Dan and I came to work at the College on July 1st, 1970; we were both interviewed and hired in March of that year. As I said, he and I are the only surviving Deans from a large group of the first administrative staff.
It was writing for the Book that brought Dan back. When I initially found him -- on Facebook, of all places -- he admitted that he hadn't thought much about Stockton since he had left but was delighted to reminisce about his days here, his faculty and his innovative designs for science labs.
He was here for four days meeting friends, former faculty, Rob and me and the President. You could see the delight he experienced as the past became real again from chatting about his life then and since. For example, I sat in on his meeting with the President and someone who didn't know either might think that they were old friends. The conversation went something like this:
Dan: In the 1980s I was VP of Academic Affairs at X College.
President Saatkamp: Did you know Joe Smith who was the President at X College.
Dan: Yes, I had known Joe for many years having met him when he ran X Foundation.
President Saatkamp: Yes, that was where I met him.
Dan: After that, I moved to Y Foundation.
President Saatkamp: Oh, I know the president of that Foundation; it was Bob Green.
Dan: Yes, Bob and I taught together as young chemists at Z college.
Well, you get the picture. They seemed to know everyone in the South who ran a college or a foundation. You'll notice that I couldn't, as they say, "get a word in edgewise".
After leaving Stockton, Dan has -- unlike me -- taught and administered a number of institutions in the South. He worked at Tusculum and at Pfeiffer and was the head of at least one Southern Association of Colleges. Our paths diverged when he left Stockton; I returned to teaching and he went on to other administrative tasks.
Through all of his life -- which has had plenty of serious illnesses -- he has maintained a positive outlook and a strong sense of humor.
I wasn't there but, apparently, he had a wonderful five hours with what is left of the First Cohort who were in NAMS. A few of them told me that the evening was frank, sentimental, uplifting and memorable. There has always been a special connection among members of NAMS and it can be traced to a specific decision Dan made in the Summer of 1971.
The College provide money to bring in the Co-Ordinators to organize teaching, courses, schedules and other academic concerns. All of us but Dan did exactly that. We chose a weekend, brought the Co-Ordinators to the area, paid for motels, meals and transportation. Dan decided, however, to bring his WHOLE faculty to the area for two weeks. They worked daily on academic matters and spent the evenings and weekends playing softball, at picnics, at the beach and other social activities.
The result was that NAMS faculty had a solidarity of purpose, real connections to each other and to the mission of the College that lasted for decades. No other division was as close as NAMS and, because of this, it avoided conflicts, personality clashes and shifting missions.
That basic decision for all to spend the time together made all the difference.
It seems to me that having left the College until a week ago, has made Dan a somewhat larger-than-life memory in the minds and hearts of those who stayed. He wanted to meet up one more time with his faculty and they wanted to renew their affection toward him.
It was good for all of us to meet. Dan was deeply moved by being here. I was equally moved by seeing him again given that only two of us have survived. And his faculty went back over their lives together almost 40 years ago. It doesn't get much better for colleagues and friends.
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