| Show A profile on Joe Woe Wood one working hard-working teacher BBB B HH I H When youre you're teaching youre you're lifting JD J.D. Hucks Contributing Writer T ATHO would want to toV WHO V V work at age 76 Most people are well into retirement retirement retirement retire retire- ment warm climate fancy motor homes and talking about the good old days One exception to this would be Joe Wood but most people call him him Uncle Joe Joe teaches history at the Sandy Campus He says the Sandy Campus is heaven on earth II Uncle Joe taught for twenty twenty ty years at Brigham Young University Uncle Joe has had his fair share of obstacles A stroke forced him to learn to walk and talk again This obstacle has left him with a partially partially partially par par- paralyzed arm and hand Joe hasn't always been a teacher When he was in his late forties he realized that accounting just wasn't for him and t that hat he her really e a 11 y wanted to teach young people That meant Joe had to go back to school Most people go back in their thir thir- ties but Joe went to get a masters master's and Ph PhD D in history because this is what he really wanted to teach I sat w with ft h Joe I late ate 0 one n e night I asked quest questions ons and listened to stories He said I Ilove Ilove Ilove love young people I love to teach I love to help them become become become be be- come better students The nickname Uncle Joe was started when he had a aniece aniece aniece niece in class at BYU She would raise her hand and address address ad- ad dress dross him bv by I Hove 1 love young young people I love to teach I love loveto to help them become better students Uncle Joe Everyone in inthe inthe inthe the class thought that's what he wanted tobe to tobe tobe be called so eventually the whole class started calling him Uncle Joe Joeand Joeand Joeand and the name has stuck ever since Uncle Joe taught his first class in 1 O 0 t H 6 7 7 Th PI co c 7 VJ U I. I 1 was a class of students mostly freshmen He says h he was just as nervous as they were He still remembers that class because they grew so close together He mentioned three women who made that class memorable for him Two of them were from Utah andone and andone andone one from California They were all roommates and didn't know each other until they were put together Tears came to the surface as he said the girl from California was killed in an automobile accident accident accident acci acci- dent about half way through the semester Many people from that class went to her funeral It was then that Uncle Joe knew he had made the right decision in becoming becoming becoming becom becom- ing a teacher He knew he was teaching about history life and helping others It was a February afternoon afternoon afternoon after after- noon and Uncle Joe was enjoying enjoying enjoying en en- a good game of tennis when he started to feel faint and dizzy He couldn't seethe see seethe seethe the ball so he lay down on the court He was not in pain but he knew he was going to blackout The last thing he remembers is being carried to the car where he lost consciousness He woke up in the hospi hospi- tal He tried to move but He was paralyzed He couldn't swallow He could only think to himself but that was all he could do Uncle Joe was lying in a hospital bed not knowing why or what to do They told him that he had a stroke Uncle Joe didn't know if he would ever teach again but he decided to fight it Uncle Joe was out of teaching for fors s seven eve n months Heo He o oft f t e n teaches a alesson alesson alesson lesson about United States d e n t Woodrow Wilson who had a stroke and couldn't hold meetings meetings meetings meet meet- ings for over overs s seven eve n months Joe wonders if President Wilson suffered suffered suffered suf suf- the BBB B HH I H 4 e h l lU U 1 V Nj N. N ari j j I Y I ti t IT I Photo by by Ed Life joe loe Wood same kind of stroke that he did Little by little Joe could move his body parts Doctors said that if anything is going to be restored and work again it will have to happen within the first few months The only thing that didn't recover was his right arm and hand Joe says The liThe handicap from the stroke isn't really a handicap I never have complained complained complained com com- about my stroke because because because be be- cause it made me fight all the themore themore themore more to achieve what I had dreamed of doing which was teaching I have had the chance to take a few classes from Uncle Joe He makes history come alive He makes it fun to learn He Ie starts every class with a liSp spiffy iffy Its five minutes of fun information meant to spiffy up your life Most people agree and call this the best part of his whole lecture BYU made Uncle Joe quit They said he was getting too old He missed teaching so much that a year after BYU let him go he went to and asked it they could use an old history professor hired Joe and later late awarded hi him with an achievement for teaching excellence told Uncle Joe that he could teach as long as he feels good Unde Uncle Joes Joe's eyes swell with tears when he talks about stu stu- stu- stu dents I computed that Ive I've had about stu stu- stu- stu dents I loved everyone of them I cant can't remember every name but when someone comes up to me and says they had me in a class 20 vears years ago ago 0 and how much they enjoyed it it jt pays great dividends Ive I've had a thousand dividends I feel such a closeness to every student t. t II Uncle Joe told me that being a teacher is a great call call- ing Probably better than a a doctor or a lawyer Maybe teachers dont don't get as much money but when youre you're teaching youre you're lifting That Thatis is why Joe is still teaching at athis athis his age 1 |
