Whittier College bade a fond and tearful farewell to three beloved professors this spring. As they prepare to move on to the next chapter of their professional and personal lives, they took a moment to reflect on their Poet past and to share future plans.
During his more than four decades at Whittier, Professor of Political Science Fred Bergerson has specialized in bureaucratic politics, international and homeland security policy, and civil-military relations. He has taught courses from the fundamental, Introduction to Political Science, to the original, Federalism and Urban Life, and his signature JanTerm course, Warfare: Pursuit of Military Security.
In his retirement, Bergerson plans to spend time with his family, maintain his involvement in politics, and, above all, stay connected with his former students. Bergerson jests that he will spend his retired life imitating his un-retired life to the best of his ability—occupying his time with familiar activities like talking with past students and “being actively aggravated” by politicians.
Bergerson will truly miss his “extended family” at Whittier. He cherishes the joy and insights shared between him and students over the years, as well as time spent with his colleagues, “raising questions about contemporary society, politics, policy, each other, students, the world, the future, and the past.”
“It means so much to me to have been surrounded by such wonderful people,” reflects Bergerson, “people whose lives I have changed, and who have changed my life.”
Joseph L. Price is the Genevieve Shaul Connick Professor of Religious Studies and co-director and founder of the Whittier College Institute for Baseball Studies. Price has taught more than 30 different courses at Whittier, including original creations like, Modern Doubt, Theology Through Film, and Sport, Play, and Ritual.
Following his retirement, Price will continue to work on several projects, including volunteering with the Institute for Baseball Studies and writing books for the Sports and Religion series which he edits for Mercer University Press. His latest book, Perfect Pitch, The National Anthem for the National Pastime, was released in April. He also plans to keep busy researching “food and faith” at the Huntington Library and gardening the hillside at his home.
As he prepares for his retirement, Price looks back fondly on his time at Whittier. “I’ll be wistful as I miss working (and playing) with colleagues and interacting with smiling students,” says Price, “and I’ll be delighted to miss the stacks of essays on my desk awaiting grading.”
Professor of Education and Child Development and former Director of the Broadoaks Children’s School Judith Wagner is a distinguished educator who has taught all levels, from preschool to university; and all over the world, including the U.S., Denmark, China, and Korea, among others.
Although Wagner is retiring from Whittier and Broadoaks, her work will continue on many fronts. Wagner will proceed with three ongoing research projects and continue her role as chief administrative officer for OMEP (The World Organization for Early Childhood Education) at the United Nations (UN) and serve as OMEP’s liaison to UNICEF’s Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Unit. At the UN she will continue her work with the Committee on Migration, focusing on migrant children’s issues.
She’s also serving on the multi-national UNESCO Early Childhood Global Action Plan committee on Education for Sustainable Development and on the Early Childhood Peace Consortium sponsored by UNICEF and Yale University. Most recently, she was appointed to the board of directors at Joan Macy School—David and Margaret’s Youth and Family Services.
Beyond her many academic and diplomatic ventures, Wagner also has plans to travel (“just for fun”) with husband, Richard Contreras ’62.
Wagner deeply values the years she spent inspiring Whittier students to become future leaders in education. Above all, Wagner says that she will miss having daily interactions with college students and faculty colleagues, as well as with the children, parents, and staff at Broadoaks.