It's -30- for Bleske

I came to Chico State in 1994. Since then, I have welcomed hundreds of students into my classes.
Now, it is time to say goodbye.
I will retire after the end of the spring semester, and the department will have a new chair in fall 2011.
As I reflect on my 16 years in the journalism department, the faces and names of hundreds of students flash in my mind. You were the ones who made the work worthwhile.

Here are a few of the moments and people I'll cherish:

· Balloons—I used them in my lectures as a symbol of PR education gone awry. One day I heard a knock on my office door. When I opened it, three dozen floating balloons blocked my way. PR icon Bob Vivian took my photograph as a handful of students clapped and hooted.

· Jeanine Gore would sit in the back of the room and chant "ding, ding, ding" to help me remind other students that bells go off in their heads when editing for AP style.

· Melissa Mikesell took seven different classes from me. She majored in Bleske. One day, she told me that I needed to come up with some new stories to use as examples. Sigh—until then I had liked telling them over and over and over and over.

· Chantal Lamers and Malaika Fraley surprised me one day with a birthday card that declared I was the "Journalism Dad." These days, I feel more like the journalism granddad.

· I chided a student—who shall remain nameless—for being 30 minutes late for class. She whined that she had a valid excuse; she had to wait for her roommate to give her a ride to class. But it was a lousy excuse—she lived on Chestnut and Sixth streets.

· Buckets of Red Vines : These were the best gifts that students ever gave me, except for the Sierra Nevada six from Sandoval Chagoya.

· A female student came to my office once and asked, "What can I do to get an A in your class?" I'm not sure that she realized what she was suggesting. By the way, she earned a B.

· Kelly Imoto sat in the back of the class and read jokes from her Laffy Taffy candy wrappers. Very bad puns. For example, what is black and white and red all over? A newspaper.

· An angry student wrote on my teacher's evaluation: "You are not smart enough to teach kindergarten." Of course, I agree.

· To Jennifer (all of you—and there were many), Sarah (and Sara), Kristen, Kirsten, Robert, Lisa, Nicole, Kelly, Tanya, Heather, Mike, Brad, Travis, Kirk, Randy, Ben, Brea, Jason, Scott, Ryan, Christina, Shannon, Olga, Lauren, Jon, Lee, Kimberly, Niesha, Greg, Laura, Roseann, Kimberly, Kourtney, Joelle, Matt, Becky, Ashley, Dan, Mando, Zuri, Jorge, Nancy and so many others: Thanks for showing up. Thanks for doing your best.

· Finally, I appreciate all the guidance and support I have received from my colleagues in the journalism department, especially Dave Waddell. In May, the journalism faculty, friends and Chico State President Paul Zingg barged into my classroom to present me an award for lifetime achievement from the California Journalism Education Coalition. When you get a lifetime award like that, you know it is time to go away.

Why did I decide to retire now? It’s simple. I’d like to spend more time with my wife, Karen. She has been my soul mate, partner and best friend for 32 years. We have laughed and cried and played and danced. 
And now, so much more.

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