Power of Memory Students Honor Great Teachers

The Teaching Award Program, which recognizes recipients of the Doc Ingersoll and Norma Fifter Teaching Awards, now has a permanent display (which will be updated annually) in the Mansion gallery. The glass panel was designed by Lynnclaire Steiner ‘65...

...who also created the Alumni Legacy installation located nearby.

Kent Holubar wrote, “Community-based projects have been part of the Power of Memory curriculum from the course's first run in the spring of 2014. Students spend the early part of the spring semester setting up off-campus service projects with organizations that promote or preserve the past. Students have transcribed taped oral histories at the San Mateo County Historical Society, gotten good and sweaty cleaning up neglected local cemeteries, digitized archives of San Francisco's pioneering gay and lesbian newspaper, and keyworded digital transcripts of Holocaust survivors to make them searchable for researchers. 
 
But in May, when seniors aren't on campus, what do the juniors left in the class do? They devise their own service project for the CSUS community. This past spring, the remaining juniors in Power of Memory decided on a tribute to teachers who were recipients of the two awards CSUS bestows on faculty members for professional excellence, the Doc Ingersoll Distinguished Teaching Award and the Norma Fifer Excellence in Teaching Award. One of the students, Evan S '21, remarked that ‘One of the best parts of my Crystal experience has been the teachers. Of the plaques and other memorials on campus, most were for alumni or donors or people who have passed away. There wasn't a specific one that honored teaching excellence, and we hoped to create something to recognize the teachers who have made Crystal so special.’ Another student, Ben R '21, agreed: ‘Crystal takes pride in its teachers, deservedly so, which prompted us to find a way to commemorate them.’” 
 
The Teaching Awards are funded through endowments and alumni contributions. Each award is given annually through nominations by students and the Professional Adult Community and comes with a $10,000 stipend. They are described as follows:
  • The Norma Fifer Excellence in Teaching Award honors Norma Fifer who, in her decades-long tenure at Crystal, set standards of professionalism, leadership by word and deed, inspiration to others, and high expectations for student and faculty work.
  • The Doc Ingersoll Distinguished Teaching Award honors Royal “Doc” Ingersoll, who, in his decades-long tenure at Crystal, was revered for his building of meaningful connections and unbounded spirit through his legendary teaching and coaching.
 
Winners of the awards to date include: 
2007
Tom Woosnam (Doc)
 
2008
Leni Liakos (Doc)
Kent Holubar (Norma)
 
2009
Maggie Fongheiser (Doc)
Regina Parsons (Norma)
 
2010
Tim Patterson (Doc)
Kathy Jany (Norma)
 
2011     
Bebes Miller (Doc)
Suzanne Wilsey (Norma)
 
2012
Cindy Shanholt (Doc)
Ken Considine (Norma)
 
2013
Ned Diamond (Doc)
Andy Sigears (Norma)
 
2014
Wells Wadleigh (Doc)
Jenny Hurt (Norma)
 
2015
Deb Hunt (Doc)
Allison Chang (Norma)
 
2016
Patti Syvertson (Doc)
Julie Daughtry (Norma)
 
2017
Cristina Shin (Doc)
Emily Fawcett (Norma)
 
2018
Akemi Kashiwada (Doc)
Keith Karraker (Norma)
 
2019
Mieke Tonn (Doc)
Christina Lloyd (Norma)
 
2020
Kate Tomatis (Doc)
Brendan Gummerson (Norma)
 
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