For the last two years, during Women’s History Month, RU has honored its “Distinguished Women” with 39 posters scattered about campus and a reception with President Kyle in Covington Hall. In the midst of it all, there has been one woman, who has not been so recognized, working in the background to get these women honored, to get their posters made, to have the posters placed in stands on campus, to get people to come to the reception to honor them, to make the speeches lauding them…
That woman is Dr. Moira Baker, Professor of English, and director of the Women’s Studies Program. You might not know Moira, but, if you went to just one of the twenty-eight women’s history month events this year, you probably saw here there.
As one of my former professors, and a current friend and colleague, I can say that Moira has influenced both my thinking and my teaching profoundly. But, that’s obvious to anybody who knows me and/or what I do here at Radford. For this tribute, I wanted you – and her – to hear it from voices other than just my own (she is my boss, after all), so I asked some of her other (current and former) students, friends and colleagues to chime in. This is what some of them had to say:
Colleagues, Friends
“A more principled, thoughtful woman would be hard to find. Moira is always there to have an in depth conversation, to have a good laugh, and to stand up for her beliefs.” – B. Chelsea Adams, retired, Radford University English Department
“Moira is my neighbor, first of all. And that's the most important thing because there are 4 households on my street that take care of one another, but no one more than Moira. Power outage, dog needs care, kids need watched, you've lost your cork screw... Moira is there. She is the real deal. A feminist that still remembers the words to the songs that got us the ERA, a loyal loving partner to Kaye, a shoot-from-the-hip academic who cares more about her students than most. Moira is my neighbor. My friend. My sister. I love her.” Lucinda McDermott Piro, Actor, Director, Singer, Teacher, Writer
Former Students, Current Colleagues
“Because of a class I took with Moira, I am aware of the Military Junta in South America, along with the United States' role in that reign of terror. She educated me about Virginia Woolf and Toni Morrison. And she instilled in me, as a life-long learner, scholar, and teacher, the need to always question "reality" and who controls that reality.” – Theresa Burris, Radford University Appalachian Studies
“Love your work. Make it matter.
That's what Moira modeled,
what she taught.
That's what she still does.”
-Jim Minick, Radford University English Department
“As a student of hers many years ago, I learned how to be a scholar. Her course taught me how to be a life long researcher and learner and now, even as a teacher myself, I wish I could take refresher courses from her. But--I appreciate her even more for what she did when she taught my son, Erik. She brought out the best in him as far as his research and analytical writing abilities, and partly because of her, he is now finishing his second master's degree and has been accepted at one school so far for his PhD. She is a master teacher who truly cares about her students.” – Nancy Taylor, Radford University English Department
“Moira taught me about Feminism without making me feel guilty for being a man. I would say that she helped me become a feminist, but there is a debate as to whether men can be feminists, so I would say that I am a feminist-appreciationist” Dan Woods, Radford University English Department
Former Students
“I had Dr. Baker for Lit Crit and learned so much about writing scholarship. However, I think I really enjoyed the semester I took her Toni Morrison class. We read most of Morrison's major works, and I wrote a paper on the connection between Morrison and James Joyce. What made the semester more exciting was when Maya Angelou came to speak, and I couldn't get a ticket. Dr. Baker told me I really needed to attend, so I bribed one of my students with 10 points extra credit for his ticket. Unethical yes, but I really enjoyed the experience. I still remember Dr. Baker's lectures on Beloved which was probably one of my favorite novels of that course.” Sarah Bostock, Montgomery County Community College
“When I remember Moira, I think of her soft voice as she gently lobbed zingers throughout my grad school classes. She never lectured or pontificated, but questioned us continuously-- what if? She made us question, and that is the best thing any teacher can do.” – Toni Cox, Radford Public Library
“I knew Moira when I was both an undergraduate and graduate student, although I didn't start taking classes with her until grad school. I quickly developed deep respect for her throughout the time I was in undergrad. She partnered with students regularly to act on social justice issues. I particularly liked it when she'd pull out her guitar. Without even knowing it, she even introduced me to a lot of music that is central to my life still to this day. I got to really know Moira when I was a graduate student. She taught me, explicity and implicitly, about literature, theory, thinking, and teaching. In the classroom, she made it seem so effortless to guide a class without being didactic and without allowing the students to stray wildly from the point of the discussion. When I was writing my thesis, Moira wouldn't hesitate to spend two hours on the phone with me while I wrestled through a particularly difficult concept. And while I was apprenticing under her scholarship, awed by her, she never hesitated to go get a beer with us and just be a human being after hours. Her example has become part of who I am as an adult in the world and as a teacher. Moira Baker is a radically generous teacher, razor-sharp scholar, and dear person. I would not be the person I am without having spent those years with her.” – Amy Crouse-Powers, SUNY Oneonta
“I remember being terrified walking into her class my second year in graduate school. I had heard she was “intense.” What I experienced was the best kind of intensity—passion. She seemed to never settle for being simply a teacher; she was an educator and she was there to let us learn and make us question. She challenged us to be active participants. In her class Moira not only made it easy to absorb the class content, but through her teaching style she led me to become more aware—not only self-aware, but aware of the world and my place in it.” – Shai Cullop, Emory and Henry College
“What I remember most about Moira was her willingness to teach rather than criticize or simply correct, even in mundane situations. I remember her pulling me aside one day to note that I had misused semicolons in one of my papers. She wasn't judgmental about it--she simply and privately suggested I learn all the rules for using them. I was mortified by the errors until I realized she was teaching not judging me. I still try to follow this example when I work with my own students.” – Scott Ellis, Southern Connecticut State University
“Though I had Moira for grad school, my fondest memory is having her for 17th century lit with my boyfriend (now husband). She took a big, burly Criminal Justice major and made him actually enjoy reading Pope and Jonson. When a teacher can accomplish that, she can do anything. Brava, Moira, you are amazing.” – Serena Frost, Virginia Tech
"Dr. Baker is one of the most hardworking individuals I have ever worked under. Her expectations for her students are dwarfed by the even higher expectations she clearly has for her own work. Studying under her was truly a pleasure due to the immense amount of energy and expertise Dr. Baker brings to her teaching." Tom Gaffney, RU Master’s Candidate in English
“I remember how intimidating she was when I entered grad school. The annotation assignment we were given almost killed me. I learned so much from her. What I should have learned was how to stand up to my now ex husband. She blasted him when he refused to follow her instructions on an assignment based on "principle". – Cortney Green, SC Community College System
“I learned what Cortney learned: that the presumptions and self-entitlements of gender difference and sexual inequality, among other kinds, are alive and prospering in the academy. Good shit for a stupid young feminist to know.” – Rae Greiner, Indiana University
“Dr Baker encouraged me in ENGL 600. When she brought up fantastic advice and showed me that she had knowledge about my author that I thought only I knew as a fan of the author, I told Dr Baker that she had ‘read my mind, and beyond!’ She later responded, ‘Great minds think in the same circles!’ Though I can only hope to aspire to think in the same circles as a great such as Moira Baker, her kindness, understanding, and stunning share of knowledge mean a great deal to me as her student.” Claire Hall, RU Master’s Candidate in English
“I learned many things from Moira, and I would like to have opportunity to learn more. Perhaps, the greatest compliment I can give a teacher is something I can say about Moira: she helped changed the way I see. I can never read a book or look at the world with the same naïve ignorance of the not-so-hidden agendas and assumptions waiting there after she opened my eyes to them. She challenged me as a scholar, an individual, and a participant in society to be genuine, analytic, and strong enough to demand fairness and acceptance. I would have missed some of the best moments of my life without encouragement from her and others. I know she helped empower many to risk much, and I know they are happier, more resilient, and better adjusted for it. I am grateful to be a small part of her story.” – J. Michael King, University of Pikeville
“It is difficult to add to the spot-on descriptions of Moira Baker offered here. She showed me how and why teaching is a noble profession. When I am stymied in my own work I will stop and think, ‘what would Moira do?’ When I can approximate her expertise, I feel I have done well. She also showed me that I had a voice that mattered and that I should use that voice in service to others. She taught me that students have a right to choose to fail...a right I was allowed to respect. Finally, through her generosity of spirit, wit and elegance, she allowed me into a world filled with ideas and people that have enriched my life.” Leah Kirell, Lonestar College North Harris
“I was so thankful to have Moira as a professor-- and thesis adviser-- in graduate school because she has tons of knowledge that she was willing to share, but she also took the time to listen and encourage me to find my own way through my path of study. She is a great inspiration to me as I work with my own students.” – Jennifer Lawrence, Virginia Tech
“When I first entered Moira’s “Intro to Scholarship” class I thought, ‘How is it possible to pack that much enthusiasm, passion, and knowledge into that little frame?’ I was in awe of her. Moira treated me like a peer (not the ignorant grad student I really was), took genuine interest in my thoughts, and taught me how to be fearless and to push the boundaries. She validated my work as a scholar and my thoughts as an equal. She laughed with us, and not at us, when we struggled through pronouncing scholars we had never heard of let alone read. (Habermas is still my favorite ice cream.) She inspired a loyalty inside and outside of her classroom I have rarely felt. I realized that Moira is the greatest teacher there can be where information is not a one-way process… she learned just as much from us as we learned from her… Sprezzatura! Pizza!” – B. J. Nicklin, Department of Defense Dependent Schools
“Moira intimidated me immediately, as well. But not long after that first class started, I was inspired by her enthusiasm. She made me feel like an English major in all caps, doing vital scholarly work, having conversations about material in more depth than I'd ever experienced. She didn't just critique my work, she wrote to me in the margins, she engaged me in the work, she made a shy, quiet girl feel like she had a brain in her head and something to say in class and to write on the page. I'm writing nearly ten years later with Moira in mind as a reader to help me forge on and to believe that what I think deserves to be heard.” – Jenny Brown Pennington, RU MA in English, 2002
“I don't think I've ever met someone as passionate about their work as Moira is. Her tireless dedication is almost superhuman. Her enthusiasm for her work and for students' work is truly inspiring. She always encouraged students to follow even their wildest ideas, and we were all made into better scholars for it. One of the most important lessons I learned from Moira was any worthwhile project HAS to involve risk, and the riskier, the better. Some of the most rewarding projects I've done now as a doctoral student abroad have been a result of the lessons I learned from her. Her commitment to her students is absolutely unmatched. Studying under her has been one of the best experiences of my academic career.” Tosha Taylor, Loughborough University
Clearly, we could have had an entire month of her-story dedicated to this woman. As most of her former students, many of them now educators themselves, have already suggested here, if I can be just half the person, teacher, and thinker that she is, I will consider myself a success.
As a member of all the categories above, I’d just like to say: thank you, Moira.
Michele Ren
