primary teaching field. He spent some time trying to get into the industry, but had little success and so when the superintendent of his old high school offered him a teaching position, he jumped on it and has never looked back. When asked what his greatest accomplishment was, this is what he had to say, “I personally believe that the classroom is where the greatest good is accomplished on an individual basis. My goal is to help students to understand and appreciate the discipline.” Truly an inspiration I think. He doesn’t necessarily have a favorite class to teach, but conveyed that as long as he reaches his students and helps them to understand the discipline and the applications for it then it was a good class. Professor Marsh has also not made any definite plans for what to do with his retirement, but said he just looks forward to the freedom. He has always wanted to visit New England in the fall and travel south during the winter but could not due to school being in session. He would like to spend time with his three children and six grandchildren, can’t wait to have time to read, visit with friends and family more often, go places with his wife and enjoy his music that has been a constant in his life since he was young. Again, doesn’t sound like a bad way to retire to me.
Both of these professors will be sorely missed by their students, friends and fellow faculty members here at Raymond Walters College, but I’m sure that we will all wish them a warm farewell and a happy retirement.