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by Sheryl E. Taylor
If you could name one person that made a difference during your college years ... who would it be? We asked and you answered. In an alumni survey, these professors were at the top of the list. Meet just four of UH’s phenomenal professors and learn what makes them passionate about teaching.
Ted Estess, Elizabeth Brown-Guillory, Mamie Moy, and Joe Pratt.
Name: Ted Estess
Years at UH: 29
Professor of: English and Dean, The Honors College |
Definitive moment in your life: Having the good sense to marry Sybil Pittman Estess
Words to live by: A line by German poet Holderin:
“That which you seek is near, and already coming to meet you.”
What makes you passionate about your discipline?
The words of the late UH professor Ross Lence: “A love for good books and love for young people—that’s what gets a teacher of books up in the morning.”
“He welcomes you and gives you hope of success in college and beyond. When you stray from the path, he encourages you and gently nudges you back into the fold. He sends us on our way with very best warm wishes and an open invitation to return.” - Seneca Yates (’94) |
Name: Elizabeth Brown-Guillory
Years at UH: 18
Professor of: English |
Definitive moment in your life: As an adolescent, I overheard my grandmother describing my fair-skinned sisters as beautiful and pointing out that I, on the other hand, looked like a little “black Buckwheat ... ugly ...” When she saw my look of lost innocence, she quickly added, “But she’s smart.” I decided that if I wasn’t or couldn’t be pretty, I could do well academically. I changed the circumstances of my life by getting an education that exceeded the norm in my community. My grandmother’s comments, though painful then and now, continue to remind me that sometimes bad experiences challenge us to do good things with our lives. We have the power to channel positive energy into the things that have the potential for deep hurt.
Words to live by: My mother’s aphorism: “No cross, no crown.”
And my own dictum: We have the power to heal ourselves.
What makes you passionate about your discipline?
My love of literature.
“She showed me what I could become—a teacher who gives everything in her power to inspire and enlighten her students to celebrate life in all its rich colors and never stop learning.” - Kaye Moon Winters, UH Student |
Name: Mamie Moy
Years at UH: 54
Professor of: Chemistry |
Definitive moment in your life: Recognizing my passion for bringing chemistry to children, teachers of children, and the community.
Words to live by: Know yourself.
What makes you passionate about your discipline?
Advances in science that improve the quality of life.
“She is a Master Teacher!” - Doris Warren (Ph.D. ’75) |
Name: Joe Pratt
Years at UH: 21
Professor of: History and Business |
Definitive moment in your life: 1977, the birth of my daughter
Words to live by: Life goes on, or not.
What makes you passionate about your discipline?
I grew up, with history all around me, in the middle of the civil rights movement and the Vietnam War; and being educated by spectacular history professors.
“He is the quintessential teacher—one of those rare professors whose name evokes respect from the intellect, affection from the heart, and a smile from the face of anyone who has the privilege of being his student.” - William H. Kellar (’83, M.A. ’90) |
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