By: Megan Finlan ’21, co-editor in chief
Sally Clark, assistant professor of English, has officially announced her retirement at the conclusion of the spring 2021 semester.
While many students would first identify Clark through a description of her vibrant hair full of greens, blues and purples, most will follow up by also describing her matching spirited teaching style and warm personality.
Clark began teaching as an adjunct at LVC in the fall of 2012 and was asked to return as a full-time employee for the fall 2013 semester. Over the past eight years, Clark has left her mark on the English department and her students through her creative writing, internship and first-year experience classes. However, after teaching remotely through the 2020-21 school year, Clark has made the decision to retire following the end of the semester.
“I have worked in a truly amazing department with wonderful students on a beautiful campus that celebrates learning and is motivated to improve itself,” Clark said. “I have grown in knowledge, in love and in laugh lines. Who could ask for more?”
Many students and faculty will remember Clark for her lively English department holiday parties, dedication to the success of her students and contagious smile and laugh.
“Sally’s introduction to creative writing class was my gateway into the realm of college creative writing, and from the moment where Sally instructed us to write about a clementine—vibrant peel, fibrous interior, and all—I was hooked,” Marah Hoffman, English, creative writing and secondary education major, said.
When Hoffman came to LVC unsure of her career path, Clark acted as a mentor and reached out with some past knowledge and advice.
“It is important to note all the accomplishments I have achieved through Sally’s guidance,” Hoffman said. “I would not be a secondary education major without Sally. As a former high school teacher herself, she had the power that no one else did to convince me that I have what it takes to inspire young people. Her advice and confidence in me have been invaluable.”
Apart from her work inside the classroom, Clark was also the faculty advisor for Green Blotter, LVC’s literary magazine. Clark worked tirelessly throughout her time at LVC to expand the scope and size of the magazine. With a majority of Green Blotter’s editors returning next year, Clark’s presence in meetings will surely be missed. However, Holly M. Wendt, associate professor of English and director of creative writing, will take her place.
“I will do my best to fill Sally’s exceptionally stylish shoes as the advisor for Green Blotter,” Wendt said. “But the loss of a faculty member—not only one who is as wonderful a colleague as Sally—means a ripple effect of loss beyond the classroom, too, in terms of department and campus-wide initiatives, so we are looking toward long-term solutions that don’t rely on current faculty over-extending themselves.”
In terms of campus-wide initiatives, Clark was also the chair for Community Response for Everyone’s Wellbeing, also known as C.R.E.W. Under Sally’s leadership, the committee was able to broaden the scope of the previous bystander intervention program to incorporate training opportunities into the first-year experience program and draw in partners to sponsor a trans identity workshop.
However, while Clark was actively engaged in and out of the classroom, it will ultimately be the social aspects of working at LVC that she will miss the most.
“I will always cherish memories of impromptu gatherings in the English suite and the warmth and laughter that always occurred,” Clark said. “I can’t wait for COVID-19 to leave and make those times possible for everyone again.”
As the end of the semester quickly approaches, the College is finalizing current faculty members who will oversee Clark’s classes for the next school year.