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Husband and Wife Team Say Goodbye to UPT after 34 Years
Titusville, June 1 - Dr. James Messmer, associate professor of physics, and Dr. Wilhelmina Messmer, associate professor of chemistry, retired from the University of Pittsburgh at Titusville this spring after 34 years of service. Wilma Messmer received her doctorate degree in pharmacognosy from the University of Pittsburgh in 1972. Messmer shared her knowledge with the students through the many classes she taught, such as freshman biology, freshman chemistry, anatomy & physiology, organic chemistry, microbiology, introduction to pharmacy, cell biology, and chemistry for health professionals, drugs of abuse, and also Russian. Messmer jokes, “I will remember the really good students and the really bad students,” but adds, “seriously, the students who overcame academic hurdles make up some of my proudest moments as a teacher.” “I have tried to challenge students as well as inspire them,” said Messmer. James Messmer received his doctorate degree in physics also from the University of Pittsburgh in 1971. While at UPT he taught both calculus based and non-calculus based introductory physics courses and labs, intermediate mechanics physics, engineering thermodynamics and introductory computer science programming courses. Messmer says he will remember a lot of his students from over the years who went on to become doctors and dentists. One particular group of five students from the same class are among those standouts; they were all accepted into the physical therapy program at the Oakland campus. At the time only 40 people were accepted into the program, so UPT students made up one-eighth of the class. The Messmers, who met and married during graduate school, followed the teaching opportunities to the Titusville area and the UPT campus. Once here, however, they also found it to be the perfect place to raise their children. Wilma Messmer’s journey to Titusville was a long one that covered thousands of miles. Her family fled the Ukraine during WWII, spent time in northern Germany, and finally immigrated to the United States in 1950. James Messmer is a Pittsburgh native who enjoyed the atmosphere of Titusville as he discovered the joys of small town living. The Messmers have watched the UPT campus grow over the years, recalling the growth of the campus with new buildings - Haskell Memorial Library, the J. Curtis McKinney II Student Union, and the most recent addition, the Broadhurst Science Center. Both agree the new science building has been a blessing for the campus and especially for the science majors and faculty. They recall when the science classes and labs were held in Bennett Davis Hall, a much smaller building. The windows and doors often had to be left open for ventilation and labs were often held in the evenings since there were no other available times to use the rooms. The Messmers have taken pride in the growth of the UPT campus over the years, and would like to see UPT continue to grow into a four-year college. While they will miss their friends among the faculty, they are looking forward to retirement and a move to Seattle. Although James Messmer jokes that he can’t wait to get away from shoveling snow, his real reason to move involves family and the opportunity to be near sons Paul and Bill and their families, and especially the grandchildren. # # # |
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