At a Glance:
● Earned his bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees from UM
● Has taught biological sciences for the part 45 years
● Has taught advanced methods courses in the Mississippi Teacher Corps for 17 years
Can you tell me more about your education or career path? What led you to higher education?
I knew at an early age in elementary school that I wanted to teach. I also knew after high school that I wanted to major in science education because the sciences were challenging as well as fascinating to me. After one and one half years of high school teaching, I was offered a position at Itawamba Community College after helping one of my Ole Miss professors teach a course for teachers there. I found out that I loved college teaching at that point.
Can you share a significant experience from your time at Ole Miss?
One of the most significant points in my education at Ole Miss came when I was a graduate student working on my master’s degree. Several of us graduate students would meet in Shoemaker Hall and study together. I learned from this experience how powerful peer learning could be. One of the most challenging courses that I took was Dr. Pullen’s Field Botany in which we had to be able to identify on sight most of the plants on the UM campus, spelling their
scientific name and family name correctly. Another favorite memory of my undergraduate days at Ole Miss was when I received the Phi Delta Kappa Award for the male having the highest GPA in the School of Education graduating in the spring of 1973. Mary Ann Mobley Collins spoke at Honors Day that year, and I was able to meet and talk to her.
Do you have a favorite class that you teach?
One of the favorite classes that I teach is Ecology. The study of living organisms in relation to their natural environment is a favorite topic of mine. Also, a great deal of the lab work in this course is spent outside, incorporating field trips, some of which last all day.
What advice do you have for graduating students?
My advice to graduating students would be to continue to incorporate a love for learning into every day of their career, and encouraging their students to do the same.
What have you found most meaningful in your career?
The most meaningful part of my career has been for my former students to share with me that I played some positive role in their educational experiences and influenced them in a positive and beneficial way.
Is there anything you would like to add? I have enjoyed my teaching career to the utmost. I have looked forward to going to my job each day and attempting to promote the love of learning in each of my students. My recognition as Practitioner of Distinction means a great deal to me as an educator of many years. I have received several awards over the years, but this recognition means more than any of the other awards because I am being recognized by my beloved Alma Mater for my life’s work.