Dorothy Baldwin

Assistant Professor of Education and QUEST Coordinator
Metropolitan Campus

How long have you been at FDU?

In May, I will have completed my second year with FDU. Before being invited to serve as a full-time faculty member this September, I was an adjunct professor for one year at the College at Florham.

What book or film did you recently enjoy? Why would you recommend it?

One of my favorite books for sharing with the “little people” in my life is a book by Laura Joffe Numeroff, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. Not only is it a delightful story and picture book for little ones, it is also an excellent source to use when introducing students to system-thinking concepts, such as interconnectedness, circular feedback, unintended consequences, solutions that often create new problems, etc. I would recommend this book to young and old alike. I don’t know of anyone who doesn’t enjoy a quick read or a picture book at one time in their life, and this one will undoubtedly make the reader smile!

What do you most value in your friends?

To quote George Santayana, “Friendship is almost always the union of a part of one mind with a part of another: People are friends in spots.” While there is one universal characteristic of what I value most in a friend, trust, there are different qualities that I value in each of my friends that range from benevolence and generosity of spirit to a keen sense of humor and wit.

Complete the phrase: People would be surprised to know that I …

… have flowers in my house throughout the year. I love the summer! So, rather than pining for summer in January and February, I have the fragrance and color from the burst of blooms of assorted flowers and green foliage from my more than 50 house plants ranging from amaryllis to watermelon peperomia. It is an affordable luxury to wake up to the scent of gardenia and be greeted with a splash of color from geraniums, begonias and violets on a dreary, cold and snowy day as their backdrop. My plants range in age from one to more than 25 years old and more than half of them are African violets. While I don’t have any orchids at the moment, it is an experience that I look forward to in the future.

My hobbies are …

In addition to reading and indoor gardening, I enjoy dabbling in the garden outdoors in the warm weather. While I no longer grow vegetables, I continue to put in a flower garden each year. I also like the adventure of traveling to and exploring places both close to and far from home. My most recent trip was to Maui, where we took the famous drive along the Hana Coast, enjoying the many spectacular sights, such as hidden pools and waterfalls, black sand beaches and, of course, exotic plants and flowers. In addition to the sights, the 52-mile daylong drive along the narrow winding road with its many hairpin turns will be long remembered! We also climbed to the summit of Haleakala, which is at an altitude of over 10,000 feet. Not only did I feel on top of the world being high above the clouds but I was able to enjoy an expansive view of more than 100 miles in one of the quietest places on earth. What was most fascinating was the diversity of the crater in terms of weather and foliage. Over the course of the journey, you find sub-alpine shrubland, rain forest, dry forest and pasture land complete with cowboys — some who bear the surname Baldwin. Perhaps as I explore the family’s genealogy — one of my more recent activities — I’ll find a relationship!

What profession other than your own would you most like to attempt, and what profession would you want nothing to do with?

If I had to choose a profession other than education, I think I would like to be a veterinarian. Over the course of my life I have had rabbits, turtles, lizards, fish, dogs, a cat and a bird. At present, I have a soon-to-be-five-year-old Australian terrier who is just a delight. Having a pet is a most rewarding experience. So I think that working with animals to keep them well and providing help and relief to animals that are sick or injured would bring much satisfaction to a person’s life.

On the continuum of professions, I think the one I would shy away from would be that of a funeral director. While they are invaluable and provide a much needed service, their days — I would think — are filled with grief.

Gary Radford

Associate Professor of Communication Studies
College at Florham

How long have you been at FDU?

I joined FDU in September 1999.

What book or film did you recently enjoy? Why would you recommend it?

I don’t get to see many recent films. However, films I have really enjoyed include “This is Spinal Tap” (I was crying with laughter when I saw this at the movies in 1983. I had no idea it was a spoof until halfway through.); “Memento” with Guy Pearce (This is the movie that starts at the end and moves back in time to the beginning.); and any James Bond movie. I also love British comedy TV shows, especially “The Office” (You have to catch this show — it is hysterical.), “Father Ted” and “Red Dwarf.”

What do you most value in your friends?

Open-mindedness, kindness and sense of humor.

Complete the phrase: People would be surprised to know that I ...

… am, in fact, from England. People are very surprised to learn this and say that they would never have guessed my background from the way I speak. I was born in Sutton-in-Ashfield, a small town on the Nottinghamshire/Derbyshire border, which is next door to the Peak District National Park, a stunningly beautiful part of England.

My hobbies are …

Playing a blazing lead guitar in a blues/rock band. We also write our own original songs. Check out our Web site at http://scils.rutgers.edu/~band/profs.

Who would be your perfect dinner guest? What would you serve?

I would love to invite Umberto Eco for dinner. Dr. Eco is the author of The Name of the Rose and Foucault’s Pendulum and is known as the father of modern semiotics. My wife, Marie, and I met Dr. Eco in New York last year, and he was the most charming and unpretentious companion. Since both Dr. Eco and Marie are Italian, I am sure Marie would not mind making her world-famous meatballs in her own spaghetti sauce with the top-secret recipe, to be served with pasta and a nice Italian wine.

What profession other than your own would you most like to attempt, and what profession would you want nothing to do with?

I would love to be a full-time professional musician. When I was 17, I had an offer to play rhythm guitar in a dance band on a cruise ship cruising the Greek islands. I had to turn that offer down because I was completing my A-level exams at the time. But I often think about what my life might have been like if I had taken that opportunity. I would want nothing to do with any profession that involved heights!

Erich von Salzen

Computer Shift Supervisor, Management Information Systems
Metropolitan Campus

How long have you been at FDU?

Twenty-two years and eight months.

What book or film did you recently enjoy? Why would you recommend it?

I like books of history or facts. While I was at The Cloisters in New York City, I saw this walrus ivory cross from 1100 A.D., and someone there recommended I read the King of the Confessors, by Thomas Hoving (former director of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1963–1977). It’s the story of this cross that was carried by the crusaders and acquired by Thomas Hoving for The Cloisters. It is the most exciting and entertaining book I have read — a short course in museum politics and international museum competition. It’s a good suspense story, but also going to The Cloisters and seeing the cross makes the book even more real.

I liked the “Pirates of the Caribbean.” It was an action movie, and Johnny Depp was good. I saw the making of the movie on television, and it was as good as they said it would be. I even bought the DVD. I saw the Pirates of the Caribbean ride in Disney World in 1974 and 1996.

What do you most value in your friends?

Honesty.

Complete the phrase: People would be surprised to know that I ...

… am going to college. I grew up in Hackensack, N.J., lived two blocks from Edward Williams College and never thought that I would work for FDU or even take college courses at FDU.

My hobbies are …

… coin collecting; working on computers; watching the Discovery, History and TLC channels, “This Old House” and “Ask This Old House.” I’ve met Norm Abram, host of “The New Yankee Workshop.”

Who would be your perfect dinner guest? What would you serve?

Clint Eastwood — the only actor and director that I really like. His three spaghetti westerns were the best — “A Fistful of Dollars” (1964); “For A Few Dollars More” (1965); and “The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly (1966). They had unforgettable scores by Ennio Morricone.

I’m a steak-and-potato man myself, so I would serve steak and potatoes.

What profession other than your own would you most like to attempt, and what profession would you want nothing to do with?

The profession I would most like to attempt would be to own or run a motel or to work on a cruise ship. I like to talk with people of different cultures and backgrounds and have found that people are interesting. I’m a people person.

The profession I would want nothing to do with is being a surgeon or any thing to do with hospitals.

Maria Webb

Assistant Director for Public Services, College at Florham Library
College at Florham

How long have you been at FDU?

I’m a few months shy of 10 years.

What book or film did you recently enjoy? Why would you recommend it?

I recently read The Future of Life, by Edward O. Wilson, in which the author refers to humans as planetary killers, the serial killers of other species on the planet. But after warning of devastating extinctions, Wilson offers some solutions for protecting what’s left of our natural world. The book is certainly thought-provoking; plus, it reminded me to contact my elected representatives in support of preserving as much wilderness as possible.

As for a film, I highly recommend “Whale Rider.” What a beautiful story, beautifully filmed; a delight for young and old, alike!

What do you most value in your friends?

Tolerance and open-mindedness. We shouldn’t take ourselves too seriously. I’m fortunate that the library staff is a very friendly, caring group; we have interesting conversations and genuinely enjoy working with one another. It’s nice to be friends with one’s colleagues at work.

Complete the phrase: People would be surprised to know that I ...

… took flying lessons, years ago.

My hobbies are …

… spending time with my spouse and gardening. We like to cook with the herbs we grow. We also love to travel. I’d love to find more time for reading and playing the piano.

Who would be your perfect dinner guest? What would you serve?

I’d like to have Hillary Rodham Clinton to dinner for a discussion of her political future. I know I’d start the dinner with a soup; I enjoy making cold soups in the summer and hot soups in winter. I’d also make pesto from homegrown herbs. And my spouse loves to grill, so perhaps we would have grilled salmon.

What profession other than your own would you most like to attempt, and what profession would you want nothing to do with?

As a librarian, I am interested in any number of fields and can imagine pursuing several. I taught French and psychology at the high-school level previously. I would probably enjoy being a psychologist. I could never be a banker; one of my brothers was a banker, and I found conversations about his work boring. Obviously, I didn’t become a librarian because I was overly interested in money!

March 2004

View text only for this complete issue.

Flor =
College at Florham, Madison, N.J.

Metro =
Metropolitan Campus, Teaneck, N.J.

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