Professor Edwin Duncan, English department chair
since 2004, taught linguistics and medieval English
literature. In 2002, he received the University System
of Maryland Board of Regents’ Award for Teaching
Excellence.
next class to begin text away with
thumbs tapping. In the classroom, the
blackboard is giving way to the computer projector, and student work is
increasingly submitted electronically.
And yet, it’s amazing how some
things never change. One example is
the excuses professors get for missed
exams or late papers. It is just as true
today as it was in the ’70s that on the
due date for research papers, grandmothers suddenly become deathly ill,
necessitating bedside vigils by concerned grandchildren who reluctantly
have to postpone work on their essays.
Other students are beset with unspecified “personal problems,” too private
and traumatic to discuss with anyone,
even the professor. I even sometimes
still get “My pet (insert rabbit, goat,
puppy, etc.) ate (destroyed) it,” although I’ll admit it’s been a while.
Student bloopers on essays are also
just as frequent as ever. Recent examples include one student complaining
about a particular professor who was
“diamond earring,” another who was
concerned about the “cattle racks” in
his grandfather’s eyes, and yet another
who insists that a proper dinner party
includes the serving of “orbdurbs”
before the main course.
On a more serious note, I don’t suppose I’ll miss the lame excuses or the
bloopers, but I will miss the daily interaction with intelligent young people
happy to be engaged in intellectual
discourse and eager to increase their
understanding of the subjects that
I’ve taught and love. I’ll also miss my
colleagues at Towson with whom I’ve
shared so much of my life for the past
17 years. All things considered, it’s
been a great ride, and I feel privileged
to have been a part of it.
John Connolly
When I came to Towson State Col-
lege in 1970, I wasn’t much more than
a student myself. In fact, students oc-
casionally invited me to their parties.
Then 40 years passed—at warp speed,
it now seems. No kegger invitations
lately. YOUNG TEACHER GUY
had been transformed into RETIRED
MAN. Seize the day.
Professor John Connolly
spent 40 years teaching
British literature to
1798, tradition and form
in western fiction, and
writing for business and
industry. His research
interests range from
Shakespeare to James
Joyce.
