Willson returns to teach history course
Katie Rose McEneely
Issue date: 2/12/09 Section: News
Former Professor of History John Willson's classes used to focus on "family, church and the local community," but when he returned this semester his freshman class contained a stronger "family" presence than usual: Three of his granddaughters attend his American Heritage class.
He's often had students whose parents he taught, and he taught his own daughters when they came to Hillsdale in the '80s, he said.
He chuckled. "Parents are always worried about what I'll tell their sons and daughters."
Friends and colleagues have teased him for 30 years about focusing his teaching so heavily on family, he said.
"One thing everyone would mention is the theme is 'family, church and local community,'" Willson said.
Those themes run through American history, he said.
Students in his class know there's "a 75 percent chance of it being the right answer."
When asked why he teaches on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 2 p.m. - a time many professors consider undesirable - Willson said it was a throwback to his teaching days at Saint Louis University, where Jesuit teachers would take early and late teaching slots so young professors could be with their families.
Willson retired in 2005 but offered to return to teach a section of American Heritage, Dean of Faculty Mark Kalthoff said. Willson was granted emeritus, or honorary faculty status, when he retired from teaching, and is filling in for Professor of History Burton Folsom, who is on sabbatical this semester.
"What he's doing is not unprecedented," Kalthoff said. "30 years of teaching in the Hillsdale College curriculum is sufficient qualification to teach a class once in a while."
Willson said he and his wife volunteer in the community and at Saint Anthony's Catholic Church, and he spends a lot of time attending his grandchildren's sporting events.
"Retiring wasn't a big disruption. The biggest single change is that I spend a lot of time writing," he said.
"I made it clear that I was ready to [teach] if the department needed me," Willson said. "To be honest, I was a little itchy. I taught for 43 years and though I got tired of grading, I never got tired of teaching."
He's often had students whose parents he taught, and he taught his own daughters when they came to Hillsdale in the '80s, he said.
He chuckled. "Parents are always worried about what I'll tell their sons and daughters."
Friends and colleagues have teased him for 30 years about focusing his teaching so heavily on family, he said.
"One thing everyone would mention is the theme is 'family, church and local community,'" Willson said.
Those themes run through American history, he said.
Students in his class know there's "a 75 percent chance of it being the right answer."
When asked why he teaches on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 2 p.m. - a time many professors consider undesirable - Willson said it was a throwback to his teaching days at Saint Louis University, where Jesuit teachers would take early and late teaching slots so young professors could be with their families.
Willson retired in 2005 but offered to return to teach a section of American Heritage, Dean of Faculty Mark Kalthoff said. Willson was granted emeritus, or honorary faculty status, when he retired from teaching, and is filling in for Professor of History Burton Folsom, who is on sabbatical this semester.
"What he's doing is not unprecedented," Kalthoff said. "30 years of teaching in the Hillsdale College curriculum is sufficient qualification to teach a class once in a while."
Willson said he and his wife volunteer in the community and at Saint Anthony's Catholic Church, and he spends a lot of time attending his grandchildren's sporting events.
"Retiring wasn't a big disruption. The biggest single change is that I spend a lot of time writing," he said.
"I made it clear that I was ready to [teach] if the department needed me," Willson said. "To be honest, I was a little itchy. I taught for 43 years and though I got tired of grading, I never got tired of teaching."
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