John Walkup, Professor Emeritus,
Electrical and Computer Engineering,
Texas Tech University

[May 7, 2009] —One of my faculty friends here in the San Francisco Bay area told me about a memorial service for a colleague that he and his wife once attended. The eulogy was only about the individual’s professional life: his awards, honors, books and journal articles.

“I want no similar litany of accomplishments at my own memorial service,” my friend told his wife. “I would like the speakers to describe my qualities as a man. I would like them to discuss the effect of my life on the people around me—those I loved, taught, and mentored.”

I was really struck by his words. Though now retired, he remains a well recognized and honored professor at his university with many books and journal articles in his name. Yet he saw beyond those things to something more important.

Professional accomplishments bring recognition from our peers, but they will be forgotten –sometimes sooner than we imagine. Within two years of my retirement, our team’s $1,000,000-plus laboratory facility was effectively cannibalized by other departmental faculty. Now, a decade later, it has been completely torn out and the only reminder that it once existed is the sign “Optical Systems Laboratory” on the door into the main hallway.

What I Recall From My Career

During my 27 years at Texas Tech I received a number of awards and compiled what some would consider a substantial publication record. Today I am hard pressed to give you the titles of even a few of those research publications. What I do recall vividly is the great fun my faculty colleagues and I had interacting with the nearly 75 graduate students who earned their masters’ and doctoral degrees in our laboratory.

These memories include lab parties at our home, student/faculty trips to present papers at professional society conferences, and a great many group pizza & salad lunches either in our lab or at local eateries. Many of these memories involve friendships with students who were then or have since become followers of Jesus Christ.

Carl Sandburg wrote that time “is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent.” There is a cost associated with making time for ministry activities in our busy faculty lives. Yet my experiences tell me that the rewards are great.

The world may consider these priorities to be upside down, but God’s Word reminds us that they will be producing treasures in Heaven that will last for a whole lot longer than some of the things routinely listed on our vitas.

Have a wonderful summer.

© 2009 John Walkup

[This is the final MMM of the semester – Ed.]