Ohio Wesleyan Alumni Engage with Students
OWU alumnus John E. Moore ’53, an international expert in hydrology and hydrogeology, received an Honorary Doctor of Science Degree on October 6 from President Rock Jones. Karen Fryer, professor of geology (right) nominated Moore for the honor. (Photo by Suzanne Samin ’13)
Several Ohio Wesleyan alumni recently returned to campus to meet with students and share their expertise—although their personalities and professional backgrounds could not be more different.
Internationally recognized research scientist and hydrologist John E. Moore, Ph.D. ’53, returned October 6 to receive an Honorary Doctor of Science Degree from OWU President Rock Jones. Moore recounted experiences from his 50-year career involving the study of water and related geologic issues in a lecture to students and faculty. He also met informally with students over lunch.
“I have many great memories of my time at Ohio Wesleyan,” Moore says. “I also enjoyed living with my brothers at the Delta Tau Delta house.”
Moore received the honorary degree in recognition of his accomplishments as a research scientist, teacher, technical adviser, and senior hydrologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and private consulting firms.
He has returned to OWU at other times throughout the years to speak with faculty and students. He also helped establish the Crowl-Shanklin Scholarship for geology majors and has donated books about hydrology.
OWU alumni Andrew Connor ’99 (front left) and Mike Mathieu ’00 (front right) and current students strike poses of inanimate objects and other things during a workshop on October 1. (Photo by Linda O’Horo)
A few days earlier, performance artists Mike Mathieu ’00 and Andrew Connor ’99 traveled from Bellingham, Washington, to perform in “The Cody Rivers Show” as part of OWU’s 2010-2011 Performing Arts Series. They also spent time meeting informally with students and conducting a workshop October 1 on physical pantomime skills with Department of Theatre & Dance professor Elane Denny-Todd’s “Beginning Acting” class.
“I really felt like the students were willing to try anything,” Mathieu says. “This made the kind of oddball exercises we were doing really fun and productive.” Mathieu and Connor sing, dance, and use their bodies as props during their performances.
Mathieu credits his experiences in theatre at OWU and performing with the “Babbling Bishops” for providing the base for his work today.
“I always walk away with great admiration for the folks who taught me,” Mathieu says. “It’s important to teach one thing at a time, but it’s not always easy to break down a complex skill or idea into understandable parts. My own teachers did a very good job of that, and now I see how sophisticated that job is.”