Retirement update #1

Yesterday officially marked the end of Larry/Paco/Dad’s last day as Chair of the Chemistry Department. No more fires to put out (play on words, in case you’re concerned about chemical explosions), no more department meetings, department chair meetings, faculty meetings…no more meetings of any kind. And today is Dad’s final day of employment at Gustavus, calendar-wise. He’s got the month of June to sort out 37 years worth of course material, lecture notes, books, and memorabilia.

Here’s Larry in a mid-1980’s vintage college publicity photo. Probably one of the only times he ever wore a lab coat. If it had been part of his daily attire, there would certainly be a pocket protector with several pens in his breast pocket.

Reserved for Potts

Here is some more old news. I'll get to the oldest soon, maybe within a few days. I can only flashback so fast.

A week ago right about now we (Dad/Paco and I) were at Gustavus, finishing a lovely dinner that I like to fantasize being in honor of my birthday. It WAS my birthday, but the dinner was actually in recognition of faculty who had held on for 10, 15, 20, and more years at Gustavus as also for the new batch of retirees. Charlie, Angie, Annie, Tanner, and Miles were able to attend (we missed you, ESPD, ESD, and HRD), Miles looking particularly collegiate in a white polo shirt and blue cords. Miley stuck around long enough to work the crowd and make some connections with faculty and alum, then hurried off to spend the evening with Grandpa Dave and Grandma Doreen. Here's Miley in his dress-up duds, trying to speak his piece:Retirees honored include: Greg Mason (English), Claude Brew (English), Bill Heidcamp (Biology), Kathie Martin (ILL), and Dad/Larry.

Here's Claude, a.k.a. "Claudy",

as Will Grimmius nicknamed him years ago.

Each of the honorees was introduced by someone of his or her choice, and Tom Gover did the honors for Dad. Fortunately, we had never hosted sketchy parties in our early days at Gustavus like one of the other retiring folks, so Tom couldn't pin any illegal activities on Dad...just a parody of Star Wars, which substituted a former Gustavus college president for Darth Vader.

Tom, introducing Dad...
Dad, rebutting (can you do that at a banquet?)
Charlie and Angie
Annie and Tanner
Annie and me

And one last picture of Miley, because he's cute. Where's his cousin?????

While Miley was practicing sitting, his adorable cousin Hannah
was wearing a French Foreign Legion hat at the beach in San Diego.
Am I not right about the hat?
Meet Pierre de les Chapeaux, current member
of the French Foreign Legion, and former Chippendale Dancer.

Out of date, but worth telling

It's time to sneak in a little out-of-date stuff that I've been too busy to write about. The Old News item for today involves decorations on my office door for my birthday last week, placed there by some of my current methods students.

Mary O., Michele, and I share methods students each semester, and I teach three of the courses that are part of the methods block. We had a small and particularly fun group of students this spring. Michele and I share the same birthday (but I'm 30 or 40 years older than she is), and our dear students decided to honor us with personal tributes. Michele has been teaching about monarch butterfly migration in science methods for several years, so the students each made a brightly-colored paper butterfly for her, and dangled them from individual ribbons hanging down from a wire stretched across the classroom. Sweet, pretty, springy, and festive, wouldn't you say?

Apparently the same delightful students who created lovely and gossamer creatures to waft gently in our classroom for Michele couldn't think of anything equally artsy and celebratory for me, because their tribute to my share of the birthday was this:
What is it, you ask? Why, exactly what it looks like. A door filled with masking tape loops. Every older woman's dream come true. Every semester I share a teacher pet peeve with my students--that I detest, I've always detested, and I will forever detest making masking tape loops to hang up posters, papers, and other student display-o-bilia on school walls and in school hallways. When we have items to hang up in our Mattson Hall classroom, the students have the task of making their own tape loops. It's good practice, and eventually they figure out that a half-inch piece of masking tape does not a sturdy loop make. Moreover, I get out of the icky, sticky, annoying job of masking tape loop production.

And so, while a gift certificate from my own personal children for Guthrie tickets will add to my cultural je ne sais quoi, the lifetime suppy--or at least career-time supply--of pre-looped masking tape loops from my methods students is a rather practical runner-up birthday present.

Stay tuned for more out-of-date stuff soon.

Remembering Molly and Melissa

Melissa and Molly in 2004

Non-newsy update

It was a busy Memorial Day weekend, with finals to give on Friday, Saturday, and today (yes, even on Memorial Day!). Dad/Larry has one left to give tomorrow. Grades for seniors are due on Wednesday morning, and then we have a few days to finish up the rest of them.

Charlie, Angie, Annie, Tanner, and Miles were here on Thursday evening for the retirement/recognition dinner at Gustavus. Since it was also my birthday, I was happy to go out to dinner with all of them! More on the retirement event later, when I have time.

Miles and his parents stayed until Sunday. He spent time with G & G Grimmius, too. The little guy gets around! We also Skyped with the NC contingent, watching Hannah's newest tricks. Can't wait to see her latest act in person! Here are some Miley photos...

"When will my hair show up on pictures?"

Miles, checking out the high chair. "Why does this thing have a hole in it?"

"My mommy was never allowed to bounce on chairs
when she was my age!"

Working on standing up (like cousin Hannah Bear)

It's all over but the finals

Today is the final class day of Larry/Dad/Paco's illustrious career as a Professor of Chemistry at Gustavus Adolphus College. Let's not forget that he started as an Assistant Professor, was promoted to Associate Professor, and topped out at full Professor (should that "f" be capitalized??) I wish I had the first Gribly picture of Larry/Dad; I don't, but here is the most recent. I'm pretty sure he still has this sweater, but the glasses frames have been replaced.
So raise a beaker and drink a toast (or just have a piece of toast) in honor of Professor Lawrence W. Potts, who has devoted his entire career to teaching young minds (some of whom have seemed out of theirs) and who continues to remain enthusiastic about teaching, research, and learning. Oh, don't think it's been all sunshine and roses, though; Larry is fed up with the bullshit, and there's been plenty of it between 1972 and 2008. So good-bye bullshit and hello AARP. It's time to retire.

Larry, I love you, and I'm proud of the good work you've done throughout your career at Gustavus. I look forward to your retirement and the promises you've made to cook and clean and become a house-husband. Lord knows it's about time the furniture got a good dusting.

Two days left, but who's counting?

Today Larry/Dad/Paco will chair his final department meeting, pending emergency-last-minute-desperate chemistry issues arising from the bowels of the department (Eeuuw! That's an ugly thought!). Then, a last-ever monthly meeting with Mariangela, the Dean-of-the College-to-whom-Larry-reports. The rest of his day will be spent on department-related business, marking the last Tuesday of his career.

And just when I think I should go back and remove that "bowels" reference, this photo mysteriously appears...of Larry/Dad/Paco and Professor Thomas A. Gover, emerging from what might just be the bowels of Nobel Hall (in 1974)...you decide.