The end of an era……..

I opened my e-mail this afternoon and found this little tidbit in my Alumni e-mail list:

Retiring Citadel faculty to be recognized April 17

Five members of The Citadel faculty will retire this academic year and will be recognized during the annual Faculty Recognition Luncheon April 17.

Retiring faculty members, their departments and years of service are as follows:

Laurence W. Moreland, Ph.D., professor of Political Science
1964 – 2008

Betsey W. Carter, associate professor of Library Science
1988 – 2008

Robert Ashlin White, III, Ph.D., professor of English
1976 – 2007

Dan T. Ouzts, Ph.D., professor of Education
1978 – 2007

Judy Brown Lehr, Ph.D., associate professor of Education
2000 – 2008

Citadel President Lt. Gen. John W. Rosa has granted emeritus status to those faculty members who have served 15 years or more.

They are all accomplished educators, however the name that I would like to highlight to you is the first one-Professor Moreland. Known more appropriately as “Liberal Larry”, his Constitutional Law was a right of passage for any of the Political Science majors and people like me, who wanted to major in political science-but majored in Mathematics and minored in Political Science so as to make the Navy believe it had a vested interest in paying for all of my education. Lets just say Mathematics classes (especially Advanced Calculus)were something to be endured-but Politcal Science and History classes were educational adventures to be savored and enjoyed. Especially with Liberal Larry and his infamous, “Any, None, or All” multiple choice weekly quizes. ( Along with a final exam that should of had the words “Ball Buster” on the front of the blue jacket).

Teaching in the green Army uniform of the SCUM, the South Carolina Unorganized Militia-an organization as defunct as Hannibal’s legions- Liberal Larry led us through the wonder and the intricacies of the US Constitution and its evolving interpretation over time. He looked decidedly unmilitary with a shock of hair that definitely went over his ears and a long, Pancho Villa mustache. His mind however was quite sharp,  and he challenged the preconceived notions of his students-many of whom fancied themselves politically to be to the right of Atilla the Hun. 

I’ve often wondered what Larry Moreland thinks about the current approach of the government to its founding document-something tells me he would look askance at the current administrations cavalier approach to civil liberties and the Bill of Rights.

Interestingly enough he was not from Berkley or some other hotbed of liberal fascism-he attended SMU and Duke University. He wrote a lot about the South and its changing politics. Imagine my suprise when I saw that he was the head of the department from 1999 on. During my time he was considered something of a rebel-even though he was always an advocate for the Cadets who walked through his classroom door.

Future members of the Corps will never know what they are missing. What’s next? No Militon or Shakespere taught in Major British Writers? (Also a right of passage of every cadet, and in my opinion, should be required learning for all military officers…….)

Sigh…………………