I must say that Dr. Iversen was by far the best teacher I had at Oneonta (my second favorite was also a history teacher…what does that say about the English department?). That is high praise indeed coming from a secondary English ed major! I had her for The History of the US since WWII, and it is stating the obvious that she was magnetic and charismatic. We were in a pretty large lecture hall in IRC (I think that was the building), and as diminutive as she was, her spitfire persona filled the large room. But I have a personal anecdote I hope you find amusing and comforting.

Born in 1965, I was a long suffering Met fan when I took her class. It was the fall of 1986, and the Mets were finally a force with which to be reckoned. Unfortunately, they were playing an essential, must win game at the same time as the class’s midterm, The game started at 3:00, and the class was from 5:00-7:30. I went to campus at 3:00 and watched the game in a dorm across from the lecture hall. The game moved fast, and at 5:00, I had to leave to go to class with the Mets hopelessly behind, 3-0, going into the 9th inning. Dr. Iversen decided to run class for the first half, then administer the midterm during the second half of class. Very early into her lecture, there was cheering coming from outside the lecture hall; the Mets made a comeback to take the game into extra innings.

When we had our break before the exam, I realized that the other class going on at the time in the lecture hall was watching the game instead of having class (I see the professor who taught that class in my mind’s eye, but cannot remember his name for the life of me. He was a chain smoking, popular government teacher I believe). I said something before the test to Dr. Iversen, tongue in cheek, that I came close to blowing off her test to watch the game across the hall. I got nervous about whether she may have been insulted, but she got it! When the Mets went ahead in the 13th with a run, we heard the cheering from outside, and she dispatched me to find out what was happening. When the Astros tied the game in the bottom of the inning, she again sent me outside to find out what had happened. Believe it or not, when the exam was finished at 7:30, the game was still going on, and I got to watch the end of the amazing victory in the back of the IRC.

I don’t know why that story memory has always stayed with me…probably because she was such an inspiration to me. The story is emblematic of my memory of her: she was fiercely bright, but also extraordinarily accessible and human. As a teacher for 26 years, every once in a while, when I get really passionate about something in my classroom, like teaching Huck Finn, I always feel as if I am channeling Dr. Iversen.

~ Andy Fried (1987)

There are teachers who come into your life who leave a lasting mark. For me, Joan Iversen was one of them. I was not a history major, but took two of her classes (US after 1945, I think, and History of the 60’s) and those classes were highlights of my education. I was at Oneonta from 79-83. After class, I sometimes stopped for a cigarette. Joan, an ex-smoker, would come up to me and demand, “Blow smoke in my face, blow smoke in my face!”

I feel very, very fortunate that I lucked into her classroom, and it left me with a firm belief in the value of a rounded, liberal arts education. I tell my son at Geneseo, “Just find the best teachers around and take their classes, doesn’t matter what they teach.” And when I say that, I think of Jim Mullen, Pat Meanor, Joan Iversen.

~James Preller (1983)

Photo, Clivia Mandala, courtesy of Laureen LaBar on Flickr

Textbook used in a course that Susan Healy took with Dr. Iversen

She was the most influential educator in my life. There isn’t a day in my US History classroom that I do not invoke her presence.

She came into my life my freshman year (1976). I never let go. I took everything she offered but somehow I could never fit History of the 60s into my schedule. In 1990 when I started my masters in secondary ed, it was the first course I registered for. It was worth the wait. I will be forever grateful.

~Susan Healy

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Martin Luther King and Robert F. Kennedy together

I took her History of the 60’s course in 1982. Truly one of my favorite classes at SUCO. She made it seem like she was right there with Kennedy and King and Malcolm X while they were making history. She was mesmerizing as a professor. Every time I go visit the campus and I’m in IRC, I think of her and that course. We were all lucky to have experienced her teaching. Sorry to hear of her passing. May she rest in peace knowing that she had such an amazing effect on so many young people.

~ Gail Wasserman Davis

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Image courtesy of the National Park Service via Wikimedia Commons

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It was 1972, and the world was still in turmoil; “strike semester” and Kent State in the spring of ’70…Vietnam, politics…the women’s movement building…and Joan called a session in the IRC building for we young women trying to understand it all…Walking into the IRC, what song was Blasting!! throughout the building but Helen Reddy’s “I Am Woman”….I can’t hear that song without thinking of her and that day. When you consider the number of lives she touched, both men and women, and I know with passion and grace, it is a legacy for you all as her family to be most proud of in your mom’s honor. She was so perfect for her time and its funny how some days are a photograph, or video even, in your mind and stay with you. That day with the song blasting just makes me smile whenever I think of it. I actually have always remembered, and can still see myself, walking down the stairs in that IRC room…it was one on the Sherman Hall side, over by Fitzelle…(I go back to campus from time to time with roommates, else believe me, I wouldn’t know the name of that building, ha ha). The energy in that room was amazing…and we all came away with high spirits and commitments to our beliefs. Those times demanded nothing less and it was a defining moment for me personally. Joan’s leadership, compassion, great humor and ability to challenge us both in the classroom and in our lives have stayed with me my whole life. I was a history major and thrilled with each class I took with her. She will always be a favorite with a special place in my heart. Blessings to her family and each of you she touched.

~Holly DeVan (1973)

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I was a non-traditional student at Oneonta in the early 90s and Dr. Iversen generously allowed me into her History of the 1960s as an overload. It was one of my favorite courses. Even though I had lived through the period, I had been too young to understand the significance of the powerful forces shaping the nation during that era. The love I found for the discipline at Oneonta led me to pursue a PhD at Binghamton University. As an advanced graduate student, the first course I taught on my own was The History of the Sixties! Several years later, as an adjunct instructor at SUNY Oneonta, I had the honor and privilege of teaching Dr. Iversen’s Sixties course there. She was a wonderful teacher and I was thrilled to be carrying on her legacy. She will be missed.

~ Dave Richards

Photo courtesy of Garrett on Flickr

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Dr Iversen was my advisor and the reason I became a history teacher. She is to this day, 20 years later, the “gold standard” to which I hold myself. Her passion, dedication and love of history and teaching were an inspiration and motivator. She gave me such a kick in the pants when I needed one. She had the audacity to retire before my senior year and pretty much instructed me to get over myself and not embarrass her! I took every class she offered.

~ Michele Agulla-Streck

Photo courtesy of Maura Teague on Flickr

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