At the recent campus reception, five of Longwood’s Theatre and Art Department faculty members were honored due to their upcoming retirement at the end of the school year.
Pam Arkin, associate professor of Theatre, has been the program coordinator for the theatre department, teaching voice, acting and movement.
On top of teaching theatre and directing close to 30 Longwood Theatre productions, she received a regional Meritorious Achievement Award for Excellence in Directing from the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival for her work on “The Love of Three Oranges” last November.
Arkin received the first Junior Faculty Excellence in Teaching Award in 1994 and twice she received an Outstanding First Year Student Advocate.
Mark Baldridge, associate professor of Art, taught full time for 42 years. Baldridge’s art background ranges in teaching stained glass, wood design and two- and three-dimensional design.
“When I was first looking for a job, I only wanted to teach jewelry and metal-smithing,” said Baldridge. “Since Longwood is considered a small school, I was only able to teach one jewelry class a semester and three classes of something else.”
Baldridge was also asked to teach design classes. “I always am very conscious of design and did a good job. I didn’t know what I was doing until I had to teach it,” said Baldridge.
He continued, “Teaching design forced me to understand exactly what I was doing, what I should do, what to avoid and how to make artwork dynamic.”
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aldridge also had to teach wood and stained glass, causing him to expand his horizons. Now, he can handle almost any material.
“I think the biggest thing I have done for the Longwood community has been an advocate of the use of water on this campus,” said Baldridge. “I was instrumental in the fact that there are so many water features on this campus.”
Baldridge has chosen not to work in the art department as a volunteer after his retirement. He explained, “I have done an extraordinary amount of volunteer work in the field of art already, so I have paid my dues and don’t feel guilty about it.” He will, however, offer to exhibit artwork when “good opportunities present themselves.”
Dr. John Burke, professor of Art, coordinated the former program of interior architecture and has taught environmental design, architectural appreciation and design as well as drawing classes.
He has received 25 state, international and federal fellowships from the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities and NEH, as well as 21 Longwood grants.
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urke’s architectural design and work has been featured in 45 exhibitions in the United States. He has received the Maria Bristow Starke Faculty Excellence Award in 2003 and a Phi Kappa Distinguished Faculty Award in Creative and Performing Arts at Louisiana State University.
Randy Edmonson, professor of Art, has taught many courses in art and design for 35 years and is an award-winning artist whose paintings and other ceramic work has been exhibited in over 100 invitational art exhibitions in the U.S. as well as six foreign countries.
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dmondson’s artwork includes permanent collections in numerous museums in the U.S., Europe and Asia. He is also a former chairman for the Department of Art at Longwood, and he plans on continuing to be an active, professional artist upon retirement.
Gene Muto, professor of Theatre, has been a member of the Department of Communication Studies and Theatre for 16 years and has directed 35 Longwood Theatre productions.
Muto shared, “My fondest memories [here at Longwood] are with the students and colleagues.”
Muto plans to do charity work after leaving Longwood.
Even though these professors are leaving the university, their impact on the school will remain.
