Amassing a collection that spans a lifetime
Richard Macksey explains his "pathological" hobby
The professor has taught many courses over the years at his home, a staple in the minds of those who have taken his classes at Hopkins. Wishing to have cookies and coffee and to have the books handy, the image of Macksey at the head of the table in his library never changes. He is always there smoking his pipe, speaking effusively both on-topic and about anything else that comes to his mind, often with his fingers interlaced and resting against his lips as he thinks.
Macksey fought in the Korean War and later attended Princeton University, where he studied ancient mathematics. He went to Hopkins for graduate school in 1953 with the intention of studying science and going to medical school. Instead, he earned a doctorate in comparative literature in 1957 and began to teach at the University two years later. He laughs at the reason for doing so - his need to get a job, since at this time he got married.
"At that time, and it's still true, you could mix and match degrees," Macksey said, explaining how he ended up taking humanities classes in Gilman Hall and studying with some of the great Hopkins professors of the era: Leo Spitzer, René Girard, George Boas and Nathan Nettleman, among others. His interests remained wide and varying, and his graduate work, then his teaching, encompassed a great deal of them.
"I've wandered," Macksey said succinctly, describing his path from this point forward. He has taught a wide variety of courses over the years on the Homewood campus and at the medical school. He taught in an experimental program called the History of Ideas and contributed to the creation of the Humanities Center as Hopkins students know it. Additionally, he taught in a program called the Physician in Society at the medical school, focusing on a variety of topics from medical literature to medical history and many things in between.
"The thing that I like about Hopkins is that you don't have to move very far, physically and in some ways intellectually, to find new terrain," he said, reflecting on how expansive his studies and his teaching have been. He has taught everything from film classes to literature to medical history.
Macksey fought in the Korean War and later attended Princeton University, where he studied ancient mathematics. He went to Hopkins for graduate school in 1953 with the intention of studying science and going to medical school. Instead, he earned a doctorate in comparative literature in 1957 and began to teach at the University two years later. He laughs at the reason for doing so - his need to get a job, since at this time he got married.
"At that time, and it's still true, you could mix and match degrees," Macksey said, explaining how he ended up taking humanities classes in Gilman Hall and studying with some of the great Hopkins professors of the era: Leo Spitzer, René Girard, George Boas and Nathan Nettleman, among others. His interests remained wide and varying, and his graduate work, then his teaching, encompassed a great deal of them.
"I've wandered," Macksey said succinctly, describing his path from this point forward. He has taught a wide variety of courses over the years on the Homewood campus and at the medical school. He taught in an experimental program called the History of Ideas and contributed to the creation of the Humanities Center as Hopkins students know it. Additionally, he taught in a program called the Physician in Society at the medical school, focusing on a variety of topics from medical literature to medical history and many things in between.
"The thing that I like about Hopkins is that you don't have to move very far, physically and in some ways intellectually, to find new terrain," he said, reflecting on how expansive his studies and his teaching have been. He has taught everything from film classes to literature to medical history.
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Glen Scutt
posted 2/26/10 @ 12:09 AM EST
BA JHU '60-'64. I took several courses with Dr. Macksey as an undergraduate. They included night sessions at his home as well as a trip to New York City (Marcel Marceau). (Continued…)
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