In this post we recognize Jane Chaplin, Professor of Classics, for her 25 years of Service to Middlebury. Jane Shares some wonderful memories pertaining to her career-spanning experience at the College. Read on to learn more about Midd from Jane’s point of view.
What did you do prior to work at Middlebury College and where were you located?
This is the only job I have ever had! Middlebury was also my first and only job interview. When I came for the campus visit in early January 1992, everyone was wishing for snow. Because I didn’t have real boots and had to fly back (I was in graduate school in New Jersey at the time), I was desperately hoping that it would NOT snow. After a couple of years here, I understood that deep desire for snow and now absolutely share it.
Have your interests/hobbies/athletic endeavors changed over the past 25 years? Have any of these been influenced by your work at the College or due to your association with others who work here?
And in keeping with the snow theme – when I first moved here, people kept asking me whether I ski. Eventually I understood that, since winter is a non-negotiable fact of Vermont life, it helps to have a reason to look forward to winter. I do not ski, but I love gardening, and there are plenty of perennial bulbs and plants that need the cold of winter and enjoy a deep blanket of snow. So I do too!
Is there any person on campus (or retiree, former employer) that mentored you, or you feel helped you grow into your job, grow to enjoy your work and your time at the College?
I have had more wonderful colleagues and students than I can name or count, but Eve Adler (Professor of Classics) stands apart from everyone else. It is hard to imagine my life without her role in it.