In his youth, Dick Schwemm wanted to become either a professional baseball player, sea captain, or a professor.
A graduate of Amherst College who earned a master’s degree in physics and math from the University of Illinois, Dick did do some teaching as a TA in grad school, however, once his 33-year career at IBM began, it seemed that Dick’s baseball and sea captain days were numbered, and his professorial prospects were slim to nil.
At IBM Dick ironically did find himself occasionally teaching computer-related concepts as part of his various marketing, systems, and management roles within the company. Over time, the fine art of distilling information and speaking extemporaneously became Dick’s calling card, and he was often asked to present complex matters to IBM staff, clients, and senior leadership.
Fast forward to retirement in New London, New Hampshire, and Dick stumbled upon Colby-Sawyer College’s “Adventures in Learning” program whose mission states:
“We believe that education is a lifelong pursuit and that learning later means living greater.”
“That sounded reasonable to me, and I’m a curious person, so I took a course on the Bible,” says Dick. A man of science, he became intrigued by the intersection of science and religion, so he prepared his own six-week, discussion-style course on the history of science that he taught the following year. Dick received high accolades in his “professorial debut.”
“That experience made me feel good, so I thought ‘what else can I teach?’ and then I realized that I didn’t necessarily know anything else!” Dick jokes.
It was an election year, so Dick decided to offer a class on the United States Constitution. His brother, a law professor, seconded the choice noting that the Constitution was written for the people not for the lawyers. Further encouragement came in a personalized letter from retired Supreme Court Justice Souter (of New Hampshire) who applauded the idea and underscored the need for such a class. So, Dick read and studied the United States Constitution, prepared a syllabus, and the Adventures in Learning committee approved the curriculum.
Dick reports that, “Wonderful people—liberals, die-hard New Hampshire libertarians, and conservatives, some of whom were to the right of Attila the Hun” enrolled in the popular class. He went on to offer it two more times.
A recent relocation back to his hometown of Barrington and a move to The Garlands proved to be no sabbatical for Dick, now a valued contributor to The Garlands Lifelong Learning program.
“I found myself in the Land of Lincoln, so, for my first class at The Garlands, I chose Abraham Lincoln,” says Dick, who marvels over the fact that the 16th president ran the Oval Office with only two secretaries and researched and wrote all his own, exemplary speeches. “Whole books focus on the details of just one Lincoln speech,” he attests.
Moving across the country to reconnect with Mary Williams, a longtime Barrington resident, Dick is grateful for the opportunity to meet new people through his teaching experience. “We have made some really good friends at The Garlands who also believe that education is a lifelong pursuit.”
And, of course, upon returning to his hometown, Dick is reminded of his original calling to teach. “These days I have a few people who meet me in the hallway at The Garlands and call me ‘professor,’ which is far from the truth, but fun!” he smiles.
