John Elder, a professor at Middlebury from 1973 to 2010, is a renowned scholar of American nature writing and pastoral literature, contemporary poetry, and environmental studies. Elder’s most recent books reflect both memoir as well the natural history of Vermont and include titles such as Reading the Mountains of Home, The Frog Run, and Pilgrimage to Vallombrosa.
Elder’s voice is particularly relevant to the FoodWorks interns as he has been a leader in experimental learning exploring space, place, and the human relationship to the natural environment, as well as being a proponent of exploring agriculture in the liberal arts curriculum. A recent course instructed by Elder titled “Fast Food/Slow Food” considered writing and films about food, exploring the rise of industrial food and fast-food franchises as well as the local food movement and the international Slow Food network.
A former student writes of the beloved professor:
“Perhaps the greatest lesson Elder has taught me is that the truest forms of wisdom, the kind of wisdom that radiates from him, is wisdom that asks questions, and challenges us to see further, beyond ourselves… John has taught us that the best classroom discussions are the ones where nobody has the answers, and instead, students and professors alike are inspired to build off each other’s ideas in an effort to see deeper into the questions of our hearts, minds and souls.”
For more information, check out a profile of Elder by the Seven Days, as well as his 2010 Margolin Environmental Affairs Lecture at Middlebury College.