Retiring Faculty
Robert P. Gilpin Milton Academy Faculty, 1976–2001
T
wenty-five years ago when Bob Gilpin applied to teach history at Milton, a colleague at Sweet Briar wrote an enthusiastic letter of recommendation for him. In the letter he cited Bob’s “almost limitless enthusiasm for teaching and learning,” his “personal interest in the work of his students,” and his “broad range of historical interest.” He added that Bob had been “an active contributor to the community life at Sweet Briar.” Bob Gilpin’s work at Milton since 1976 has abundantly fulfilled the promise of that letter of recommendation. Wigg 3107 – Bob’s classroom – might serve as a metaphor for the teaching he did there: • Shelves full of books: deep and broad knowledge of his discipline. • The table a foot deep in the clutter of papers of all kinds: unpredictable insights to be found in examination of the readings. • The buzz of voices and peals of laughter: students and teacher engaged in, delighting in working together to reach new understanding. Over the years Bob taught a dozen different courses, among them Modern Western Civilization, American Studies, Modern World History, History of Civil Rights, and History and the 20th Century. The latter was a Class I elective that introduced a new approach to the study of the 20th century: consideration of that period through the documents of its most characteristic medium, film. That course was one of the most sought after each year, and one senior said of it:
Probably the best course I’ve had at Milton was the History and the 20th Century Course I took this spring from Mr. Gilpin. The teacher was an incredible resource, but we had to ask the questions and figure out not only an analysis of the film but also what we needed to know about history. I feel now I can do advanced work in history in college with confidence. Bob’s interest in modern Europe and his wide reading of the history of the modern world made him a valuable resource of both erudition and pedagogy for his colleagues. The “isms project” that he wrote many years ago for the Modern West course survives to this day in Modern World History and, indeed, is so right and necessary to the understanding of the 19th century, that none of us can imagine doing without it. The Class of 1985 dedicated its yearbook to Bob. The essay of dedication attempted to corral the various qualities that the students treasured in this teacher. His favorite color, they found, was blue; that showed him to be “deep, versatile, scintillating and stable.” His favorite animal? The tiger, “stealthy, ferocious, striped and it roars.” He brought, they said, a “certain flair to the classroom each day, whether excessive grumpiness or unabashed benevolence”; but, they said, “one thing will always hold true: he really cares.” He has high expectations of his students, they said, “because ultimately he is teaching you to respect learning just as he respects you.” In more recent years an observer in his classroom, describing Bob’s sensitivity to his students’ needs, said, “The wild ideas [are] heard as well as the timid ideas”…[there is] a sense of security and permission to take risks.” Another colleague noted, “There is something in the way that
Bob Gilpin
he encourages them to try out their ideas which makes them believe they have something to say and that they can answer difficult questions.” Bob’s work in the classroom has always been informed and strengthened by his manifold involvement in the life of Milton outside the classroom. He was a staff member in Forbes House from 1976 to 1981, and then he and his wife, Louise Gilpin, ran Goodwin House until 1990. He coached boys’ junior varsity basketball and baseball, third team tennis and varsity squash. He was an advisor to the Self-Government Association (1976, 1989, 1992–2000), and he served on the Discipline Committee (1976–1989, 1992–2000). He was one of the founders of DANEIS, the debate league in which Milton competes, and he coached the Milton team from 1976 to 1993. He served on numerous committees, among them the Academic Affairs Committee, the Housing Committee, Faculty Committee, and the Trustees’ Budget Committee. Not least among contributions to life and learning at Milton were his and Weezie’s children: Alexa ’96, Blake ’97, and Christopher ’00.
45 Milton Magazine