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William Day Frederick Hagerman Stephen Hays, James Andrews Steve Hays Rodney Hood Seldon Strother Jack Matthews L.J. Hortin Gerald Dykstra Victor Whitehouse, Albert Gubitz, Gerald Dykstra Donald Clippinger Robert DeMott Walt Abendroth Edgar Whan, David Keck, Jeff Connor Seabury Quinn Ronald Socciarelli, Harold Robison, James Stewart Guido Stempel Father John Augustiniak Robin Lacy Robert Baker Waltraud Bald Janet Slater Karen Nulf Robert Winters Richard Danner, Dru Evarts, Daniel Keyes Hugh Bloemer Ralph Kliesch Art Marinelli Jr. Paul Hersey

Robert DeMott Professor distinguishes himself (Distinguished Professor of English) Robert DeMott: Little neat handwriting in all the margins of my papers and exams telling me how to be a very thoughtful English major. He made me feel there was a tremendous bond that American literature could inspire between people. I hope he is well. Charlotte Fabrizio Meade, AA '76, AB '78, MAIA '78 Bayonne, N.J. *** I studied under several remarkable professors at OU, but one deserves particular acclaim. (Distinguished Professor of English) Robert DeMott has been my mentor and friend for 30 years, and his inspiration continues to inform my sense of myself as a teacher and a scholar. During my first year of graduate study at OU, I enrolled in a course of his that was not required simply because I had heard such good things about him. His high reputation was justified. During my four years on campus, he and I met frequently; we collaborated on an article (one of my first professional publications); and he oversaw my comprehensive exams and directed my doctoral dissertation. The comps provide a particularly sharp memory of Bob in action. The other members of the oral comprehensive exam committee asked questions that I was handling fairly well. To my chagrin, he decided to show them what I was capable of when challenged and asked me far more demanding questions. That exemplifies Bob's teaching style. He demands the best from a student, and the student learns just how capable he or she is. It's a good feeling, which I enjoy passing along to my students. Many doctoral dissertations are pedestrian examinations of minute topics. I knew what Bob was like when I asked him to direct mine, but I should have sensed what was coming when he told me he had a topic that was "worthy of you" -- the American long poem. That dissertation went through many drafts as I learned just how demanding he could be. I am still proud of that accomplishment. We also became friends. We have kept in touch over the years, as I try to do with some of my own former students. I am amazed by the sheer volume of his continuing scholarship and creative writing, which I have not matched, but he remains my role model and the very best memory I have of a great time in my life. I would not be the teacher or the man I am today had it not been for Robert DeMott. Mark Johnson, MA '73, PHD '77 Warrensburg, Mo.