“The department chairman asked me what I wanted as a retirement gift so I told him I wanted an iPod,” says Education and Human Services (EHS) Professor Joseph McCarthy in reference to his sell-out Popular Songs seminar.
Education and Human Services Professor Joseph McCarthy
McCarthy, who retired in 2007, first came to Suffolk in the early 70s and has taught in both the EHS and History departments. Had he been an Oxford don in the 19th century, he would probably have been classified as a generalist. Then again, this would be an atypical Oxford don with his blue jeans, sneakers and Claddaugh earring.
McCarthy’s teaching career at Suffolk has moved from one area of interest to another. He created the university’s master’s degree program in Higher Education Administration, advised graduate students, taught freshmen, encouraged young history majors in their baccalaureate pursuits, and taught courses about World War II, medieval popular culture and the theory and practice of history.
“I always marvel at Joe,” says Dean Kenneth Greenberg. “He is such a great scholar who knows so many of these different ways of learning and knowledge. It’s remarkable.”
McCarthy taught his students that the worker, the scholar or the professional should have an unfettered intellectual curiosity. From the first day of a new course, he would say that his course would not be a pedantic regurgitation of names, facts and half-baked analysis, just “story time with your Uncle Joe.”
In the words of an old 70s soul song, there ain’t no stopping McCarthy now, because he’s on the move. On the South Shore of Massachusetts, he presides over a bit of the old agrarian Massachusetts where he splits logs and raises chickens that have claimed the blue ribbon at the annual Marshfield Fair for two years running, all the time looking after his grandchildren.
McCarthy will continue to teach and informally advise at Suffolk. He is a living connection to Suffolk’s days as that small upstart Beacon Hill institution educating commuter students. No matter what course he teaches, the fundamental lesson will always be the same: never lie about facts and never be afraid of ideas.
