Favorite Professors

[Grizzled_Jack]

Re: Favorite Professors

http://www.alexkuo.org/

http://libarts.wsu.edu/english/faculty/kuo.html

http://www.wsu.edu/future-students/why-wsu/wc_kuo.htm


Had this guy for English in 63-64. His first and last year and my Freshman year in college. Didn't fit the SDSU mold and wasn't invited back. We studied Shoeless Joe Jackson rather than the Iliad. I was in the "special group" of about eight that were promised A's to come over to the house he shared with another faculty member and discuss weighty matters.

Experience was highly reminiscent of Donald Sutherland in Animal House and I spent the entire spring of my Freshman year talking to the kids I left behind at Woonsocket High School about my having the "big picture" of life-- whatever that was.

I went on to get masters degrees in library science from Oklahoma and Governmental Administration from Georgia State and the brain synapses that were turned on by him have since closed, but I think the experience was a good one. Probably made me a hell of a lot more creative than I was before. Didn't have people like that around high school--- or college for that matter.

[jackrabit1]

Re: Favorite Professors

My favorite profs (in no particular order)...

John Miller... some found him boring, but I enjoyed his lectures, especially when I took his "America between the Wars" class. Didn't hurt that he and I were huge baseball fans, so whenever I saw him, we usually spent a half-hour talking baseball!

Jim Paulson... a true professional. I credit him with helping me take my thousand-word essays and boil them down into 150-word, consice news stories. Without his guidance, I would have never survived as a sports director.

Jerry Sweeney... I only had him for one survey class, but what always stuck out in my mind about Jerry was the quote on his door... "I can see a land where there is no war and everyone lives in peace. And I can see us conquering that land because they'd never expect it!"

Warren Bareiss... I only had him for a teacher when I was a grad student and he was around only for a few years at SDSU. But he really sparked my interest in being an academic. Even though I didn't follow that career path, he did "light a spark", as it were.

"Fritz" Gritzner... I'm surprised no one has mentioned him yet! I LOVED both Geography classes I was in! Intro to Human Geograpy was a hoot, so was Human Geography. He really expanded the old thinking of Geography, from just recognizing places on a map, to really getting into the meat and bones of an area.

[89rabbit]

Re: Favorite Professors

History side and overall Dr. Sweeney, Poli Sci. side Dr. Burns.


Go State!

[Walrus]

Re: Favorite Professors

    . . . and there was Hans Graetzer.  He taught physics.   You didn't just study physics in his class.  You saw it, you heard it, you felt it . . . and you lived it.  I had no interest in physics until I took his class and discovered what a fascinating subject it really is.

And of course there are a lot more, but I should let someone else take a turn.

I enjoyed Dr Graetzer's physics class also.  He was a violinist in the faculty orchestra.  On the day of one of their concerts he played a violin solo for the class.  I also remember his chagrin the day that he asked for a show of hands from everyone who believed in water witching.  The vast majority of the class raised their hands.

I also liked Dr Gary Omodt in the College of Pharmacy.  He taught Inorganic Medicinals and Organic Medicinals.  I think a lot of the class was a little afraid of him and his tests, but I enjoyed his style and dry sense of humor.  Besides no test ever scared me.   8-)

[johnnyjackrabbit]

Re: Favorite Professors

I'll agree on Mike Schliessman.  I took general communication from him in Harding Hall (I think).  Anyway, we were all in there on the first day of class and he walked.  When he saw the big periodic table hanging on the wall, he said, "Oh good.  We'll be using that a lot this semester."  Many confused looks followed.

Del Lonowski, state and local government.  I took this class with Del up on the third floor of the pharmacy building.  When I got to class, Del would always be out on the fire escape having a cigarette.  Then he would come in and have us do our "exercises" (jumping jacks, etc.).

Jerry Sweeney, early U.S. history, Civil War.  I always enjoyed the story about Sweeney teaching in one of the rooms in Ag Hall with the cushy seats.  Apparently, a student fell asleep in class.  Sweeney told everyone to be quiet as they walked out.  He turned off the lights and left the kid sleeping.  Funny if it's true.

As a history major, I took every class I could with John Miller, probably because we have many of the same interests.  He was the main reason I decided to add a history major and head to grad school.

I have to add to my earlier post. I can't believe I forgot Dr. Jack Getz in the journalism department. His newswriting class was very entertaining. He wrote for the RC Journal when the flood occurred in 1972. When it came to writing, he was tough as nails, but I think it made us better journalists. And I should add Jim Paulson and Dick Lee from journalism, too. Paulson was a great guy just to talk to about stuff. As for Dr. Lee, I'll never forget the morning in Mass Comm Law when he poked his head into class and told us all to close our eyes. We did, he came in and told us to open them, and there he was in a long black robe and really hokey powdered wig. The subject of class that day was the John Peter Zenger trial, and Dr. Lee wanted to "look the part," you could say. He also managed to sneak some popcorn-flavored jelly beans into class one day so we could have a treat while we watched a movie. This was the first year after Yeager Hall had been remodeled and everyone over there was being really strict about no food or drink (even though I never remember seeing Paulson in that building without one of those Java City coffees).

[da_coach]

Re: Favorite Professors

Dr. Jerry Sweeney History.

I had alot of profs I liked, but Sweeney is my favorite.

First class I took at SDSU...first day...he calls role (only time he called role the whole semester)

Calls some kid's name, and he says "here" and Sweeney says, "I hope we have more fun than last year." Then he tells the class, "This guy took this class last year, and never laughed at ONE of my jokes."

Had him for American Diplomatic History, which should have been a bore, but he made it great.
In that class, I aced his first test (open book, open notes, for all tests in that class).

So I take the second test, and I'm dying, I cant find any of the answers, I do the best I can, turn in my test, and proceed to the door. Sweeney is standing at the door, and says to me "How did you like THAT one?" and gives me a fricking devilish grin. He did it on purpose! Because I aced his first test, he made the second test impossible.

Third story. I'm checking my final test grade on the door of his office one May, and he comes down the hall, sees me there, coughs, and turns around and sticks his palm out. Whispers, "just put some money in there, and your grade will improve."

Guy cracked me up. I totally believe the story, I can TOTALLY see him doing that. He was fun. I liked all the other History profs as well, but Sweeney was the best.

Michael Funchion was one of the nicest profs I ever dealt with. He was my history advisor.

Brad Soderberg taught a Fantastic class on Coaching Basketball. He was great. Just Fantastic. I took coaching baseball, and track and field and they were a complete borefest compared to Soderberg.

My advisor, before History, was Joel Hefling, and he was also one of the nicest guys to work with. I really enjoyed him as a person. (never had him as a teacher)

[91rabbit]

Re: Favorite Professors

I never had Jerry Sweeney for class (I had Rod Bell --sorry for the Art Bell thing, had UFOs on the brain--and David Crain), but I did meet him. His wife and my (now) wife worked together so we had dinner together at the Ram for the company Christmas party in 1990. I told him how much good I had heard about him and that I wished I would have taken his military history class. We had a great conversation; he told me how terrified he was at the start of every new semester. One would think speaking in front a large group should get easier with time but apparently not for even a great teacher like Sweeney. I will never forget that story.

[trueblue]

Re: Favorite Professors

Dr. Jerry Sweeney History.

I had alot of profs I liked, but Sweeney is my favorite.  

First class I took at SDSU...first day...he calls role (only time he called role the whole semester)

Calls some kid's name, and he says "here" and Sweeney says, "I hope we have more fun than last year."  Then he tells the class, "This guy took this class last year, and never laughed at ONE of my jokes."

Had him for American Diplomatic History, which should have been a bore, but he made it great.
In that class, I aced his first test (open book, open notes, for all tests in that class).

So I take the second test, and I'm dying, I cant find any of the answers, I do the best I can, turn in my test, and proceed to the door.  Sweeney is standing at the door, and says to me "How did you like THAT one?" and gives me a fricking devilish grin.  He did it on purpose!  Because I aced his first test, he made the second test impossible.

Third story.  I'm checking my final test grade on the door of his office one May, and he comes down the hall, sees me there, coughs, and turns around and sticks his palm out.  Whispers, "just put some money in there, and your grade will improve."

Guy cracked me up.  I totally believe the story, I can TOTALLY see him doing that.  He was fun.  I liked all the other History profs as well, but Sweeney was the best.  

Michael Funchion was one of the nicest profs I ever dealt with.  He was my history advisor.

Brad Soderberg taught a Fantastic class on Coaching Basketball.  He was great.  Just Fantastic.  I took coaching baseball, and track and field and they were a complete borefest compared to Soderberg.  

My advisor, before History, was Joel Hefling, and he was also one of the nicest guys to work with.  I really enjoyed him as a person.  (never had him as a teacher)

As a History major and fellow advisee of Funchion I agree with you on both Sweeney and Funchion. "Going to Hell in a handbasket" will be a quote I will remember forever. Soderberg's coaching of basketball class was excellent. He touched on all aspects- feeder program, promotions, dealing with parents and media, etc.- of being a coach rather than spending the whole time on X's and O's. (Baseball was as boring as it gets and Coaching of Football- Daly would not spend one minute talking about 9-man football! How can you not talk about a part of the game that is played by so many of the schools in the state?) Pat Lyons as previously mentioned by someone else was excellent as well. Nels Granholm- I never met until I did some post-graduate work, but I enjoyed him very much.