http://www.jmu.edu/centennialcelebration/dingledines.shtml

James Madison University - Index

James Madison University - Madison Magazine - Summer 2008 - Index

PROFESSORSYOULOVE
I t
Personalizing American history
Raymond Dingledine Jr.’s enthusiasm for history was contagious By Anita Hill Spain (’76)
was only happenstance
when — as a sophomore
at Madison College with a
history and library science
major — i selected dr. Raymond
dingledine Jr.’s U.s.
History class. Why? His class met
at the time i wanted, and that was
the only reason i chose his section.
This course was required for history
majors, so the large class met in a
large lecture room in Jackson Hall.
dr. dingledine was an excellent
lecturer. He brought in trivia and
lesser-known facts about american
history, and his tests were long and
thorough. That meant that you
needed to attend lectures, because
just reading the text was not enough
to pass his tests.
That december when Harrisonburg
got a huge storm that crippled
on-campus traffic, a graduate
assistant started the class until dr.
dingledine could get there. When
he arrived, he immediately began
lecturing — even as he removed his
black buckle-up rubber boots, scarf,
knit hat and gloves — and picking
right up where he had left off from
the previous class. i selected his second
semester U.s. History course
and was not disappointed.
i got to know him better when i
selected his Virginia history elective
course the following year. We met
at 8 a.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays
Raymond Dingledine
Jr. showed Anita Hill
Spain (’76) how exciting
and interesting
history can be.
and Fridays. The class size was small, and dr. dingledine sat in
the midst of us while lecturing. His love of history and details
came forth in every lecture. He made history personal by telling
us stories from his life. He earned his undergraduate degree at the
University of Virginia and was playing tennis when he heard that
Pearl Harbor was bombed.
as a rising senior, i designed a summer independent history
elective on the history and importance of Virginia railroads, which
dr. dingledine agreed to supervise.
Before i attended Madison, i enjoyed history. Then, dr. dingledine
showed me how exciting and interesting history can be. in
About the Author: Anita Hill Spain (’76) earned a B.A. in library
science and history from Madison and a master’s degree in library science from
the University of Maryland. The beginning of the 2007-08 school year marked
her 31st year in the Loudoun County school system as well as her 28th year as
a librarian at Seneca Ridge Middle School in Sterling, Va.
my mind, i can still see him smiling while lecturing and adjusting
his black plastic frame glasses, yet never losing his place. His
enthusiasm was contagious. My thirst for history continues, and
while i never became a teacher, i do have a tendency to buy more
books and materials for the history section of my middle-school
library. i search for books about the lesser-known facts or unusual
people. dr. dingledine was the best. M
About the Professor: From 1948 to the mid-1970s, Raymond Dingledine
Jr. served as a faculty member in Madison’s history and social science
department, but he had been a member of what some refer to as Madison’s
“royal family” his entire life. (Read more at www.jmu.edu/centennialcelebration/dingledines.shtml).
He served as an adviser to the Honor Council from
1948 to 1971 and was instrumental in establishing the Honor System still in
use today. In 1959, he published the authoritative history of the school: Madison
College, The First Fifty Years: 1908-1958. He achieved two milestones
in 1984 when he retired and was awarded the James Madison Distinguished
Service Award for his leadership and years of faculty service.
PhotograPh courtesy of sPecial collections sUMMeR 2008 57