Our Professors
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Handling local press with Ivan Burg
Times were hectic in Ivan Burg's news bureau after sports events, dealing with local press.
Dwight Esau
Mac was an overall influence
In lieu of a specific event, I wanted to acknowledge the overall influence Macalester had on my life by introducing me to a diversified world of people, opinion and knowledge beyond my Lake Wobegon roots. A special thanks to Dr. Maxwell Adams, whose Comparative Religion classes “opened the door” and to the girls of 3rd floor Wally who contributed to the rest of my education.
Joan Kuether Wagner
Dr. Walter's Human Physiology class
First semester, freshman year. (“Yikes! What am I doing here?”) I learned quickly how to study hard!
Joanne Rawn Kaufman
Great professors, friends, and values
The best memories I have of Mac are: Learning from great professors in stimulating classes; enjoying friends in the Off-Campus Women's room; an emphasis on lifelong learning; and the importance of community service.
Mari-Sue Nelson Howes
Professors Adams, Sundheim and Blegen
My fondest memory of Macalester is my work with my teachers -- Dr. Adams and Professor Sundheim and Blegen.
Margaret (Peggy) A. Foss Poitzsch
Taking Walling’s Kid Lit
I loved Kid Lit (Children's Literature) with Mrs. Isobel Walling as our instructor. She introduced us to books designed to enchant and amuse our students.
Marcia Mittelsted Maguire
“Smokey Chalk” Ezra Camp, Math Professor
Somehow I received a passing grade in Ezra Camp's calculus class without ever really understanding what all that "chalk" was about. He could fill a blackboard with more strange looking stuff in nano seconds. Exams were a function of spitting out known formulas as answers but never really connecting with the logic of determination. Some how I got a passing grade.
Don Olson
Being a decade older than most
Prompted by all the chatter in Mac Today and the Alumni Office about the 2008 reunion, I have been thinking about Mac days in the ’50s. It hardly seems that fifty years have passed since I moved about the campus trying to stay ahead of Professor Arnie Holtz and wondering about what’s next. I am, however, a bit reticent to submit this bit of bio inasmuch as my tenure at Mac was spent in pursuit of the college’s Master of Education degree, which I completed in 1958. I moved mostly on the periphery of the undergraduate community. Having left the farm at the age of 27 and having finished a bachelor’s degree at another Minnesota college, I was a decade older than the seniors. Consequently, few will remember me. But, Mac was a good place for a 30-year-old World War II veteran and retired farmer to be. From Professor Holtz I learned invaluable insights about an instructor’s classroom demeanor and proper repartee with students. Dr. Water’s contagious passion for biology convinced me that life is what it’s all about. Dr. Hildegard Johnson’s take on the nuances of one’s geographic context alerted me to the oncoming environmental troubles. I am grateful for having had the good fortune and good sense to attend Macalester.
Howard M. Stien
What I couldn’t find elsewhere
I remember the in-depth thoroughness and commitment to excellence in the classroom at Macalester that I did not find at a previous school.
Richard Ackerman
Walling taught our generation of teachers
Over all my years of teaching in various settings, I was often reminded of discussions led by Isobel Walling in her student teaching seminars. She helped our generation of teachers become reflective practioneers as she guided us in understanding the teaching/learning process.
Ann Bangsund Grussing
Wise choice
The practical, customized training in journalism and public relations offered by Ivan Burg and A.P. Beedon was outstanding preparation. More than once I passed the scrutiny of grizzled editors and clients because of lessons learned at Mac.
Larry Teien
Consequences
Three Mac resources taught that idealism and entitlements aren’t enough. You must face the consequences when you stand up for your beliefs. One was working under a student service contract with Ivan Burg in the publicity office of the complicated administration. One was Professor David White, who had spent time in prison as a conscientious objector. Another was when I was lucky enough to serve on the Community Council with people whose goals were similar to mine but whose road maps were very different.
Larry Teien
Professors who looked out for us
I appreciate the professors we all had while at Mac. I was a poor student with what we now know as "learning disabilities." I couldn't memorize and I couldn't take tests. I talked with all of my teachers and told them what I could do, (essay tests, good verbal skills, deductive reasoning, extra credit work and book reports) and they accommodated my weaknesses. Dr. Spangler gave me a final that was an essay test; Miss Sundheim let me take French Literature instead of second year French (I could speak French but couldn't spell or memorize the verbs and their endings). She signed the petition that allowed me to graduate. Waldo Glock allowed me to take the "rock in the box" Geology test the night before and without pressure I was able to identify them. I was never an academic "super star" but Mac never made me feel like a dunce. Charles Miller was a family friend, who worked at Mac and told me, "If you come to Macalester, they will have to admit you on academic probation but I think you can do it.” I will always be indebted to Macalester for looking beyond my high school grades and taking a chance.
Sally E. Howard
Professor Scott’s attendance keeping system
Our chemistry Professor Scott never took attendance, but he had a unique way of keeping us on our toes. While lecturing, in the middle of a sentence, he'd say, "Ah ha, I see Miss so-and-so has been absent three times in a row," and then go on with his sentence.
Marcia Mittelsted Maguire
Literary apple-eating
My literature professor threw an eraser at a girl who had fallen asleep at the back of the classroom during his playing of Beethoven’s Fifth. The same professor showed us how not to eat an apple, and declared he married his wife because she was such a ladylike apple-eater.
Karen Helberg Dahood
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