We remember this colleague who has passed away. If you have an obituary, photo, or memory to share, please send it to us so we can post a fuller tribute.
A bit late (as in 5 years!) I wanted pay tribute to Pete Porosky. Pete was my instructor (late 1970s) in an English course called Underground Literature. It was my first exposure to Hermann Hesse and Joseph Conrad among other writers, but Hesse was a real discovery. Pete also encouraged me to write -- all students had to come up with their "underground" experience and I wrote about my life as a "mole" at Heidelberg High School. I never could relate to the cheerleading, or the yearbook frenzy competing for the best looking, most likely to succeed, most popular, etc. I had come from 8th grade at a German school (Gymnasium) and little time was spent there on achieving status based on appearance and personality. Having said that, Pete's encouragement was a real boost for me. I never thought much of myself when it came to writing, but that changed and I will always be thankful to him. And needless to say, I've read all of Hermann Hesse's works.
Diane Ochs-Oliver
A bit late (as in 5 years!) I wanted pay tribute to Pete Porosky. Pete was my instructor (late 1970s) in an English course called Underground Literature. It was my first exposure to Hermann Hesse and Joseph Conrad among other writers, but Hesse was a real discovery. Pete also encouraged me to write -- all students had to come up with their "underground" experience and I wrote about my life as a "mole" at Heidelberg High School. I never could relate to the cheerleading, or the yearbook frenzy competing for the best looking, most likely to succeed, most popular, etc. I had come from 8th grade at a German school (Gymnasium) and little time was spent there on achieving status based on appearance and personality. Having said that, Pete's encouragement was a real boost for me. I never thought much of myself when it came to writing, but that changed and I will always be thankful to him. And needless to say, I've read all of Hermann Hesse's works.