Comments on: Slideshow: Remembering Gene Clough, a teacher with boundless passion and curiosity

By: Kara Banigan Mertz '03

Kara Banigan Mertz '03 — Sun, 17 Nov 2024 16:58:36 +0000

I have fond memories of the geology course I took with Gene. The material was fascinating and Gene made learning accessible and interesting. He was generous with his time and worked tirelessly to instill an appreciation in his students for what lies beyond our atmosphere. I will always remember him sharing with the class a story of a previous student who demonstrated this appreciation through a simple shift in their day-to-day life: when walking outside, this student used to look down at their feet but after taking a class with Gene they looked up at the sky instead. I appreciate this perspective and how it speaks to the importance of looking beyond personal concerns to connect with the broader human experience and the world around us. Through this story, Gene shared his mission to encourage humility, empathy, and maintain clarity about what truly matters by keeping life in perspective. Thank you, Gene, you will be missed.

By: Bob Muldoon

Bob Muldoon — Wed, 13 Nov 2024 00:27:16 +0000

I believe Gene started out as a tenure track Physics professor circa 1978 with a PhD from Cal Tech. One might have fully expected that he would retire as a full tenured professor. No matter. His different path seems to have benefited many. Many of us have complicated and bittersweet relationships with �ֲ��ý. I believe it’s a testament to something special about him that he stayed on in roles that might be wholly unexpected of a man with his credentials. He found peace with �ֲ��ý. Many would not or could not. Godspeed Gene.

By: Holly Gurney

Holly Gurney — Tue, 12 Nov 2024 20:50:09 +0000

Gene Clough was not only a genius with a gentle heart, but was also just a little bit magical. His nightly telescope vigils outside Carnegie were not only famous with �ֲ��ý students, but also with college faculty, staff, and their families. After leaving the campus to pick up my daughter at daycare, we had to pass by Carnegie and Chase Halls in the evenings on our way home. Invariably a nonstop stream of “stop”, “Mom I want to see Professor Clough and his telescope”, and “I WANT TO SEE SATURN” flowed from the back of my car. My daughter, like many other children of �ֲ��ý faculty and staff, had the gift of getting Gene at his best as he weaved his enormous knowledge with his ability to meet the joy of a child’s discovery at their level. We spent many a cold 30–40 minutes out there with Gene over the years. My daughter often notes even today that she can find Saturn thanks to Professor Clough.

During the latter months of his life, Gene required full time care in a memory assisted living residence. I found him there at the dinner table one night seated next to my own mother who also lived there. He knew me, and even more he knew my now 20 year old daughter immediately. I once again had the joy of talking with Gene–and with Sylvia who enacted all the love and loyalty of a fellow �ֲ��ýie as she oversaw his care as his health failed. He was truly one of a kind and one of the best gifts that �ֲ��ý College offered to generations of students, faculty, staff and families. Gene, you were and are much loved and will be missed every day.

By: Gary Russell

Gary Russell — Tue, 12 Nov 2024 01:26:05 +0000

Every day I worked at �ֲ��ý (2010-2014) as the Audiovisual Engineer, I would find remnants of Genes work. Hand made parts for the BCTV network he built or something in the overhead of Ohlin Arts auditorium.
I could sit for hours while he explained how and why he did things a certain way.
Gene was so eager to share his knowledge and never looked or spoke down to those less fortunate to be as brilliant as he.
Our universe has lost a good one.

By: Sylvia Deschaine

Sylvia Deschaine — Fri, 08 Nov 2024 01:45:36 +0000

In reply to Laurie O’Higgins. Thanks Laurie. That is very kind of you. I’m so blessed to be part of this wonderful community. Gene got very close to me, and all I can say is that he holds a special place in my heart. And always will!

By: James Stern '88

James Stern '88 — Tue, 05 Nov 2024 05:24:43 +0000

Gene was always so smart, interesting, quirky, and too selfless and thoughtful of others. Gene contacted me for my 30th reunion and told me he had my lab notebook….surprising, yet not out of the realm of unusually kind and thoughtful for Gene. We made plans to meet when I arrived back at �ֲ��ý and he handed me a time capsule gift. I remember so well the unique things he told me as a student. For example Gene told me that he was never bored because he always had some problem he was working on, so if he were waiting (like for a bus, queuing, or a missed connection), he’s just pull out the problem and get back to work on the solution. I was not his most promising physics student, but I told him how much I use what I learned from him in my every day practice of law helping my clients. (eg. understanding and critiquing accident reconstruction). Gene was so interesting and interested. The world is less so without him and I’m never bored because of what he taught me.

By: Victoria M Sheffield

Victoria M Sheffield — Mon, 04 Nov 2024 17:10:31 +0000

Dear Noah, what a beautifully written, comprehensive obituary to your beloved professor. How lucky you were to have known and engaged with him! It incorporated his many achievements without reading like a CV!

By: ROGER BERGERON ‘73

ROGER BERGERON ‘73 — Sat, 02 Nov 2024 15:04:48 +0000

In mid 1990 I was a practicing Optometrist in downtown Lewiston. As part of his “Experiencing Disabilities” course ,Professor Clough came to my office and asked if I could make people experience blindness. He was having trouble using blacked out goggles for eight hours a day. After making sure that I was not causing long term eye problems, I ordered blacked out contact lenses for several students. After examining and fitting the students to the lenses and doing periodic checkups over several weeks, the students successfully wore the lenses for Gene’s course. He was a very able man and was always very concerned about doing no harm to the students. I can say that we both learned a lot from the experience and it was one of the highlights of my career as an Optometrist. Rest In Peace Professor Gene.

By: Katherine Cameron

Katherine Cameron — Sat, 02 Nov 2024 00:39:33 +0000

Gene was special in many ways. He was the kind of person that one would like to have as a family member. His genius and good natured personality were a pleasure to behold and he will be missed.

By: Claire Lavallee

Claire Lavallee — Fri, 01 Nov 2024 23:25:00 +0000

Rest in Peace dear Gene. I will always treasure our daily conversation regarding “The �ֲ��ý Daily” and how you worked tireless to publish each and every day on the BCTV Daily Schedule. You were very special to so many students who loved your enthusiasm for teaching. You were LOVED by many.