More of Your Favorite Professors
If you have a favorite who hasn’t been mentioned, email us at torch@tennessee.edu.
It was interesting to read what Lynn Baker Sr. had to say about Dr. F. F. Bell, my professor as well in the College of Agriculture. He certainly was dynamic and, though I dreaded being confronted by him in class, I, too, often found myself sounding like him as I taught for 40 years. I can remember that classroom in Morgan Hall even today-- the smell of it, the look of it, and the excitement that he created. How wonderful to have had teachers who remain vivid in the memory even today after all these years!
I heard recently of the passing of Dr. W. W. Overcast. He was a fine professor and a good advisor.
—Steve Cates ’63
Dr. John Prados
Drs. D. C. Bogue, Fred Peebles and John Prados in the Chemical Engineering Department in 1965..... UT could not have done better than these three.
—Kenneth E. McGill ’65, chemical engineering
I'll bet you don't get too many who write to praise engineering professors. The College of Engineering TRAINS engineers; therefore, engineering professors are to be endured for the technical knowledge they pass on. Many of my professors helped me in obscure ways. For example, Professor Shobe taught a mechanics course that was very difficult, but I could not have passed the Professional Engineering exam without his instruction. Thanks, Professor Shobe for the DISCIPLINE you taught me.
While I may have endured Professor Shobe and am better for it, I felt I thrived under these two favorites.
Dr. John Prados - Gee, we asked him some weird questions in "Chem E for Dummies" courses. He would pause at the blackboard and think. I believe he was actually considering if the question posed a unique solution to a straightforward black-and-white computation for a distillation column. In other words, he encouraged CREATIVITY in a structured environment. John was later in administration at UT. I guess we were his proving ground for how to deal with "the weird" from all students.
Dr. O. L. Culberson - Oran spent many years in industry before teaching in Chem E. He became known as "Real World Culberson" to many students. He knew what it was like to have to deal with something beyond academia and in a real chemical plant. A small miscalculation can create a BIG economic or safety problem. He never let me get by with small errors nor did he give a lot of "partial credit" on his exams. Oran was my thesis advisor in grad school. The 1st draft of my thesis had more of his red marks on it than black typing from my old Underwood typewriter. What he taught me was EXCELLENCE.
So, there you have it: Discipline, creativity and excellence - three traits any good engineer should learn. I learned those traits at UT from some good professors. I tried to pass these traits along to young engineers and programmers that worked for me in my 34-year industrial career. I tried to do as good a job as John and Oran did for me!
—Dwight Lynn Sorrell ’66, ’69, chemical engineering, Kingsport, Tenn.
Ms. Young taught art history (appreciation) and Ms. Henbest (sp?) taught Greek & Latin etymology and Guy Bockman taught music appreciation, all circa 1969.
Are any of these teachers still alive? Any follow-up on them?
All 3 of these courses and teachers were ones that have enhanced my life and I still remember fondly.
—Michael Todd ’71, ’75 M.D., UT Health Science Center
In 1970, I was a freshman at UT majoring in art education. My favorite teacher was Harriet Gill in the art education department. I remember that she was an expert weaver and she also raised and showed dogs. She even gave me a puppy! What I loved most about Ms. Gill was her sense of humor. I also remember that she called my name on the first day of class and asked me my age! When I told her that I was eighteen, she shook her head and said that she was getting too old to teach!!! I was so embarrassed then, but now I think it's hilarious! Ms. Gill definitely gets my vote for favorite teacher!
—Connie Taylor, Clinton, Tenn.
My favorite professor during my undergraduate tenure at UT was Dr. Kyle Reed. Dr. Reed always showed up for class in his starched white shirt with a classic matching tie.This was during the era (the late 60's and early 70's) when the students were dressed in jeans and tie dyed t-shirts.I had Dr. Reed for several management style classes, and he had the ability to cross the dress barrier and our attitudes to deliver the key points of his lectures on a daily basis. He was one of the driving forces that led to my successful completion of my BS and MS degrees at UT. His advice followed me throughout my career. He certainly was not as stiff as his shirt collars.
—Ronald Thompson ’72, ’79
Dr. Jeff Mellor
When I arrived as a freshman in the fall quarter of 1974, I didn't know that one of the first professors I met would become one of my very favorite teachers of my undergraduate years. Dr. Jeff Mellor taught Honors German; I had been placed in his class by an advisor who reasoned that, because my ACT scores were high enough to have put me in honors English, that the equivalent German class shouldn't be a problem. That he spoke German from the very first day (and expected us to do so as well) isn't what made him such an outstanding teacher. It was his enthusiasm for the subject, for his students, and for teaching that set him apart. Dr. Mellor also gave generously of his time away from the classroom, meeting with our class and other students of German in Smokey's cafeteria every Wednesday night at 6 pm for Deutsche Tische (German Table), where we ate dinner and had the chance to speak informal, conversational German.
There were only six people in my Honors German class; we met three times a week with Dr. Mellor and five days a week with a graduate assistant. By the end of the year, when we were tested for native fluency, I recall that none of us scored lower than 85%. My immersion in the language was so complete by the spring of 1975 that not only did I dream in German, when speaking in English I would often struggle to find the right word, coming up with the German one instead.
That is all thanks to Dr. Mellor, whose warmth, encouragement, joy, and occasional leaps onto a table to celebrate a breakthrough in the language learning barrier kept us motivated. Occasionally a mock grasping of the heart and a collapse to the floor also told us that we'd mangled the language, but his good humor taught us that it was okay to make a mistake as long as you were doing your very best to learn. Thank you, Dr. Mellor, for this lesson, one that still serves me well.
—Lucy Hamilton-Duncan ’74, ’80
My favorite professor was Ralph Waldo Haskins, history professor. My favorite story regarding Dr. Haskins was when I went to see him one day in his office to tell him the difficulty that I was having reading the handwritten manuscript of Gov. Parson Brownlow's papers, and he said, "Well, Linda, I have the typed copy of that manuscript. Would you like to use it?" I laughed and said, "Why yes." He was a great teacher and very inspiring in the studies of Southern History and American History. I always appreciated his business attire with his starched stiff collar and dark suit. He reminded me of the pictures of Teddy Roosevelt. The university was lucky to have such a scholar.
—Linda Jennings Higgins ’64, journalism
Dr. Julian, which many of her students called Faye, was instrumental in my success in completing my master's in theater as the first and only black male student in the Speech and Theater department at UT. She was inspirational, always giving, and a model for all students as she taught, acted on stage, and subsequently became dean of the College of Communication. A superb example for me as I earned both my B.A. (’73) and M.A. (’76) from UT.
—Archie Wortham
My favorite and most memorable professors were those of the Political Science Department. Professor Joseph Dodd was highly spirited and engaging and I looked forward to each of his classes. Professor Elliott taught Political Theory and his classes always opened up a new perspective on current events of the time. Actually the entire cast of the political science department in the 70's, including Professor Stephens, Professor Smith and Professor Osofsky, were outstanding and while I can not recall all of their first names, they made my experience at UTK a rewarding experience.
—Louis Volpintesta Jr. ’75, political science
Dr. Charles Johnson
Dr. Milton Klein. As a freshman, discovering history was more than just reading a textbook. And yes, there was history west of the Hudson.
Dr. Charles Johnson. Ahead of his time in our learning and appreciation of military history.
Dr. Bruce Wheeler. Eminent Jeffersonian who always had time to listen and help a student and I quote, "some hockey puck from Weeders Clump, Alabama."
—Don Gilstrap '79
When Dr. Fran Trusty began to speak in that first class, I knew that I was in the presence of a nationally know expert in conflict management and that my graduate experience at UT would be superb! His knowledge gave him the stature of a senior professor, but his openness and willingness to share his learning made him unique. As the chairman of my dissertation committee, he was an incredible resource and coach. Dr. Trusty made my Knoxville experience tops and added credibility to my UT doctorate.
—Zelma Lansford ’84 Ed.D.
Dr. Richard Jantz
As I look back there have been many professors that were excellent teachers and had a profound impact on my life.
There were many individuals in the Anthropology Department who were and are excellent teachers. However, Dr. Mary Ann Bass is one who influenced my life greatly. In addition to teaching content and academic matters, Dr. Bass showed me how to balance life between work and family. I learned as much in our trips back and forth from Cherokee as I did in her classes. She was a mentor and I still miss our conversations. Dr. Bass' husband, Dr. Bill Bass, showed me that to be a successful teacher you have to truly know your material, have a love for the content, and have fun teaching. Dr. Richard Jantz provided a steady guiding hand as I completed my degrees. His spirit for research was very contagious.
Outside of the Anthropology Department, Dr. Lee Humphreys in Religious Studies made the Old Testament come to life and started me on a path to actively study and develop an understanding of the Bible. Finally from Dr. Harry Rutledge and his classes, I developed a life long interest and passion for ancient Greek and Roman cultures. It is interesting that my oldest daughter, who is now 15, also has an avid interest in ancient Greek and Roman cultures. Maybe it is because when she was little, instead of the usual fairy tales, I told her stories about the Greeks and Romans that I had discovered in Dr. Rutledge's classes.
Dr. Anne Hopkins
Although I never took a class with Dr. Anne Hopkins, she served as a faculty advisor to my sorority. Without her support and encouragement, I do not think that I would have been able to complete my B.A. and take the leap to Graduate school.
I am confident that my education and experiences at UT prepared me for my career. I am thankful for the many professors who invested their time to make UT a true institute of higher learning.
—Dr. Deann Stivers Allen ’90, anthropology, Manchester, Ky.
I must mention Dr. William Cole of the Economics Department. I had Dr. Cole for Latin American Economics in the spring of 1991. He had a way of teaching that challenged us to find the answers while providing insights and stories that illuminated the then-current problems facing this area of the world. His class opened up a personal interest in world events - so much so that I went on to earn a master of arts in the field of international administration. Thank you, Dr. Cole.
—Kathy J. Warner ’91, business administration
