Ohio Northern University’s English professors generally frown upon the overuse of idioms like “a blast from the past” or “out of the blue.”
Thankfully, they are making an exception this summer.
Because if not “a blast from the past,” how else would 212 unsuspecting English alumni describe the experience of receiving “out of the blue” their senior capstone paper in the mail from their alma mater decades after graduating?
The long-forgotten papers surfaced in the course of summer renovations in the Dukes Building, notorious for its nooks and crannies. Some were found in a cubbyhole under a pile of dusty ROTC helmets and others in the back of a storage cabinet. The papers spanned approximately 1990-2012.
The English senior capstone is the crowning achievement of each student’s college career, said Douglas Dowland, Ph.D., professor of English and chair of the Department of English, Philosophy, and Religion. It’s a student’s final creative effort that represents four years of hard-earned knowledge and countless cups of coffee, library visits, and late nights.
“I couldn’t just toss them out.” After all, he added: “English is all about heart.”
Dowland collaborated with Alumni Relations and the dean’s office in the College of Arts & Sciences to track down alumni and return the papers to the authors with a letter that stated, in part: “As you flip through your project’s pages, I am sure a flood of memories will return: of friends and professors; of camaraderie and learning.”
And that’s exactly what happened.
Since the papers were mailed a couple of weeks ago, Dowland and his English colleagues have received dozens of messages from alumni sharing gratitude and stories about their ONU experience.
“I wasn’t expecting so much warmth, but it’s there,” he said.
ONU professors never forget their students, he added, but it’s been heartening to discover that many alumni haven’t forgotten their professors either.
“That is the ONU difference to me, we remember people,” he said.
Erik Hoeke, BA ’05
Erik, an ordained minister with the United Methodist Church and the continuing education coordinator for Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, said receiving his senior capstone in the mail was a surprise, yet wholly in character with the ONU he knew.
“One of the things I cherished about Northern is that students were never just a name or number.”
His senior project was a narrative nonfiction profile on an ONU custodian. He didn’t know the custodian personally until he spent weeks following her around campus for his project.
“She cared for and rode horses competitively, was a devout Catholic, and saw her job as a ministry to students, staff and faculty,” he said. “I selected her almost at random, proving that everyone is interesting if you know the right questions to ask and slow down enough to hear the answers.”
When he received the paper in the mail all these years later, he was bombarded with memories of the custodian who has since died of cancer, he said.
“These memories have been bittersweet. I cry almost every time I think of my senior essay and they’re tears of grief and sadness, but also tears of gratitude that she allowed me to get to know her and write about her.”
Janet (Hufford) Gump, BA ’92
Janet was intrigued when she discovered an envelope in her mailbox addressed with her maiden name.
“I was surprised and tickled when I opened it and saw what it contained,” she said, recalling that her senior capstone was a huge undertaking—her first 17-page paper. Her family even supported her by driving to campus to hear her evening presentation on the paper.
Her paper explored Kate Chopin’s “The Awakening,” a seminal novel on feminism. Chopin has remained one of Janet’s favorite authors. During her 29 years as an English teacher at Miami East High School (Ohio), she taught Chopin’s short stories. Janet is currently a librarian at the school.
Now Janet’s youngest daughter, Chloe, is an early childhood education major at ONU. Both mother and daughter share a love for the Dukes Building.
Knowing that a copy of her paper was hidden in one of the building’s nooks—and kindly returned — only increased Janet’s fondness for her alma mater.
“That commitment to students—both past and present—is why I’m proud to be a Polar Bear!”
ONU English would love to hear from more English alumni, please email d-dowland@onu.edu.