I walked into the tiered classroom with a combination of anticipation and apprehension. Professor Walton was purported to be one of the best teachers at our small liberal arts college and it had taken me until third semester of junior year to snag a seat in his most popular course,
"Politics and Environmental Policy".
It wasn't like all reviews I'd heard had been positive - he was known as an extremely tough grader and the course carried a heavy reading load. But as far as it being one of the best courses offered in my Poly Sci major by one of the most dynamic professors on campus...that was not in dispute. And it hopefully explains my first day jitters as I entered the newly renovated classroom and took it all in.
I meandered over to a seat in the second row center; the rows of seats all arcing around the central focus of the dais. I had arrived early so I could have my choice. I settled in, got my laptop out and plugged it in. I looked around the room as it started to fill up. I may have been imagining things, but it felt like there was a hush in the air, unlike the usual nervous pre-class banter of the first day of a new semester.
The room of fifty was completely filled, nary a seat to spare, when the door opened and a tall figure strode into the room with an air of confidence and assurance. It was Professor Walton and he was moving fast enough to make the paisley wool scarf around his neck fly backwards. I could tell all eyes were on him - it was like his reputation had preceded his entry into the classroom by a few minutes. He knew all eyes were upon him as well.
He hung up his coat and scarf with a flourish, threw his jaunty hat on a wall hook, got himself settled and walked up to the lectern to greet the class. He was wearing a white shirt and gray casual sport coat, black slacks and sharp shoes. His hair was wavy and long and almost completely white. He looked incredibly distinguished and erudite. His tortoise shell glasses framed icy blue eyes that now looked out over the assembled class as he placed both of his big hands on either side of the lectern. I noticed immediately that he was not wearing any rings.
You could have heard a pin drop as he smiled warmly and swiveled his head from one side of the room to the other, taking in his new group of students. He paused, and then bellowed with a deep piercing voice.
"Good afternoon, class, and welcome to Politics and Environmental Policy."
One sentence. That's all it took. He could have been reading from the phone book as far as I was concerned. I was hooked. He commanded the room and took total control of the dais. Almost every eye was upon him, except those who were afraid to look him in the eye. That was one of the things I remember noticing so strongly that first day and every day thereafter: his intense eye contact with each and every student in the class.
Then he did something else very few of my teachers had ever done. He spent the entire first class getting to know us. Each of us were given thirty seconds to tell him our name and a little bit about ourselves. He might follow up with a quick question or two, but it gave the entire class a chance to say a few words.
My time came and I stood up, nervous, but excited. I felt the laser focus of his gaze and the eyes of all my peers upon me as I rose
"My name is Artina Beck. I'm a junior majoring in Poly Sci. I grew up in Philly, but was born in Iceland and moved to the US with my parents - my father was Icelandic and my mother Norwegian - when I was two. I...well, I think I'm going to wish this course was meeting five days a week instead of two."
This comment met with a few laughs and a crinkled smile from Professor Walton. I sat down, relieved, but excited. By the time the last person had had their say the class had a completely different dynamic than it had when it had started. I could tell already there would be great chemistry. One of the bolder male students raised his hand.
"How about thirty seconds from you, Professor?"
He smiled and responded. "I'm Henrik Walton - age 62 - and I've been teaching here for 27 years. I have a PhD in Political Science from Columbia and an undergrad from, well, here. I teach here at a small liberal arts college because I truly love interacting with students eager to learn - such as yourselves."
The class responded with an ovation as the bell rang and everyone began to pack up and head for the door.
From there the class took off and it became the best class I had ever attended. Professor Walton was a dynamic instructor with a keen intellect. The lectern had a microphone, but his deep voice was powerful enough that he never used it. He'd occasionally stand behind the lectern, but mostly he wandered the dais that spanned the width of the classroom, using his body language as much as his voice to make a point.
He was a natty dresser, but inconsistently so. One day he might be wearing an expensive well-tailored suit and stylish tie, looking like he'd just met with the Chancellor or a visiting dignitary. Other days he'd be dressed more casually in jeans or khakis. But he always looked good in whatever attire he had chosen for the day.
My struggle became keeping my mind on the subject matter and not on the man presenting it. I couldn't help being attracted to Professor Walton and sometimes found myself fantasizing about him instead of listening to him. It took an effort to focus and take good notes and not let myself get distracted by the sheer magnitude of his presence, as well as his powerful sexual personae.