Nowadays, it seems as though the only professors that manage to make a lasting impression on students are the ones that are notably generous graders, monotonous and boring or extremely tough.

However, there are certain professors that have the ability to spread their passion for the subjects they teach to others.Professor Charles Gregory is one of those teachers.

Gregory has been teaching at CSUS since the fall of 1966 and has made the final decision to retire at the end of this semester.

“The one thing I’ll miss when I leave, when I retire, will be the students and the classroom,” he said, adding: “To be a little frank, I’m getting too old to grade all those papers.”

After obtaining a doctorate degree in British and American Literature as well as Composition at Columbia University, Gregory arrived to CSUS and taught its very first film course in 1967.Presently, CSUS offers a minor in film studies. The area emphasizes various aspects of course work and independent study within the film enterprise.

At 67, Gregory still teaches his appreciation and criticisms of film in ENGL 197G, Films of Great Directors.

In the class, students have the opportunity to view, analyze and discuss the role of the director in the creation of excellent films.English graduate student Andrea White said that he makes class “really fun.”

When asked to rate Gregory as a professor on a scale of 1-to-10, White said, “I’d put him up there at a nine or 10…. I like him, I think he’s neat.”

In addition, senior English major Julie Artesi said, “He’s funny. He brings things from his past that he had experienced from college, or when he was in high school…. And then he relates them to the film.”

Gregory’s enthusiasm for film was developed when he was a young child with the aid of his mother, who would take him to the theater weekly.

“I was taken to film as a little boy and when I was a teenager I was taken into New York to go to live theater…. And it’s always been a part of my life,” he said.

After having the privilege to meet with this professor and speak to his current students, I cannot help but to share their disappointment that Gregory is going to retire.

Gregory said that one of the most satisfying highlights of his teaching career is “keeping in touch with former students…. Students who are now in their mid-50s or so.”

Ultimately, Gregory hopes that students who liked the courses he taught “appreciate that I care about the material and have a great love for film.”

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