Watson College of Education Mourns Passing of Colleague
Dr. Saul Bachner, 87, professor emeritus in the Watson College of Education, passed away Thursday, February 24, 2011. He was living in Seal Beach, California at the time. Dr. Bachner was a long time member of the faculty here and touched the lives of everyone with whom he interacted. He began his work at UNCW in 1971 and retired in 2001.
His typical response when asked, “How are you doing,” was, simply, “Superb.” His positive attitude, enthusiasm for teaching and learning, and his dedication to the teaching profession have been a blessing to all of us including faculty and staff at the university, university students, public school teachers and administrators, and public school students. He once told a junior faculty member who had just started working at UNCW, “If you don’t like working at UNCW, you don’t like working anywhere.” Others have described him using words such as kind, caring, great example, wonderful role model, true friend, and excellent teacher. Faculty report being with Saul when he saw a student he had previously taught. He always knew the student’s name, where they sat in the class, and the topic of one of their term papers. It didn’t matter if he had had taught the student in the previous semester or 20 years earlier.
Dr. Bachner was loved by all. He will be sorely missed. Our lives are better because of our association with him.
His obituary in the Wilmington Star News can be accessed online.
There is also an oral transcript online of Dr. Bachner.
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