Curtis retires as professor of English
Mike Curtis may be retiring from Wofford, but he’s not retiring as fiction editor of the Atlantic. In retirement, Curtis also is planning to work on some long-delayed writing projects of his own.
“My most durable memory of the Wofford years will be my classroom experiences,” says Curtis. “After 48 years of full-time magazine work, I was grateful for the opportunity to take on regular teaching responsibilities and the chance to see students evolve from tentative first-year students to poised and competent seniors. Finding my place in Wofford’s accomplished English Department will always be a source of great satisfaction. As will my participation in Friday afternoon faculty basketball games; a low-stakes faculty poker game; the success of varsity basketball, football, soccer and baseball teams; and the chance to catch a slant pass from David Wood in the once annual varsity/faculty football game.”
For now, Curtis and his wife, novelist Elizabeth Cox, who retired a few years ago from full-time teaching at Wofford, plan to remain in Spartanburg where Cox is deeply involved in Spartanburg’s Guardian ad litem program.
Shiflets retire: Angela Shiflet as Larry Hearn McCalla Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science, and George Shiflet as the chair and Dr. and Mrs. Larry Hearn McCalla Professor of Biology
Dr. Angela Shiflet and Dr. George Shiflet plan to remain active in the world of computational science education and research after they retire from full-time teaching in May. Their editor at Princeton University Press has approached them about doing another textbook, and they will still write and update learning modules used in classrooms across the globe. In addition, they will continue to pursue Fulbright Specialist opportunities, including several promising opportunities on the horizon to work with scientists in Italy, Russia, England and Australia.
“I don’t have time to learn another language before we work abroad, but fortunately, English is the language of science,” says George. “Planning these types of experiences makes me look forward to retirement more. We will continue to reach as many people as we can with the power of computational science.”
The Shiflets also will continue to support their endowed fund at the college that supports computational science research, internships, conferences and writing.
Suarez retires as chair of the Department of Education
After retirement, Dr. Cynthia Suarez plans to stay professionally active and will schedule tutoring around quality time spent at Lake Lanier kayaking and relaxing. She plans to travel, both within the United States and abroad, and to spend more time enjoying family. Suarez helped educate scores of Wofford students who are now making a difference in the lives of children in classrooms across the country. She also guided Wofford through numerous accreditation visits for the college’s Teacher Education Program.
According to Suarez, her favorite Wofford memories include travel: the Milliken Faculty Development Seminar to Brazil, faculty retreats and a weekend trip to Madrid with Dr. Ana Maria Wiseman and Linda Powers. She also has fond memories of dance classes with Pat and Tom Rocks, Wofford’s director of the physical plant.