Communication fascinates me because we practice it universally as humans and uniquely as individuals! Mass communication, through various media, has been my career now for 40 years! When I left my native Paducah to attend Western Kentucky University in August 1980, I pursued a double major: Mass Communication and Speech Communication. The latter actually ranged from public speaking to interpersonal, small group, organizational, and cross-cultural communication.
One of my favorite WKU professors reminded me of Dr. Charles W. Kingsfield Jr., the law professor actor John Houseman portrayed in The Paper Chase movie and TV series. Dale Wicklander, like Kingsfield, was quite demanding of his students in learning the content of his two signature courses, “Media Law and Ethics” and “History of Broadcasting.”
While he taught us about mass communication in those areas, Dr. Wicklander made frequent use of his subtle wit and deadpan delivery that were so subtle and so deadpan that only segments of the class actually “got” individual jokes at any given time. Looking down on that classroom would have resembled a TV weather map, where quick bolts of lightning (getting the joke) would flash in various sectors of the coverage area at different times throughout the lecture. Rarely does the entire weather map light up. The same could be said of the roomful of students. Rather it was like a small squall of two or three in the back of the room or a couple of quick downpours near the door and windows.
That was years ago and so much of his humor consisted of adlibbed reactions, that it’s difficult to remember specifics. Still, as an example, one day he analyzed a then-current TV commercial for the Chevy “Luv” truck. (Yes, that was its name. My only defense is that it was the 1980s.) He explained that the ad conveyed that this vehicle, part of the new line of small or “toy” trucks the auto industry then produced, could carry a lot of cargo. Therefore, they loaded half of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders into the truck bed. He quickly added, “So, in this commercial, Chevrolet makes full use of the term pick-up truck.”
Clearly, my professor believed even then that broadcasting’s best days were behind us. Certainly in his mind, that was the case with radio. He believed that what had emerged in the 1920s as the Golden Age with voice actors and sound effects creating the theater of the mind in drama and comedies had devolved into the disc jockey format. He probably would describe it as the format where a person of limited talent played the latest, insipid hits, interspersing his own insipid comments in-between. I remember the day he and I found ourselves walking out of his classroom and into the midday sunshine. I nodded to him and asked, “Dr. Wicklander, how are you?” He responded in kind, adding, “So, where are you off to?” I shuddered to tell him… my job as a radio disc jockey!
Most of my favorite teachers from my school days are special to me largely because of the personal relationships they formed with their students. The elementary and high school female teachers with whom I had the closest bonds had an undercurrent of a motherly love in ways they related to students. The elementary and high school male teachers who most influenced me seemed somewhat like uncles. For all of his many excellent qualities, “warm and fuzzy” were not appropriate adjectives to describe Dr. Wicklander. He exuded a professional distance.
I could relate later when I saw Kevin Arnold on TV’s The Wonder Years say to his math teacher, Mr. Collins, "I thought you were my friend." To which Collins replies, "I am not your friend, Mr. Arnold. I am your teacher."
Still, I couldn’t help but like Dr. Wicklander! More importantly, he provided an excellent example of a consummate professional dedicated to communication that means so much to us both. He displayed a love of learning, in order to understand the background and parameters of our field. And, he showed us the importance and result (in himself) of broadening one’s horizons, embracing learning to lead richer, fuller, more informed lives
I also find that despite our very different styles in relating to students, I’ve striven continually to attain and reflect the professionalism he embodied in my content. Thanks, Dr. Wicklander, you made a difference in my life and in the lives of many others.
Question of the Week
Which teacher(s) inspired you through respect for their professionalism?