This year, the College of Arts & Letters will bid farewell to five of some of the most longest-standing faculty members at the College as they retire after several years of teaching, conducting research, and transforming Michigan State University.
Together, these retiring faculty represent 182 years of service to the University.
Those faculty members who are retiring this year with more than 25 years of service, include:
- Professor Marcia Aldrich, Department of English
- Associate Professor Sally Helvenston Gray, Department of Art, Art History, and Design
- Professor James Lawton, Department of Art, Art History, and Design
- Associate Professor Susan McCombs, Department of Art, Art History, and Design
- Associate Professor Robert McKinley, Department of Religious Studies
All of these faculty members will retire on May 16, except for Helvenston Gray, who is retiring August 16.
Marcia Aldrich
Marcia Aldrich was hired as a scholar through the Department of English in 1990 to cover the field of American modern poetry. She began by teaching Honors College classes and Introduction to Poetry, but eventually transitioned to teaching courses in creative nonfiction.
Aldrich, along with Steve Arch, created the thesis program for the Department of English, which includes the requirement that every English major complete a thesis assignment, an internship, or a capstone course by gradation. She also served as Staff Advisor for the Red Cedar Review, starting in 2000 and saving the undergraduate publication from collapse. Additionally, she served as Editor of Fourth Genre, a literary journal featuring memoirs and personal essays.
Aldrich has forged a way for herself in the creative writing world. Among her most notable publications are Girl Rearing and Companion to an Untold Story. She is currently working on her newest publication, Waveform, which will bring together the work of 30 women essayists.
Sally Helvenston Gray
After graduating from Florida State University and teaching elementary school music for several years, Sally Helvenston Gray decided to return to school and receive her M.A. in Apparel Design and her Ph.D. in Home Economics. In 1985, she was hired as a Professor at Michigan State University in the Department of Human Environment and Design in the College of Human Ecology. She has served as an Associate Professor in the Department of Art, Art History, and Design since 2007.
Among Helvenston Gray’s most substantial contributions to the University is her role in transitioning the Apparel and Textile Design Program from the Department of Human Ecology to the Department of Art, Art History, and Design. Additionally, she served as curator of the Historic Dress and Textiles Collection, which began in the 1930s in the College of Human Ecology and has now been transferred to the MSU Museum. Her academic research focuses on dress studies, dress history, and material culture, specifically in 19th century women.
Helvenston Gray has been involved with the International Textile and Apparel Association as well as the Costume Society of America, where she held leadership positions, both regionally and nationally, and was awarded fellow in 2007. She also served as Editor of Dress, the scholarly journal of the society. Post-retirement, she hopes to travel, garden, and continue to publish her research.
James Lawton
James Lawton has served 49 years as Professor in the Department of Art, Art History, and Design (formerly the Department of Art at the time he was hired). Over Lawton’s career at MSU, he has served as Acting Chair of AAHD, Coordinator of the Sculpture Discipline and A-D Area, and now the Co-coordinator of the Sculpture program.
Lawton has conducted research for MSU’s interdisciplinary research team (CULT) to investigate how the corporate arts and crafts experiences have influenced business practices and economic inventiveness. He also has researched mixed media sculpture and new technologies, which, most recently, resulted in offers to share his research in Greece and China.
Additionally, Lawton established the first student gallery, created the Student Art Store in Kresge Art Center, and developed a study abroad program to France and Italy. In the 1990s, he assisted with renovations to the sculpture facilities to integrate the program into what was deemed at the time as, the “Golden Age of Sculpture.” Lawton’s career at MSU has allowed him to engage in academia on four separate continents. After he retires, he would like to travel, work on his art, and continue enjoying his favorite hobby, sailing.
Susan McCombs
Susan McCombs began her career at MSU in 1987 in the Department of Art (now the Department of Art, Art History, and Design). She was one of the first professors to teach Integrative Studies in the Arts and Humanities (IAH) classes, as well as one of the first professors on campus to develop online courses. McCombs is the recipient of the Mortar Board Excellence in Teaching Award.
Having studied the Byzantine Empire for the duration of her academic
career, McCombs currently is working with scientists at UCLA to find a cure for tuberculosis and leprosy by translating medical manuscripts written during the Medieval period. Post-retirement, she is looking forward to exploring new hobbies, including yoga and ceramics, and spending time with her family.
Robert McKinley
Robert McKinley was hired as an Assistant Professor by Michigan State University in 1973 and received his Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Michigan in 1975. He began his career at MSU working in the Department of Anthropology and switched to the Department of Religious Studies during the 1993-1994 school year. He has taught abroad at the University of Malaya, the National University of Singapore, and Australian National University, and his work has led him to speak at a Cell Symposium Conference and for the American Society of Ethnohistory, among others.
McKinley’s research has allowed him to participate in fieldwork in South East Asia and explore tribal cultures, including siblingship, child adoption, political life, and rituals in Malay culture.
McKinley recently published Stone Age World System: How Humans Were Global from Day One (When Ever That Was?!), and now is working on another publication, entitled The Holy Occupation Revisited: Religious Diversity Among the World’s Hunter-Gatherers. He would like to continue his research in his retirement.
Written by Alexandria Drzazgowski, Professional Writing Major
