BRIAN HUSS
When I first arrived in Potsdam I thought David Curry was a cult leader. The philosophy students talked to each other with great ease and much familiarity, they would finish each others’ sentences in class, they were all invigorated by philosophy in much the same way. They were a tight-knit group, to say the least, and they had a similar outlook on things. Criterion #1 for a cult satisfied. I quickly became aware that this similar attitude stemmed from their experiences with David, both in and out of the classroom. I regularly overheard students or had students say directly to me, “His course changed my life.” Really, that’s what they would say—not, “He’s a really good teacher,” or “I loved that course” or “He’s the best teacher that I’ve ever had.” I mean, they would say those things too, but again and again I heard about how his courses were life-changing. Criterion #2 for a cult satisfied.
Thankfully, I quickly learned that I had not gotten myself involved in a Curry cult, but rather landed at a place with one of the best teachers of all time. The love of philosophy and the love for David that students demonstrated was not due to indoctrination but rather to the tough love he practiced. He was the reason that they learned to think hard, to like thinking hard, to be curious, and to try to be good persons. And David didn’t so much invite them to do these things as force them to do these things. That’s maybe a little bit like what a cult leader would do, but a cult leader doesn’t teach people to think for themselves, and he certainly did that. I went from being a little scared of what turned out to be a nonexistent cult to being mightily intimidated by David. Luckily, he put me at ease. He did so not by letting me know that it was OK if I wasn’t as good a teacher as him, but rather by teaching me how to become a better teacher. This is his way, and one of the many reasons why he is awesome.
When I first arrived in Potsdam I thought David Curry was really two or more people. I had no other explanation for how he managed to do all that he did. David didn’t just do a great thing here or there for the Philosophy Department. Instead, he constantly did a lot of great things for the department, philosophy students, his colleagues, the university, his community, and his friends and family. He’s an amazing, machine-like worker who is always making sacrifices for others. Given his talent for teaching and his passion for education, people usually benefit from his sacrifices by learning something. How can one person do all of this so well? I’m still not entirely sure.
After I got to know David Curry a little bit better, I started to suspect that he was the reincarnation of Mark Twain, or Dorothy Parker, maybe Oscar Wilde—a great conversationalist with great intelligence and wit. This is perhaps the way in which I (selfishly) value him most.
An anecdote might help to explain why: David and I would often talk about teaching and the challenges we faced in the classroom. One day I complained that my students seemed to show too much reverence for me; I wanted them to be more eager, to challenge me more in class, to be braver, and to generally be more at ease speaking their minds in my presence. I explained that I tried to encourage a less deferential attitude by making attempts at self-deprecating humor in class, by using examples from my own life in an attempt to make myself more relatable, etc.; I ended by saying, “I don’t understand why they seem to be so intimidated by me.” David immediately responded, “Well of course they’re intimidated. I mean, look at yourself! You obviously don’t care what you look or sound like! That’s intimidating.” I found this response both hilarious and very helpful. And that’s what it’s like to talk to David. His kind, funny, disarming honesty and candor is so rare that I have never met anyone else even a little bit comparable.
David Curry is not a cult leader, he is not two people, and he is not Mark Twain. But he is one of the best people—I mean is one of the best examples of a person—I have ever known. Congratulations on your retirement.