By Michele Walsky | Assistant Editor
Photo courtesy of MWCC
Biology Professor William Nutting died on February 2nd. A member of the faculty since 1972, his students remember him as an enthusiastic teacher willing to give his time to help them succeed.
“From my first impression of him, I knew he expected us to be motivated,” said Jaclyn Esparza, a second-year nursing student who took microbiology in 2015. “His class was hard but he gave us everything we needed to know. We followed his lectures and highlighted the note packet he gave us. He knew who was putting in the time and he was always willing to explain and answer questions.”
“Maybe he didn’t have a Microsoft surface,” Kim Cook, another second year nursing student added. “He didn’t upload powerpoints or educate through podcasts. The old school projector and old school dictation was what he used, but he always taught to his roots and kept his students grounded. He was always searching for new stories and material. When you were able to stick around after class and ask questions or meet with him for insight into things you couldn’t understand, he lit up.”
“I was having trouble with a particular unit in microbiology,” former student Beverlee Ferreira said. “I wasn’t getting it. I just wasn’t getting it and I resigned to the fact that it wasn’t meant to be.”
But Nutting did not want her to leave befuddled.
“He stayed after class and walked me through it. That was the kind of teacher he was,” Ferreira said. She looked past the professor persona and saw the human behind the curtain. “He was adorable,” Ferreira smiled. “I told my A & P II professor this, and it somehow got back to him. He asked our class if anyone was taking A & P, and I felt so embarrassed, I didn’t raise my hand. But I could tell he was flattered by it.”
“He was funny,” Esparza recalled. “He had a lot of stories to tell, keeping us entertained.”
According to the faculty bio he wrote for his 25 years of service, his enthusiasm is something he attributed to early mentors here at MWCC. Fresh from Fitchburg State, a generic gig as student teacher in the science department sparked a love for the subject and the Mount. A foot in the door as lab technician led to a long career. Despite his credentials, in his profile he stated, “I’m simply Bill.”
Nutting earned his master’s degree in 1989 and taught evening classes. He became a full-fledged professor in the early 1990s. A catalyst behind the greenhouse’s genesis, he nurtured the project for 19 years and was also an influence for the new science wing. His zest for science has inspired students for decades, as is apparent from the array of comments left on rateyourprofessor.com.
Professor LeFrancois memorialized his friend in a seven stanza poem. The essence is featured here:
From General Biology to Human Health to Microbiology;
Each course in its turn, all things drenched in biology!
Bill accomplished much in his nearly seventy years of trying;
Courses written, Academic Affairs handled,
Biology Chair work satisfying!
For four decades, students learned of microbes in their life;
Bill guided them in their studies, he helped them with their strife.
To his younger colleagues, Bill served as mentor and advisor;
He taught about the microscope, he demonstrated staining, a full lab tour!
Memories of Bill will always remain, his laughter and his smile;
His life’s work resides in his teaching; his lessons stretch many a mile.
—William LeFrancois
To see the full poem, click here.
According to his obituary, Nutting was an avid traveler, scuba diver and quilter. To read his memorial, go to Shaw-Majercik’s website at http://www.shaw-majercik.com/notices/William-Nutting.
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