Lasting Lessons from Now-Retired Professors
Responses to “From First Lectures to Final Semesters: The Storied Careers of Six Retiring Professors,” summer 2025
Chris Nevison was my teacher when I was majoring in computer science. His passion for learning, teaching, and expanding his own knowledge rubbed off on his students. While other comp sci teachers were specifically teaching us the programming course material, he often made us apply it to other areas so we wouldn’t be singularly minded. One day he had us working on a graphical user interface for a simulation he was doing with data on fish migratory patterns. I remember calling him over to ask for the answer to a problem I was having with my code. He sat next to me and said that the huge advantage we now had with the advent of the internet was that any problem, no matter the subject, could be solved through looking on search engines, online manuals, forums, etc. Rather than teaching me to be taught, he taught me to learn. That singular lesson was one of the most lasting from college. It allowed me to adapt to new professions, new hobbies, and an ever-changing world.
– Adam Palmiter ’03
I read your article on Professor Nakhimovsky with great interest. I learned many things about her that I hadn’t known. I was surprised that little or no mention was paid to her expertise in teaching the Russian language. In a textbook she co-authored with her husband, Alexander, we studied cases, declensions, conversations, and culture. We dutifully arrived at 8 a.m. daily for four semesters at Lawrence 201, and we were better for it. Thanks for the memories, Professor Nakhimovsky!
– Thomas Powers ’87
Bob McVaugh left a lasting impression on my time at Colgate. I continue to cherish my time as an artist and value the art history knowledge he shared with so many audiences.
– Emily Bratton ’04
Best wishes to Professor Keating and Professor McVaugh. I was fortunate to have both of them during my tenure at Colgate, and I still recall moments with each. That’s impact. Enjoy a well-earned new adventure.
– Marianne Weiss ’89
Another aspect of Bob McVaugh’s contributions to Colgate was his support of the first-year experience, including the FSEM program. He was a mentor and a voice of reason for me when I stepped into the dean of first-year students role in 2001. And he has the best sense of humor! Hurrah on retirement!
– Beverly Low, former dean of first-year students
Another Jimmy Carter Colgate Connection
Bill O’Brien ’77 read “Jimmy Carter’s Colgate Connections” (spring 2025) and offered his own story, “My Memorable White House Evening with the Carters,” originally published on MinnPost.com. Jimmy Carter had been elected president in 1976, and after his inauguration, he threw a party for his earliest supporters, those who had worked on the New Hampshire primary. Although O’Brien — a Colgate senior at the time — was “not among the New Hampshire few,” two of his friends, Anne Arries ’78 and Jene Cates ’77, were. “I was proud of my classmates for their Carter work. And most pleased that they could bring dates to the White House. My friend Jeff (Fager ’77) and I lucked out,” O’Brien writes. “Fifty or so people mingled in the White House foyer…. When the Marine Guard Band began to play, I danced with my friends. The president and first lady danced among us…. I approached the first lady…. I introduced myself and asked if I might have the next dance. Only then did a man lean in, likely part of the very relaxed security detail. Rosalynn gave him an abbreviated wave, to signal that it was fine, that she understood I was harmless…. she paused, smiled, and said, ‘That is so kind, but I am tired and heading to bed.’ As she retreated, I thought I had never been so cordially brushed off. And I felt good about it. Maybe that’s the truest mark of a talented politician, to make a constituent feel good about rejection. Or maybe it’s more simple: that kindness is key.”
Correction: Straightening a Branch on the Colgate Family Tree
Sharp-eyed reader Nancy Barnes ’73 alerted us to an error in the Colgate family tree (summer 2025). The birth and death dates for Robert Lane Colby were incorrectly printed as 1820–1847; the correct dates are 1822–1904.
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