I think I’m a bit slower at remembering the correct date after the New Year than I was when I was younger. I know what year it is, but sometimes I write the wrong date and it has been 2024 for 9 days now. I suspect that there are a couple of reasons for this. One is simply that I am older. I have noticed that some though processes aren’t quite as rapid as they once were for me. In general, I take longer to make decisions these days. That isn’t all bad. I have had tendencies to be a bit impulsive over the years and slowing my decision-making process probably is resulting in slightly better decisions.

Another reason it takes longer to get the date right is that I simply don’t date as many things as once was the case. Much of my correspondence is now electronic mail and my computer automatically dates those documents. I don’t have to input the month, day, and year in order for the date stamp to appear on my messages. Electronic payment methods have greatly decreased the number of checks that I write. Years ago, I would have written checks to pay at the grocery store and perhaps at the gas station by now. I don’t think I’ve written any checks yet this year. Writing the date less means less practice.

And while 2023 was a bit stressful for me in some ways, it was a good year and one that was easy for me to remember because it was 50 years after our marriage. Since we were married in 1973, I’ve had special affinity for the years that end in 3.

On the other hand, 2024 has its share of anniversaries as well. We graduated from college in 1974 so this fall’s homecoming at our college will mark the 50th anniversary of our graduation. I remember homecoming ceremonies at our college when I was a student. There were always a few 50 year graduates, but not many. Now I guess I’m one of those few. We haven’t decided whether or not we will attend homecoming this fall. We haven't been big on reunions and homecomings at our schools in the past and I’m not sure that there is a big reason for us to make the trip, but it isn’t out of consideration. As I said, I’m slower to make decisions these days.

I have, however, been thinking about my college experiences recently so today I’m going to follow up a bit with some comments about some of the truly great teachers I have encountered on my life’s journey.

One professor I didn’t appreciate at the time has proven to have taught me some very important life lessons. I took two courses taught by Dr. Helen Bross. One was simply titled “Logic.” It was primarily a mathematics course, but it taught me to be aware of various logical fallacies. It has helped me in the process of making solid arguments over the years, and has served me well in evaluating the arguments of others. It is a course that I wish every political candidate would take. The sorry excuses of ad hominem attacks that pass as debates in contemporary society do little to inform and educate voters.

The other course I took from Dr. Bross was the history and philosophy of science. It certainly would help if the current generation of tech-savvy STEM students were taught a healthy dose of the history and philosophy of science. There is a direct relationship between the shortcomings of the current technological revolution and the industrial revolution for example. The creative inventors who are claiming that artificial intelligence is their baby need to be reminded that yes, the technology is in its infancy. Just as we don’t allow human infants to operate automobiles, there are serious problems related to allowing technologies to drive cars and power everything from college admissions to airline security. We shouldn’t be surprised at those problems the technology is anything but mature. Understanding both the history and the philosophy of science would be a great benefit to the 20-something software engineers who can develop a smart watch, and also make a device that will interrupt a workout by asking the wearer to rate their mood.

I studied ethics with Dr. Dicken and with Dr. Murphy. Once course had a Christian perspective and the other was a general philosophy course. How I wish that ethics had been a required course for all candidates to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States. They might understand the distinction between a rather simplistic set of rules of conduct and the more complex and nuanced process of internalizing ethical principles to guide everyday decisions. It is probably too much to ask, but they might also understand the difference between ethical decisions made by individuals and those made by corporations.

Dr. Richard Ramsey had a keen sense of the intersection of his field, Biology, and Christian spirituality. Rather than teach about imagined opposition between so called hard science and the humanities, Dr. Ramsey enabled students to experience genuine wonder at biological processes and grasp the need for critical thinking in planning experiments. He was equally at home at a scientific convention and at a campus prayer group. He partnered with the Christian Thought faculty members to teach several different interdisciplinary courses. If more of our country’s leaders in science and religion had been exposed to his courses they would be quicker to get past the childish “religion vs science” interpretations of scripture.

Our college chaplain, Bob Holmes, taught me a great deal about worship. He also taught me a lot about how to serve others with focus and care. Rather than elevate himself he invested in empowering students to lead campus religious organizations. I used things he taught me every day in my years of service as a law enforcement chaplain. I have seen too many chaplains try to impose their own style of evangelism on the people they are called to serve. I often wished they had bene given the opportunity to learn from some of my college teachers.

Our college was small. Its faculty was a close-knit group. There were other exceptional teachers. I still use the lessons they taught every day. 2024 will be a year of gratitude for me.