Faculty and Staff
Ray Mize
MALS Part-time Instructor
Telephone: 910.642.7141, X350
E-mail: rmize@sccnc.edu
Webmaster comment: The following, an essay by Goldie Walton about Ray, provides the reader with an insight into one of MALS most popular instructors. He is, as Goldie says, a busy man. I'm sure he will provide a bio when he can. Until then, Goldie's (somewhat dated) essay will have to suffice. ---------- Perry
Ray Mize is a busy man. He is also an inspiring teacher and a gifted poet. I had the pleasure of taking a Viet Nam course with Ray during this past spring semester and a course in the Poetics of Ecology in the second session of summer school. I wanted to interview Ray because of the deep impression he made on me and the other students in the Viet Nam class. Fellow classmate, Robyn Dunning told me after that class was over that taking Ray’s class literally changed her life; she went on to observe that she felt no one left that class unchanged. I had to agree. Not a bad impression for the very first class Ray taught in the MALS program.
Based on this incredible experience, Robyn and I both (along with roughly half of the Viet Nam class) signed up for the Poetics of Ecology course in summer 2003. This class proved equally rewarding. Ray constantly amazed us with his almost encyclopedic knowledge of literature and the fact that he seems to have read everything. Aside from his incredible grasp of subject matter, Ray is an exceptionally generous teacher. He doesn’t just lecture, he sparks discussion and then sits back to let his students explore, discuss, and discover material with which he is already on speaking terms. His teaching by leading style of instruction is especially appealing to the MALS student.
Recently I sat down with Ray at Southeastern Community College where he teaches six English and Shakespearean courses to talk with him about his many interests and how we were fortunate enough to have him teach in the MALS program. I also heard from Mike Wentworth, MALS program director. Mike regards Ray as “ a natural born teacher and one of the most exceptionally gifted teachers I’ve encountered in over thirty years in higher education.” Wentworth originally became aware of Ray upon recommendation of one of Ray’s colleagues at Southeastern Community College, who referred to his “ legendary popularity and reputation” among both his colleagues and students at Southeastern. Though Ray has only taught two semesters in the MALS program, Ray’s legendary status comes as no surprise to Wentworth, who, already accustomed to unsolicited plaudits from Ray’s MALS students, observes, “Ray is that rare exemplary teacher-passionate, instinctively creative, good-humored and irresistibly engaging--who has a profoundly humanizing and self-exploratory impact upon the lives of his students. Ray is one of those teachers who quietly, though eloquently, truly makes a difference.” Wentworth then humorously adds, “Definitely everybody’s all-American and easily a firstround draft pick.”
Ray is a man who eludes easy categorization. An only child, he was raised in Red Springs, a town in the sand hills of North Carolina, “close to Nowhere.” Ray became interested in literature and the process of writing in high school, inspired by his tenth grade English teacher who managed to evoke in him his latent love of words and the power they convey. After high school Ray attended UNC-Chapel Hill and enlisted in the Army shortly after his graduation from college. Sent to Viet Nam, Ray declined to assume the rank of officer because he didn’t want to hold the fate of other men’s lives in his hands. He served honorably and left the Army after his initial enlistment. Ray returned to North Carolina and to Chapel Hill where he completed studies for his graduate degrees - in addition to an advanced degree in English, Ray also earned a Master’s degree in drama. He worked in theater and as a disc jockey for a radio station for some years before entirely devoting himself to teaching. Ray has taught on the college level for the past twenty-five years and he is a man who, despite the well-known hardships of teaching, truly loves his profession.
Accompanied by my friend and another student and admirer of Ray’s, Joan McKillop, I talked to him on the campus of Southeastern Commuunity College. We were constantly interrupted by passing students who enthusiastically called to Ray, whether to simply say hello or to ask a question. It is clear that he approachable and well-liked, even given his reputation as a “hard” teacher ( as much as we complain, the hard teachers are the ones we remember and respect the most). When he’s not teaching, Ray is taking courses or pursuing his other interests, including karate and a serious interest in taking a bus tour of literary sites in eastern North Carolina. He plans to take three seminar courses this fall at Chapel Hill but that is just the beginning of his extra-curricula activities. He is a writer as well as an award winning poet and is presently working on a biography of A. R. Ammons, a Columbus County poet who is thought by some critics to be America’s greatest poet since Emerson. Ray became friends with him before his death and was given permission by Ammons to complete his life story - a task Ray considers a labor of love. (Look for an upcoming MALS course on Ammons this coming 2004 summer session.) When we left him Joan, never one to mince words, looked and me and said, “Why is he not teaching at UNC-W all the time?” Good question, Joan.
Ray presently lives in Whiteville with his wife, Betty, and his adorable and brilliant children, Connor and Sarah. Having met them all I can personally attest to his wife’s loveliness and the extraordinary charm, high spirits and intelligence of his children. He is a truly remarkable asset to the MAlS program and MALS students only regret is that he doesn’t teach full-time in the program.
Last Update: January 13, 2006
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