Emeriti Faculty

Joyce Bibber, professor emerita of history, a Maine native, received her Ph.D. from Stanford University in 1969 after coming to USM in 1967. She retired in 1999 after building a reputation as an historian of Maine architecture. Her book on Maine vernacular architecture, “A Home for Everyman: The Greek Revival and Maine Domestic Architecture,” has been cited by national experts. She was a long-time member of the Greater Portland Landmarks Advisory Board and regularly wrote for their newsletter. She also served for 10 years on the State Historic Preservation Committee.

Ronald Cole, professor emeritus of music, dedicated himself during his 38 years at USM to the successful building of the regional and national reputation of the Department of Music. Under his leadership, the department established joint faculty appointments with the Portland Symphony, added a Jazz Studies program, a musical theatre program, and a degree in piano pedagogy and expanded the physical space and equipment for practice and performance. Cole also negotiated the agreement to sponsor the Portland Youth Ensembles and expanded USM’s role as a leader in pre-college music education. Coming to USM in 1963, he chaired the Department of Music from 1977-1983, from 1988-1994, and from 1996 through this year. As a pianist, Cole gave concerts on and off campus until he suffered an injury in 1988. He appeared as a soloist with the Boston Pops Orchestra and the Portland Symphony Orchestra, among others. Cole gave extensive service to his department, USM and the music community in Maine, including the National Association of Schools of Music, the Maine Music Teachers Association, and the Portland Concert Association.

Joel Eastman, professor emeritus of history, is one of Maine’s leading scholars on state history. Among his many publications on Maine history, he was the co-editor and contributing author of “Maine: The Pine Tree State from Prehistory to the Present,” a 10-year collaborative effort of a number of scholar contributors. Eastman also has studied business history, especially the history of the auto industry. His 1984 book, “Styling vs. Safety: The American Automobile Industry and the Development of Automobile Safety, 1900-1966” has been widely cited and earned him the role of primary interviewee and consultant on a WGBH documentary on car safety for the internationally broadcast program, NOVA. He also made a number of documentaries for local community television on the forts of Casco Bay, the history of Portland, and Maine during World War II, and Maine Public Broadcasting interviewed him for the documentary, “Remember the Maine.” His colleagues noted his long service to the Maine Historical Society, Greater Portland Landmarks, the Museum of Portland Head Light, Baxter Memorial Library, and the University of Maine Press. He served on many campus committees and as acting director and member of the Core Council. He was faculty advisor to the USM chapter of the National History Honor Society and to the History Students Association.

Carolyn Foster, associate professor emerita of mathematics, through her 35 years at USM, has “remained committed to excellence in the classroom,” revising manuals used in department coursework and producing materials for student use. In addition, Foster submitted cited solutions to problems in the College of Mathematics Journal. Among other campus committees, she was on several committees on learning disabilities. She is a member of the Mathematical Association of America and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

Roy Gallant, Director Emeritus of the Southworth Planetarium, enhanced the reputation and facilities of USM’s planetarium during his 20-year tenure there. A prolific author of popular science books, Gallant served from 1950-52 in U.S. Military Intelligence, then worked as a reporter for Fairchild Publications and writer and editor of Boys’ Life magazine. After earning a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University, he held editorial positions at Doubleday, then became editor-in-chief of The Natural History Press, owned by Doubleday and the American Museum of Natural History. He came to USM to direct the planetarium in 1980, and is credited with developing and updating the facility, more than doubling attendance and increasing revenues from $4000 per year to about $100,000 annually.

Philip Jagolinzer, professor emeritus of accounting, came to USM in 1966 after working at the U.S. General Accounting Office . In addition to his Ph.D., he is a CPA in Maine and Maryland. His school cites him for his scholarship, teaching and helpfulness. As a mentor to junior faculty, he advanced the scholarship effort and the accreditation process for the School of Business, and in recognition of his contributions was given the school’s Award for Scholarship Excellence in 1999. Earlier, he had received USM’s Faculty Achievement Award (1987-88) and the Outstanding Educator Award from the American Institute of CPAs and the Maine Society of CPAs. He served in several capacities, including president, for the Northeast Region of the American Accounting Association and was inducted into their Hall of Fame in 1999. He also has been active in the Maine Society of CPAs. At USM, Professor Jagolinzer served his department as chair and as USM chapter president of the Honor Society Phi Kappa Phi. He has been a Commencement Marshal since 1985 and Senior Marshal since 1999.

Kathleen MacPherson, professor emerita of nursing, came to USM as an instructor in 1974 and served her college as acting dean from 1989 to 1991. MacPherson became a national expert on menopause and published on this subject, as well as on osteoporosis, health care policy, and nurses as caretakers. MacPherson gave presentations at national and international conferences on menopause, osteoporosis, heart disease in women and feminist research and also was interviewed by national media on these subjects. MacPherson received the Maine State Nurses Association Nurse Educator of the Year Award in 1988. Her expertise was further recognized when she was selected as an annual scholarly mentor for doctoral students in the School of Nursing at University of California in San Francisco in 1992. In 1995, MacPherson gave a course on menopause over the Internet, one of USM’s first Internet courses, with students from Alaska to Hawaii. In addition to her service to the College of Nursing and Health Professions, she held a joint appointment in Nursing and Women’s Studies from 1994-96. Off campus, she was a member of the National League for Nursing, the American Public Health Association, the National Women’s Health Network, and among other community service, was a member of the advisory board for the School of Nursing at Central Maine Medical Center and the Board of Directors for the Society for Menstrual Cycle Research.

David Morrill, associate professor emeritus of education, retired in 1999 after three decades of teaching at USM. Morrill served on many university committees, the Gorham School Board, the International Graphic Arts Association, and the Maine Graphic Arts Education Association, but his department head noted that his “first commitment has continuously been to teaching.” Morrill served as department chair in Industrial Education and Technology, as a career consultant in the U.S. Office of Education, as chapter president of the American Association of University Professors, and as a Faculty Marshal at Commencement for 25 years.

Alfred Padula, professor emeritus of history, was the only faculty member focusing on Latin American history during his 27 years at USM. Before coming to USM, Padula was a Cuban analyst and a political officer in the U.S. State Department. His 1996 co-authored book “Sex and Revolution: Women in Socialist Cuba,” was published by Oxford University Press and received enthusiastic reviews. In addition to scholarly papers and presentations, he was frequently quoted in the national media on Cuba and the Cuban community in Miami. His photographs of Cuba have appeared in the Encyclopedia Britannica, Comptons CD ROM Encyclopedia and other collections. From 1978 until 1990, Padula also was a correspondent for the Times of the Americas, based in Washington, D.C. He was an active participant in the World Affairs Council of Maine and the Portland Committee on Foreign Affairs. Besides serving the History Department on committees and as chair from 1992 to 1994, his service to USM includes Convocation Scholar in 1990-91, member of the Provost’s Committee on International Studies, a number of committees on library resources, and on the Osher Map Library Associates. To further other opportunities for students, he raised money for creation and endowment of the Latin American Student Travel Fund, which has sent more than 50 students to Latin America in the past six years.

John Ricci, professor emeritus of chemistry, has impressed many at USM with his ability to engage students and sustain a high level of research and publishing. Through a long collaboration with scientists at Brookhaven National Laboratories, Ricci has used X-ray and other technology to determine the structures of a large number of inorganic molecules. He has sustained a steady level of research, publishing in top professional journals, including 42 journal articles or chapters, and a book, “Symmetry: A Stereoscopic Guide for Chemists.” He has involved other USM faculty and students in his cutting-edge research projects, and many students pursued careers in science as a result. In 1992 he received the USM Distinguished Faculty Award. In addition to service to his department that includes chairing the department for different terms, totaling 10 years, Ricci served on the Honors Council, the Biotechnology Steering Committee, the College of Arts and Sciences Committee on Tenure/Promotion of Women/Men, and many other committees. In 1986 Ricci was one of 25 science educators who advised the U.S. Department of Energy on the role of national labs in encouraging undergraduate research.

Geraldine Tukey, associate professor emerita of nursing, came to USM’s College of Nursing and Health Professions in 1970. She became interested in mental health and human rights issues of refugees, and during a 1986 sabbatical wrote a report on “Vietnamese-Cambodian Culture and Mental Health.” She also studied the effects of alcohol on fetal development. At USM,Tukey served on the Learning Resource Committee. She was a member of the Board of Directors of the Cumberland Area Mental Health Consortium, which honored her with their Award for Outstanding and Dedicated Work in the Field of Mental Health in 1984; and served on the Board of Directors of the Maine State Nurses Association.

Oliver H. Woshinsky, professor emeritus of political science, combined his scholarship in politics with his facility in languages to add an international dimension to his academic life and to his department. In addition to 30 years of teaching and service to USM, he has taught in France and Russia, lecturing in those languages, and in Scotland and Prague, and conducted research in France and Great Britain. Woshinsky is the author or co-author of five books, with a sixth under contract. He supervised the interdisciplinary major in International Studies for seven years. Besides service on many campus committees, such as the Women’s Studies Task Force, the Media Studies Committee and the Core Curriculum Committee,Woshinsky served USM through his reputation as a political pundit. Woshinsky is often quoted on elections, Congress, Maine’s delegation, and political behavior by state and national media, including the Boston Globe, the Washington Post, the Congressional Quarterly and U.S. News and World Report.

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