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Don Jackson for me for Investments.

Bonnie Wheeler

I thought she was brutal when I had her class, but it paid off. She taught me everything about writing that I should have learned in high school.

For me, former Philosopher professor Serge Kappler was the best. I was a young, cocky student the first class of his I ever took. He completely shut me down and rebuilt me, taught me humility. Later he was the only one in the department to support me in a semi-controversial paper I wrote. He truly cared about his students, truth, and about his craft and calling. He was fantastic.

Dr. Mohsen Mobasher for sociology classes. Easily the best lecturer I had at SMU. I was a Finance major.

David Ott, professor of economics. Dr. Johnson the founder of the Southwestern School of Banking at SMU was also head of the department of economics. He set about to improve the department and hired a group of outstanding young professors. David moved on to the President's Counsel of Economic Advisors and a position at another university.
During his time at SMU he married another Professor. She was Egyptian and was part of the royal family of the deposed King Faruk. They moved into a new home and she was frustrated without having any lawn, shrubs or flowers. So she went out and bought a couple of boxes of carrots. She then proceeded to plant them upside down! I kid you not.
I had her for international trade, and while she was writing on the blackboard, she pulled out a pipe, the kind Sherlock Holmes would use, and turned around with pipe lit and asked me a question. I not only couldn't answer the question, but couldn't stop laughing!
Both were very bright, but the cause of conversation in the Business School. It was SMU's version of I"I Love Lucy". Unfortunately David passed away suddenly before reaching 40.

Hands down, Dr. William "Bill" Tedford in Psych.

Most entertaining of any prof at SMU. Wore a white lab coat covered in chalk to every class and would begin each class by talking of the dangers of smoking...right be fore he lit one up and proceeded to teach, using the drawer in an old wooden desk as his ash tray throughout the lecture.

Sensation and Perception was one of the classes I remember, but I took a few from him.

I had him in the 90s, but I think he was teaching in the 60s.

Nutty professor Daytona beach 1975

ponyboy wrote:For me, former Philosopher professor Serge Kappler was the best. I was a young, cocky student the first class of his I ever took. He completely shut me down and rebuilt me, taught me humility. Later he was the only one in the department to support me in a semi-controversial paper I wrote. He truly cared about his students, truth, and about his craft and calling. He was fantastic.

I really liked him to, he was part of the team teaching for my Core class Freshman year and then I took his "Aesthetics in Architecture" class for Capstone my Junior year. He made everything interesting and always injected humor.

Yes, that Aesthetics of Architecture class with the Roger Scruton text was fantastic.

Kathy LaTour

Dr. Harold Jeskey- Chemistry. I was not a chem major but took his classes. He kept things interesting but you needed to really study to do well in his classes. Pllus IMO he love SMU and loved teaching there.

I think his name was Cecil Johnson in Poli Sci and Soviet studies. I always remember him saying in class way back when that the biggest mistake the Soviet Union would make would be to invade Afghanistan. Boy was he right on that one. Loved his knowledge of US policy where the ussr was concerned.

Don Jackson, Finance
Jim Brown, Political Science

Gerhardt for Political Science was fantastic.

John Lewis, English, is absolutley rock star brilliant. And kooky in a good way. He's older now, but I also remember him back in the day.
The D Magazine article from the 1970's "Can SMU Get it Together?" mentions him: “John Lewis was the best instructor I have ever had,” one student commented. “He was the most open, fairest, least arbitrary and most intelligent instructor I have ever known.” And one student echoed Daniels’ observation verbatim: “John Lewis is brilliant.” But he added, “However, he tends to presuppose students having more knowledge than is reasonable.” <---- Spot on

Also, I had Leslie Richardson for a poetry class - nothing like having a hot poetry teacher. She'd read a poem and my toes would curl...