Paul Michael Evans

He is the type of teacher they make movies about. The type I didn't really believe existed until I had Paul for Intro Psych last year. The type that changes you after one class with him. One class is all it took for me to call him the greatest teacher I have ever had in my whole life.

I love his passion, it's catching. He has a passion for Psychology. He loves what he teaches. He led me to fall in love with it and become a Psychology major. Not only does he love what he teaches, he loves who he teaches. His students are never below him and he loves to hear what they have to teach him. He is fair and wants us to succeed. It is his hope we can catch a spark of his burning love of Psychology. Beyond loving Psychology, he wants us to love learning. If a student walks away from his class without a love of Psychology, one still knows that student has a greater appreciation of learning.

No matter what Paul teaches, I want to take his class, regardless of my interest level for the subject. No one else has his accent, his humor, his ability to bring lectures to life, and his genuine caring. He goes to Willamette's football games to support his students. He loves when we come in his office. He often suggests books for us to read and I always go to the library to check them out. He let me borrow his tape recorder for an out of class activity; he didn't let it bother him that it took me a month to return it. When I fractured my wrist before finals, he arranged for me to take his test on tape. He always goes out of his way for us.

He loves Willamette. He instills pride in us when he says in his beautiful accent, "I expect high standards from you, this is Willamette." He is proud of his of fice. He likes the view, his plants, the flowers once sent to him in it, his books, the brain in the jar, the optical illusions, his eye-chart, and the little index cards he puts on the doors informing students when he will return. He says he will be at Willamette a long time and I know that means eternity - his touch will always be here. He loves his family. He always reflects on childhood memories during class. They have taught hima lot and I believe he has taught them too.

He loves his kitty cats. He is constantly learning from them. They crawl up his leg and love to play with string. Please take care of them. He wants us to "Keep It Simple Sweetheart" ("Stupid" is not the word of choice). Although he himself is never too simple; he volunteered his weekends and nights for review sessions before tests. He is always flexible that way. It is part of his effort to make learning a joy, not a burden. Did you know that he has a stamp on his navel that says "Made in Japan"? Well, he tells us that. He says we don't know if he is human or a machine. But I know he is human.

He asks us, "Where is Paul"? This is a question he posed one day, asking if his body were in one room, being controlled by his brain in his office, where would Paul be? I know that answer too. Clearly "Paul" is in his heart. No matter where Paul's body and brain are, his heart will forever remain. It has touched too many people for him to ever be gone. I don't know if he knew he was dying, but if he did know, it would not be important to him, because he knew he was living too. That' s what he does well - live and that is what he will continue to do. .