Reflections

With 23 days till my career as a college professor ends, it's time for reflection.


So this blog post'll be about some of the men and women who helped get me through my 27 years at Winthrop.


First my faculty colleagues, past and present in the Department of Communications (for the past 20+ years the Department of Mass Communication.)


Bob Bristow

Louis Rosso (Corvette-driving chair of the department when I got hired in 1985)

John Sargent (deceased)

Anne Beard

William Fisher

Cathey Ross (yes, that's correct spelling of her first name)

Elizabeth Williams

Vivian Robinson

Leo Kivijarv

Glenn Surrette

William Click (current silver-haired chair of the Department of Mass Comm.)

Haney Howell

Stewart Haas (deceased)

Arny Pickholtz

Ironda Campbell

Marilyn Sarow

Robert Pyle

Beverly Horvit

Karyn Campbell

Guy Reel

Bonnye Stuart

Mark Nortz

Padmini Patwardhan

I've been blessed to work with three departmental administrative assistants who could have made their mark anywhere:

Zeta Sistare (saved my life)

Donna Coker

Jamie Low (saving my life)

Favorite technical support gurus:

Keoni Everington (marshal arts expert who taught me WebCT from the ground up and then, sadly, left Winthrop for UNLV)

Kimarie Whetstone (knows everything about Blackboard--successor to WebCT--and always returns my calls and emails)

Joey Martin (savvy crackerjack about all things Mac)

My favorite deans of the College of Arts and Sciences:

Betsy Brown (my former wife and the smartest person I've ever known)

Debra Boyd (now vice president for academic affairs)

Winthrop's presidents during my 27 years:

Phil Lader (never really knew him; ran (unsuccessfuly) for governor of S.C. my first year here.

Martha Kime Piper (a feisty leader who was with us at Winthrop for only a couple years before succumbing to leukema.)

Mike Smith (acting president who gave the coolest welcome back party ever--a beach party outside the President's House on campus)

Tony DiGiorgio (current, longstanding president who has put Winthrop on the map with all its new buildings--one named after him--and nationally accredited programs)

Other Winthrop faculty, administration or staff who I will never forget (in a good way):

Cristina Grabiel (learned a lot from her; universally respected woman)

Patricia Cormier (generous, good-hearted and smart); became president of Longwood University in Virginia after she left Winthrop; husband played a mean golf game.

Gregg Marshall (the always impeccably well dressed head coach of the the Winthrop men's basketball team); let them to the NCAA "Big Dance" seven times; established a coaching legacy in basketball at Winthrop that will never be equaled.

Melford Wilson (has visited the People's Republic of China dozens of times); is a walking encyclopedia of knowledge of all things Winthrop and Rock Hill.

Tom Moore (always knew he would ascend; now president of Upstate University in Spartanburg, S.C.)

Jonathan Marx (has a California cool about him; impresses with his sense of humor.)

Annie-Laurie Wheat (loved and respected by every student who ever had her as a professor; bakes scrumptious cookies)

Judy Longshaw (the hardest working woman at Winthrop)

Bethany Marlowe (the university's toughest job is in capable hands)

Scott Conant (taught me about leadership, coaching, teaching and encouraging others through time spent with him on the Ropes Course)

Lynn Harand (good to the core; a university key player and faculty/student valued resource for many years)

Sarah Stallings (knowledgeable,knowledgeable and knowledgeable, and bakes the most delicious cakes in the world!)

Mickey Taylor, Bert Bobb and Linda Ashley (good-hearted and selfless; represent the best of our university community)

Debbie Garrick (my former student, now part of Winthrop's powerstructure; once upon a time brought me food from the grocery story when I was too depressed to shop.)

Frank Ardaiolo (no one can spell his name, but he's a good guy; savior for the severely injured player (in the early 90s) on the Winthrop tennis team.

As faculty adviser to The Johnsonian, I served with the following editors (won't forget them!):

Carly Forsht

Lauren Huntsberger

Mary Dolan

Rebekah Woodson

Jeremy Harriot

Keri Todd Boyce

Christy Mullins

Arthur Takahashi

Anna Douglas

Lastly, I learned tons from the 5,000 or so students I had the honor of having in my courses from 1985-2012. Wouldn't begin to name them here, but I'm proud and honored to have been their mentor and instructor. So many memories, good times and lifetime friendships...

I interviewed at Winthrop College in 1985. I mused at the time: "Wouldn't it be neat to work here? So beautiful. So like a college campus should be." And amid the crepe myrtles, azaleas and magnolia trees, there stood stately, antebellum looking Johnson Hall. The home of the then-Communications Department struck me as something right out of "Gone With the Wind."

"Well," I thought, "if I can just get this job and stay awhile, I won't ever ask for anything else..."

Never dreamed I'd spend my entire career here. But life has a way of surprising us.

Three wives, four dogs, clinical depression (which I defeated), a double-bypass and a treasure trove of memories later, here I am.

It's all worked out pretty well.