"Boys are pilots. Girls are stewardesses," said ASU history professor Chris Smith to a large crowd of responsive chuckles in the very last lecture he would ever give. At least his last one in theory.
In the third part of ASU's 8th Annual Last Lecture Series, Smith delivered "Looking for History Everywhere and Anywhere I Can Find It: Insights from the American Material and Pop Culture" on Tuesday night in the Memorial Union.
Smith covered topics ranging from children's literature and war to ASU society in the early 1960s and Woody Allen stories, just to name a few.
Each Spring, ASU students recognize extraordinary teaching by nominating their favorite professor to give a lecture as if it was their last. Professors are nominated in February and a student committee decides who the winners are.
This year, there were 106 nominees, but only three professors, including Smith, won.
"I was very pleased and honored that my students had nominated me," Smith said.
He added that history is what gets him up in the morning. He has been teaching history since 1961 and has been doing so at ASU since 1971. He specializes in American cultural history and modern American cultural history, which is an analysis of daily life.
"Often historians don't cast their nets wide enough to look at all the material available that can teach you something about the past," said Smith, who was also presented with a certificate of appreciation for his dedication to teaching.
"It [the lecture] was enjoyable," said geology/history senior Mark Howe, who is also in one of Smith's classes. "There was a lot of history, a lot of humor and he incorporated a lot from his class."
Geological sciences senior Tony Salem also attended the lecture. While Salem is not one of Smith's students, he said he enjoyed the lecture.
"I thought he had a lot of very interesting things to say," he added. "I like the whole concept of someone actually being able to give a talk like it's their last. Especially the fact that it's a student-nominated thing. These are people that obviously make a real connection with their students and their students actually like them that much that they spend the time to come to this thing."
Howe said he thought Smith covered quite a few topics in just one hour, although he didn't get to cover everything.
"He tried to sum up his whole life," he added. "You never have enough time."
Smith, a collector of historic artifacts, invited the audience to go on stage after the lecture to view some of his belongings and collections, including campaign buttons from just about every election since Jimmy Carter's.
"What a wonderful blend of students," Smith said. "I think ASU has been a marvelous place to teach and I love the students. God willing and good health, I'll be around for a while."
The lecture was held on the 2nd floor of the Memorial Union's Pima Room and included a 7 p.m. reception with refreshments. The lecture began at 7:30 p.m. and lasted approximately one hour.
Two other professors, Greg Durham from the finance department and communication teacher Daniel Brouwer, received their awards and gave their "last lectures" in April.
Stephanie Anderson is a reporter for the Web Devil. Reach her at stephanie.j.anderson@asu.edu.
