(Originally written for my JMC-202 class.)

ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. (April 28) –– Leigh Simone still remembers the room number and where she and her friends sat in Rick Simpson’s English class.

In Plassmann Hall, room 200, “My friend John sat there, my friend Pat sat there and I sat there,” the 1977 graduate says, motioning with her hands.

According to the 2012-2013 Undergraduate Catalog, 21 of 156 faculty members attended St. Bonaventure University for their undergraduate studies. Of the 21, Simone made the transition from student to colleague while several of the 156 went from teaching her to working with her.

Rod Hughes began teaching at Bonaventure in 1970 and had Carol Fischer, Rich Lee and Lauren Matz, among others, as students. The associate professor of philosophy says he won’t forget Fischer, now associate dean of the School of Business.

“I remember I was just starting out and she was really good in mathematics,” Hughes says. “She caught a mistake of mine that I had been teaching over and over again.”

And while Hughes remembers Matz, associate professor of English, as a quiet student, he finds her more outspoken as a colleague.

“I’m glad to have people here that I know,” Hughes says. “I’m not ever kidding myself that I had a huge impact on their life or anything like that. It’s just a nice connection.”

Both Simone and Carole McNall, class of 1975, had Steve Brown for Latin during their studies of Spanish and journalism, respectively.

“I remember enjoying him,” says McNall, an assistant professor of journalism and mass communication. “I wasn’t sure I would have with Latin –– it was one of those ‘You’re going to make me take it, aren’t you?’ courses.”

But, as made apparent in her law courses, McNall says her knowledge of Latin didn’t stick.

“When I’m trying to say a Latin legal term, I’ll look out the door and say, ‘Okay, Doc Brown’s not around,’” McNall says.

Simone’s husband, Ed. Simone, class of 1978, took Jeff White for Latin, but she stayed with Brown.

“I just loved Steve because he was kind of like the goofy professor,” says Simone, assistant professor of Spanish. “He was a delight –– I loved Latin.”

Brown began teaching at Bonaventure in 1969.

He made an even bigger impact after Simone’s father’s death to Alzheimer’s disease three years ago. Before the condolence email’s release, Simone asked to include information for those who wished to donate to the Alzheimer’s Association.

“Steve Brown made a donation,” says Simone. “I was just touched beyond belief. There were other people, too, but he was my professor.”

And, though Simone focused on Spanish, she swept through the English department and still has her book from English-340 with Simpson.

“I’m jealous of the people who have him today,” she says. “He was fabulous back in 1976, I can only imagine what he thinks and what he knows now and what he’s able to impart to the student of today.”

“He talked about baseball, he talked about rock music,” remembers Lee, an assistant professor of journalism and mass communication. “He was able to take things like romantic poetry and Victorian poetry –– which you wouldn’t think would be exciting –– and make them exciting and relate them to things that, as a student, I was interested in.”

Simpson began his career at Bonaventure in 1970 and hasn’t stopped. He introduced Norwegian and Scandinavian literature courses and dabbled into teaching students about his other love, jazz.

Simpson saw Lee, Matz and Simone as students before being introduced as colleagues.

“It’s all really really delightful that these relationships could go on,” Simpson says. He found inspiration in his high school English teacher, Robert Leon, and his college professor at Brigham Young University, Robert Thomas.

“I can well imagine that some of my students might think about me the way I think about those teachers. It all gets transferred from one teacher to another teacher,” he says.

Through Simpson’s incorporation of baseball and jazz, Simone learned a valuable teaching tool.

“In my own teaching I try to think about things related to my own passions,” Simone says. “I learned that from him.”

With former professors as colleagues, Simone has had to change a few things.

“I’ve been admonished terribly to call them Steve and Rick,” she says. “And on some level, I don’t want to. On some level, I find it a degree of affection and respect.”

As for Simpson, the word “retirement” doesn’t exist in his vocabulary.

“I don’t have a target date for retirement,” he says. “As long as I’m having

fun, why not keep working –– what the heck?”

Hughes agrees.

“I like getting up in the morning and having somewhere to go,” says Hughes. “I’d hate to have to stop –– I don’t know what I’d do with myself.”

Tweet: From students to colleagues, @StBonaventure professors recall lessons during the ’70s from current professors at Bonas. (119 c.)