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Topic:  RE: Ohio Professors who had the greatest impact on your life . . .

Topic:  RE: Ohio Professors who had the greatest impact on your life . . .
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cbus cat fan
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Member Since: 12/2/2011
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  Message Not Read  RE: Ohio Professors who had the greatest impact on your life . . .
   Posted: 4/22/2022 2:16:17 PM 
OhioCatFan wrote:
cbus cat fan wrote:
Richard Bald
Delysa Burnier
John Gaddis
Raymond Gusteson
Frank Henderson
Ursula Lawson
Richard Vedder
David Williams

The bulk of these are Political Science and History professors with the exception of Vedder in Economics and Lawson in German. They cross the political spectrum but they taught me a great deal, even if I didn't always agree with their viewpoints.

Special Mention to Paul Milazzo of the History Department who came after I left my undergrad and grad days, but I have taken some of his summer classes and he's as good as they get.


Richard Bald would probably have made my list, except the class I took from him was during my "sophomore slump" where one semester I earned a 1.0 GPA. So, the fact that I didn't get what should have out of his class was not his fault but mine.

There are two things, though, that I will never forget about his class:

1. The day of the JFK assassination I heard about the shooting on my way to his class. At that point we did not know how seriously the president had been wounded. As we sat in the class a student in back row kept his transistor radio earphone in his ear. After about 35 minutes, he raised his hand, and announced to the class that, "The president is dead." The class was dismissed and we all wandered out of Bentley Hall in a collective daze. As I left the classroom, I glanced over at Professor Bald who looked perplexed and very profoundly sad, with a look in his eye that told me he was remembering the days of political upheaval in his native Germany.

2. In one of his lectures he was discussing the WWII Era (don't remember the exact topic of the lecture) and he broke into tears as he recalled an assignment his troop of Hitler Youth was given at one point late in war -- burying some bodies. I'm not sure his age at that time of this incident, but I think he was 8 or 9 years old. It was obviously a very searing and painful memory that he probably had not intended to mention, but somehow it came out. He quickly regain his composure and completed his lecture.



Fascinating story on Dr Bald, Ohio Cat Fan. I didn't realize he was already in Athens at the time of the Kennedy Assasination. His wife Waltrud also taught me German and was very good at her craft. In some ways, I felt as if they would have liked to stay in Germany, but it wasn't meant to be be. They both seemed to me to be very middle of the road politically. Dr Bald never told any war stories in my class, but his wife did and they were tragic. I remember he invited our class to come to his home on Peach Ridge Road for the last day of class. It was the picture of tranqulity as you made your way to Stroud's Run. He said it was their retreat, even though he joked the stress of his job was pretty tame compared to others. One of my professor told me that at the time of the class, Dr. Bald was the leading American expert on the German FDP Party, the small centrist party that the Social Democrats or Conservatives often need to form a coalition government. I remember some years back seeing a weddding announcement in the NY Times concerning their son. I do hope they are all doing well.

I negelcted to give proper kudos to Harold Molineau. If it hadn't been for him, I would have never come to Athens. Being the first in my family to ever go to college, I sent him (the chairman of the department) a letter stating when my College Day would occur. He met with me and told me why I sould come to Athens. I thought if the Department Chairman took the time, well then the rest of the department would also be that welcoming and helpful.
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Jeff McKinney
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  Message Not Read  RE: Ohio Professors who had the greatest impact on your life . . .
   Posted: 4/23/2022 10:51:07 PM 
bobcatsquared wrote:
Not the greatest impact, but definitely a lasting memory:

First words out of the professor's mouth on first day of Econ 101: "My name is Vishwa Shukla. And I don't speak English very good." He then went on to butcher over half of the names on a 200-plus roster. My uncertainty when I thought, but wasn't sure, he called my name is not unlike the students in this Key and Peele skit:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dd7FixvoKBw


I had Dr. Shukla for "Calculus for Economics". A good class. And I remember his trademark cigar.
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100%Cat
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Member Since: 1/17/2013
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  Message Not Read  RE: Ohio Professors who had the greatest impact on your life . . .
   Posted: 5/3/2022 12:26:22 PM 
Without question, Dr. Najee Muhammad in the College of Education. Certain things Dr. Muhammad hammered across that stuck with me for life were 1) question everything in life and 2) you can disagree without being disagreeable. He welcomed debate in his class, and we had people from all walks of life and religious/political beliefs. He urged you to be able to defend your beliefs and your thoughts in a civil manner. We were very different people, with very different life experiences, but I always felt respected in his classroom. I miss chats in his office and our occasional meetings on the golf course. Dr. Muhammad passed a few years ago, but he left a lasting imprint on me.
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