BOB TATINA
 Hometown:
Chicago
Education: B.S. in Ed. (Northern
Illinois University), M.A. in Zoology and Ph.D. in Botany (Southern Illinois
University)
Courses Taught: General Biology
I, General Biology II, several plant courses
How many years at DWU? 32 (retired
in May 2007)
Hobbies and interests: photography,
hiking, biking
Describe yourself in three words.
Dedicated, inventive, nature-loving
Why Wesleyan?
When I was hired, it was people (like Bill Houk, Loran Hills and Faith
Hubbard) that made the place warm and inviting. Over the years I found
that it was also a place that offered a variety of growth opportunities
(designing and constructing labs, planting gardens, establishing an arboretum,
designing and building lab teaching tools, researching and publishing)
to explore.
What has been your most important experience at
DWU?
Teaching field ecology in the Black Hills with Bill Houk
What’s your funniest memory?
In a general biology lab when we were studying the eye, I had some cow
eyes out for dissection. Toward the end of class I was ready to put the
unused eyes away, so I asked the students if they were done so that I
could store the eyes. “Keep an eye out for me,” was the response
from one student.
Greatest “ah-ha” moment:
In a general biology lecture, I learned from a student that learning is
more important than teaching. This happened when one student asked a question.
While I was composing an answer, a second student raised his hand and
said, “I think I can answer that.” Because I cherished student-initiated
questions due to their rarity, I was a little miffed that the second student
would trespass into my domain. But after a brief moment of reflection,
I yielded to him and he did an outstanding job of answering the question.
I value ...
that hard work which gives a sense of accomplishment. The kind that when
it’s done you can pause, look back and then say “good.”
I never imagined ...
that 30-some years at DWU could be so gratifying and yet so fleeting.
I came to DWU as a one-year replacement and hoped at the end of that year
that I would be rehired so that I could improve on my first year’s
teaching.
What’s next?
Vacationing along Lake Michigan, traveling, some research and some plant
collecting.
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