Sylvia Hale did her BA, Masters and PhD all in a row. By the time she was done school, it was 1975. She was 30 years old and she came right to St. Thomas University to teach sociology.
Now, after 40 years, three terms served as chair of the department, a couple 600-page textbooks with her name on them and five years past retirement age, the idea of taking it easy is looking attractive. But then again, she’s been saying that for a few years now.
“It’s a life’s work. It’s not a job,” said Hale. “It’s part of your identity. It’s who you are, it’s what you do, and you’re kind of into it.”
Hale, 70, dropped from a full five-course workload to only three courses per semester – a welcomed break. She wasn’t ready at 65, but she sees retirement on the horizon now. But she still likes interacting with her students and being part of the university community. She wants to stay plugged in to what students are concerned about, what books they’re reading, what news they’re talking about.
Don Dickson feels the same way. Teaching something you love shrinks the generation gap and Dickson doesn’t want to fall out of touch. The 76-year-old journalism professor already had an illustrious career as a reporter before he came to teaching. He’s worked in the United States, England, Kenya, Lebanon, Turkey, Jerusalem, Tokyo, Ottawa and, finally, Fredericton. He’s hidden in ditches as war planes flew by and travelled with the Prime Minister. When he was 67 years old, Dickson decided to embark on an entirely new career as a professor.
“That was part of the fun and attraction: to do something new and not the same old thing,” he said. “It was a bit of the same thing. It was still journalism. But it was a whole new way of doing it.”
Dickson says he doesn’t need to retire and doesn’t imagine that he will. He certainly wouldn’t need time off to see the world. He likes working with up-and-comers and passing on the knowledge he’s gained over the years.
“The young people are full of enthusiasm and interested. That’s what’s so appealing,” said Dickson. “If you like what you do, why would you want to retire?”
Both Dickson and Hale want to stay involved. They feel what they do is worthwhile. Hale is writing a book for students right now. It’s not a textbook or a body of research, but a book to help students navigate the field she’s occupied for so many years. She thinks when she does eventually retire, she’ll probably do much of what she does now: reading and writing. But she’ll miss doing it at St. Thomas.
“It’s the stimulation of it,” said Hale. “A lot of profs don’t want to give it up.”
Hale still wants to change the world. That’s always been a goal of her career, and it’s not something she’ll drop when she retires. She said if you’ve got drive to make a difference, you’ll never grow out of it.
