By: Dan Shepherd

Throughout his 12 year tenure as a professor of education at Western, Dr. John Ellis distinguished himself as deeply passionate about his content and about his students. His courses always included highly engaging lessons that modeled well for future teachers what good science instructors should routinely do, make science real — and real fun — for students.  

On any given day, future elementary science teachers could be found in his classroom opening owl pellets and putting the bones of a mouse back together, or they might be huddled in groups, making roller coasters from ball bearings and foam tubing.  As a result of his innovative instruction, students, on their end-of-course assessments, routinely rated him one of the most effective professors within his department, a department filled with experienced and gifted teachers.

While students greatly enjoyed his creative instructional approaches, they appreciated his obvious heart for them and their learning even more.  Students often commented that he was their “favorite professor,” one whose passion for them and for his subject were obvious.

In addition to his teaching, Dr. Ellis showed his support for students outside the classroom through his photography; he was a common fixture at most athletic events, camera in hand, taking excellent pictures of student-athletes in action.  

Clearly, Dr. Ellis was a credit to Western, embodying its highest ideals or service and sacrifice, and though he will be missed by students and peers alike, his impact on the lives of the teachers he trained will live on in the learning of those teachers’ students.