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Retired Educators’ Creativity Creates Unique Math Fellowship
John and Caryl Jobe didn’t take to retirement very well.
In fact, their first year into retirement, the couple worked extended hours in a tiny OSU math classroom…for free.
“We know it sounds crazy, but the end result is one we’re truly proud of,” said John.
John and Caryl’s journey at OSU began at another state university: the University of Tulsa. He was on the basketball team, and she was the basketball homecoming queen. After a chance encounter in an art appreciation class, the two discovered many common bonds including their love of education.
After receiving dual liberal arts degrees, the couple moved to Ponca City where John served as a math teacher and basketball coach. A National Science Foundation grant eventually encouraged John to move Caryl and their five children to Stillwater in 1962 where he could pursue a master’s degree in mathematics.
After receiving his PhD, John accepted a position as math professor at OSU. Meanwhile, Caryl continued her teaching in Stillwater and raising their five small children.
Forty years later, the Jobes tout a combined career of 55 years of teaching.
But their educational journey did not stop with retirement.
In 1995, then OSU President Halligan announced a new academic initiative called the “No Rookies on Rookies” program. The model was designed to improve teaching and mentoring for graduate students by ensuring no new graduate student took on teaching any classes before they received instruction in teaching methods.
The program was one John wholeheartedly believed could improve the math department’s quality of graduate students.
“Many departments were in a critical place at that time because many Teaching Assistants (T.A.s) were brought in with no teaching experience, and budget constraints required these students to go into a classroom their first day on the job without any training,” said John.
While John retired the same year the program was enacted, it was one which he felt a particular affinity. From this passion hatched an idea to support the program and benefit the math department.
Jobe approached young department head, Brian Connery, with his idea to provide the teaching experience required by Halligan. His proposition: for both he and Caryl to design and execute a year-long program to educate new graduate students on skills needed to teach math in a classroom setting.
Their salary – nothing.
Jobe recommended the salaries he and Caryl earned would be put back into the math department in the form of an endowed graduate fellowship.
“It was a great way to keep the $20,000 working for the department forever, and we were lucky to have a department head who had the foresight to see what a tremendous benefit this could be for years after we were gone,” said Caryl.
Their idea represented a pioneering new initiative for the department and illustrated the potential impact a retired faculty and department head can have in cooperative ventures.
John and Caryl spent one year instructing 13 graduate students on the skills needed to lecture, demonstrate and even act professionally in a classroom setting.
“These students knew math, but the problem was they didn’t know how to teach it,” said John. “That’s where we came in.”
While the fellowship was established in 1995, it received a substantial enhancement in 1996 through a meeting with a stranger: Barbara Williams.
Williams’ husband Steve was former calculus student of Jobe’s in the 1970s, and spoke often of his affection for his favorite teacher.
“[OSU] and the math department meant so much to Steve, and he used to talk about Dr. Jobe for years and years after we had graduated,” said Williams.
Jobe subsequently dug through his old grade books and transcribed Steve’s scores to give to Barbara during their first meeting.
“Would you believe when I went back and averaged out his scores, I found he was actually the number one student in the class with the highest marks,” smiled John.
Tragically, Steve was one of 165 victims of the Alfred P. Murrah bombing in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995. Barbara sought a way to memorialize her husband in a lasting way, and came back to the teacher who inspired his passion for learning.
“Barbara’s generous gift provided a tremendous boost to the fellowship. And to this day, that act is one of the greatest highlights of my entire career,” teared John.
But the Jobes giving did not stop there.
In 2004, the couple set up a charitable gift annuity to help further fund their graduate fellowship. The annuity provides the Jobes with a fixed lifetime annuity payment in exchange for their charitable gift to benefit OSU after their death.
“We get a great deal of delight in being able to do this. We never imagined in our lives that we would be able to give money for a Graduate Fellowship Fund or a Presidential Distinguished Scholarship. We never thought that would happen,” said John.
The Jobes insist there is a story embedded in this story for others. They contend anyone can impact the university in the way they have, not necessarily by giving a great deal of money, but giving of your time.
“Retired people do a great deal of volunteer work. Why not do volunteer work to make some money and make that money do something that can benefit generations to come?” asked John.
John modestly remarked he hopes other retired professors would be challenged to make a contribution back to OSU.
“The uniqueness of this story is that it opens the door for other people to consider volunteer work after retirement for their respective department(s) and giving the money back to establish an endowment to do something good for the university,” he said.
In the end, their passion to further education for just one student in one department makes it all worthwhile.
“I’m small town, Caryl’s small town. I played basketball for the University of Tulsa on scholarship long ago, but had I not been able to run, jump, and shoot a basketball, I never would have gone to college. I never imagined I would have as good a job as I’ve had at OSU, and for that opportunity, I’m forever grateful,” said John.
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