I was able to see three professors I knew back in the day. One I never had a class from and knew more socially than academically. Plus, when they banned smoking on campus, we used to smoke in his office. One of the others taught my gen ed American history class, but I never took her for anything else. The other? The other was my adviser, Dr. B.
Oh... Dr. B. We used to get into some doozey arguments.
Dr. B and I had a history. I took his Medieval History class the second semester of my freshman year. I walked into his class with fuchsia hair and a black leather jacket. Later he told me he didn't know what to make of me. I changed my major to history because of his class. I asked him to be my adviser. Shortly before I graduated he told me when he first met me he didn't think I was going to make it. But I did. A large part of the reason was him.
There was another professor I probably looked up to more: Dr. F. I focused on Eastern Europe and Russian History, and that as Dr. F's specialty. He was personable, approachable, empathetic, supportive, and a great guy. I know after Dr. F became an administrator there were some hard feeling between him and others. I don't know what happened. Part of me doesn't want to know. I want to remember him as a tough but likable professor. (He retired a few year ago so he wasn't around.)
Dr. B was tough and an ass. He pushed me and he made me mad. We once had an argument that started in his office, moved to the history admin office and then continued back to his office. I don't remember what it was about, but it was probably over a grade. Dr B scared the crap out of me. But he also knew the way to motivate me and to get me to do my best work was to keep poking me until I would get angry enough to be all, "Yeah? Well, I'll show you."
I looked forward to seeing all of my former profs, but there was something satisfying and freakishly natural about sitting down next to Dr B and talking to him as an adult and colleague.
The whole weekend was like this. I've been back to this town several times since I graduated, but I think enough time has gone by that the more recent changes on campus seem even more drastic. One of the houses I lived in is still standing--most aren't. A tree has been planted in the memory of one college friend who passed away a few weeks after graduation. We're going to work on getting another planted for another deceased friend. My dorm was still standing (it wasn't supposed to be). And the atheist philosophy professor's house has been turned into the Lutheran Campus Center.
I had a great time, but as always, it was good to come back to the part of the country that I now call home.
The setting sun as seen from my flight from Missouri back to Seattle
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