Dr. Mark Joy Retires

CONGRATULATIONS, DR. JOY!

A Q&A WITH

retiring professor, Dr. Mark Joy

1. Do you remember who first hired you at Jamestown College? Who was on the search committee?

I was hired in the summer of 1991, after making a trip here in early May. Dr. Harry Hong was the chair of History and Political

Science at the time, and Dr. Tim Bratton was in the department and so was on the search committee. Dr. Gary Watts, at that time teaching in Religion and Philosophy, was the outside person on the committee. Dr. Richard Smith was dean at the time and called me with the final news that he was sending me a contract. 2. When you came to UJ, who was the first colleague with whom you connected?

Dr. Hong was very welcoming and took pains to make sure I got settled in well. He and Dr. Bratton were probably the people I connected with most in those early days. I already knew Dr. James Edwards in Religion somewhat by reputation, and I enjoyed getting to know him personally. 3. Who is the funniest colleague you’ve had a UJ?

Dr. Bratton was a great punster of course. Bill Laskowski, who taught English, had a good sense of humor but overall was just a fascinating person to talk to; his knowledge of trivia about movies and books was astounding. I bested him once—he didn’t know

Jim Rockford’s home address on The Rockford Files. 4. What is your favorite building on campus?

Probably Lyngstad because it has been “home” for more than 25 years. I also like the old classic style college-look of Taber and

Voorhees Chapel. 5. What is the best excuse you’ve received from a student?

I can’t be in class, because I am in jail. 6. What is something people wouldn’t know about you?

As a teenager, I was very interested in taxidermy and thought of pursuing that as a career. I finally decided I would not likely get good enough to do that. 7. You’ve preached sermons in area churches for years; what’s your favorite book of the Bible from which to preach?

I preach a lot from the Psalms and read that book regularly in my personal devotions. I don’t really have other favorites, but the

New Testament Epistles as a whole are also something I preach from quite a bit. 8. How many times have you sung the Star-Spangled Banner at a UJ/Jamestown event over the years?

I don’t know how many, but many times. A few times when we hosted Canadian teams, I also sang the Canadian anthem. 9. What is one thing you’ll miss the most about UJ?

The fellowship with teaching colleagues and with the students. 10. What are looking forward to in retirement?

Doing more writing, and also reading a lot of things I haven’t had time to read while teaching.