While the tradition of the Stoles of Gratitude began after the Class of 2001, the presentation of Lucas Gaylor’s stole to Prof. Junjie Luo reminded me of my own experience in my junior year.
Along with one other student, I was enrolled in an advanced organic chemistry course. When the other student dropped out shortly into the semester, I thought that the class would be canceled. But Prof. Don Jameson was more than willing to continue one-on-one instruction with me. His enthusiasm and dedication to my own learning reinforced the commitment of the faculty at Gettysburg College.
In fact, the chemistry department was filled with challenging, dedicated, and personable instructors in the late ’90s. In particular,Prof. Bill Parker was always a calming, steady hand in guiding his students through the introduct[ory] chemistry courses and labs. And I’d be remiss in not mentioning my academic advisor, the late Prof. Alex Rowland, who always had a moment to listen, to answer a question, or to talk about his favorite professional baseball player, Willie Mays. I would award my stole to all three of these gentlemen and the chemistry department in its entirety.
I am sure that you will receive many letters of gratitude because that’s just the character and quality of the people at Gettysburg College.
Bryan R. Meyer ’01
Just finished reading the excellent piece on the Stoles of Gratitude. What a wonderful tradition. The idea had not yet been hatched when I graduated in 1971. Had it been, my stole would have been presented to History Prof. Bruce Bugbee.
Bugbee’s influence on my life extended well beyond his role of advisor and academic mentor while I was a history major at Gettysburg. More significantly, he was instrumental in assisting me in joining the Naval Reserve after graduation. My low number in the draft lottery of 1969 ensured a high probability that I would be drafted after graduating. As a commander in the Naval Reserve, he guided me through the application process, helped get me a training school commitment to serve as a cook, and swore me into the U.S. Navy in May 1971 at the Navy Reserve station in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
My Navy experience translated into a long career in food service management with the Marriott Corporation. I’ve taken the opportunity to visit Bugbee’s grave in the Gettysburg National Cemetery to thank him for being so much more than just a great teacher.
Richard Uhl ’71
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