Marc’s Yahrzeit on June 7th falls at the end of each academic year at the university where I am a faculty member. And so I always am remembering him particularly strongly just as I am wrapping up the end of the year, with its final papers from undergraduates and oral defenses (and hoodings!) with graduate students. My memories of his mentorship of me when I was an undergraduate at Smith and then, less formally, when I was a graduate student and junior faculty member, help me take stock of my own teaching and mentoring each year, and keep me “paying it forward” to the students with whom I work.
Marc was always willing to listen, and that meant so much to me. He supported my activism and volunteerism and academic interests outside of sociology, and he really helped sow the seeds that led me to become an interdisciplinary scholar. As my academic adviser, he was both demanding and forgiving. I always looked forward to meeting with him in his office in Wright Hall, knowing I would come out with a new one-liner under my belt (and maybe a funny pen, or a piece of candy).
I especially remember Marc’s comments on my written work, and am grateful that I held onto those–I still have my senior thesis from Smith tucked away with Marc’s generous and thoughtful comments, written in his tiny, meticulous handwriting, attached. I try to offer the same level of engagement, care, and humor in all of my interactions with students as Marc did with me, to meet them where they are, to try oddball teaching strategies, and to never take myself too seriously. I am so grateful for his influence in my life.
June 8, 2023