Friday, March 17, 2023
Jock Gunn taught me political theory at Queen's University.
Ten things:
1. I was not one of his better students, so in order to keep up with the other students, I met with him frequently.
2. In his class, we had to write several short essays throughout the year—perhaps three per term.
3. For each essay, he discussed readings with me, reviewed draft outlines of the essay with me, reviewed full drafts of the essay with me, and met with me to discuss my grade after each essay. He taught hundreds of students each year.
4. My maternal grandmother once wrote him 'fan mail,' expressing appreciation for his assistance.
5. He wrote a short note back to her the SAME DAY. If you email me at falvo.nicholas@gmail.com, I'll send you a scanned version of his letter to her.
6. The night before convocation, there was a reception for all undergraduate Political Studies majors. He couldn't attend, but picked up the bar tab for all those attending (I did *not* see that coming!).
7. A friend dropped my name to him several years after I'd taken his course, and he remembered me as "a hard worker."
8. I got to sit down with him one last time in 2015, having not seen him in over 20 years (thanks for lining that up, Craig!). He did not remember me, but we spoke for over an hour (along with Craig Jones and John Meisel).
9. I think he served as the backbone of the Political Studies Department at Queen's. He told us he often stepped in in unplanned ways to supervise students or write last-minute reference letters when there was a problem.
10. He served his students, colleagues and community with integrity. I'm grateful for having known him.
#NotAllHeroesWearCapes ❤️
