RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. (April 28, 2008)--Andy Anders, Jerry Canerday and Dr. Steve Shry were honored with a retirement reception hosted by the Arkansas Tech University School of Liberal and Fine Arts at the Chambers Cafeteria East Dining Hall on Thursday, April 24.
Anders, Canerday and Shry will all retire from their teaching duties at Arkansas Tech following the conclusion of the 2007-08 academic year. Combined, they have given 87 years of service to Arkansas Tech.
A 1967 Tech graduate, Anders was hired as instructor of low brass at Arkansas Tech in 1968 after earning his master’s degree from Northwestern University. He has stayed for 40 years, adding the responsibilities of department chair in 1998. Anders will retire as an associate professor of music.
“I was a sophomore double-majoring in math and music,” said Anders of the moment when he chose his life’s path. “During that time, there was a really big push for math and science, but I just loved my tuba. I got to thinking about it, and I had never actually met one, but I knew that there had to be low brass teachers at other colleges like Arkansas Tech. So that became my goal, and for Tech to add that position and for me to actually end up with it was just a miracle.”
Canerday is a 1988 graduate of Arkansas Tech. He went on to earn a Master of Arts from the University of Arkansas in 1991, and three years later, he joined the Tech faculty. He will retire from Arkansas Tech as an assistant professor of geography.
“I ran a muffler shop for 17 years, and that work was too hard,” said Canerday. “I thought teaching might be a little bit easier, but I was fooled on that too. It’s a lot of hard work, but the opportunity to work with these students has been well worth it. The faculty members here are friendly and dedicated, and that is something that we should all appreciate. We have a lot of good students here. For the most part, the students that have gone through the classes that I have taught have worked hard and done well. That’s what makes it worthwhile.”
Shry, professor of psychology at Arkansas Tech, is a 1963 graduate of Michigan State University. He added a Master of Arts degree from Southern Illinois University in 1965 and earned his Ph.D. from Oklahoma State University in 1968. Shry has been a member of the Tech faculty since 1975.
“Arkansas Tech was a very warm, friendly place when I initially came here,” said Shry. “I met a lot of friends, and we’ve had a very close-knit community for most of the time I was here. I decided that after 40 years of teaching, it was probably time to move on. The good students have continued to keep in touch with me, and I think what I imparted to them was critical thinking.”
