Robert Whelan
Lecturer in English
Department of English

Bob Whelan came to the University of Maine over 25 years ago after retiring from the U.S. Army at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, having served two tours of duty with Special Forces in Vietnam and also taught English at West Point. He has stayed active with Vietnam Veterans of America and has served on statewide committees related to veterans' affairs.

Bob taught composition and professional writing, as well as the very popular course he developed on Literature of the Vietnam War. That course was much enriched by his knowledge of weaponry, tactics, and the history of the war, as well as his storytelling gifts. Bob especially enjoyed first-year students and never complained about teaching English 101 even when facing a grading marathon. His office neighbors marveled at his ability to establish rapport with even the most recalcitrant of students; he managed to give honest and helpful critiques without seeming unkind, and the students responded by giving him uniformly positive ratings. Bob frequently received that highest term of student praise, "Awesome," from students in his classes as well as from the many advisees he helped find their way through the maze of requirements.

Bob's life experiences gave him a sense of proportion about the relatively trivial crises of academic life, which made him an invaluable colleague. In six years as associate chair, he managed the minutiae of an enormous course schedule, carried out graduation checks, chaired a curriculum committee, and handled walk-in advising, while still teaching a considerable load, and made it all look easy.

Thanks to his gregarious nature and his years as special assistant to former University of Maine President Fred Hutchinson, Bob was on friendly terms with all the most powerful and knowledgeable Administrative Assistants and professional staff on campus and could always find out the truth about the latest rumor.

Since going on half retirement three years ago, Bob has been able to more fully indulge his passion for flat fishing in the Florida Keys and lounging around in flashy Hawaiian shirts.

Faculty in the English Department, his students and many friends across campus will miss him enormously but wish him all the best in retirement, Bob, thank you for making the University of Maine a better place.