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George Peery - A Prof for All Politics
by Denise McKillop
....and I'd welcome your opinion.
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It's 9 a.m. on a weekday. Class is about to begin in one of the classrooms in Memorial Library. The mood is one of exhaustion, not unusual for students this early in the morning.
However, as the professor walks in, the students instantly perk up. To many of them this is their favorite class. They know that no matter who they are they have a voice in the class. What class is this do you ask? It's Judicial Process taught by none other than Political Science Professor George Peery.
Peery's class is one where students can learn to express their political opinions in a constructive manner. Whether you are a liberal or a conservative doesn't matter as long as you can explain why and defend your point of view. Students in Peery's class are expected to clarify who "they" are and what "they" are doing and how it affects politics.
It is obvious that Peery loves his work. "Politics is fascinating. For the better part of my life, it has interested me - the way public life intersects with private," he says. "I have seen so many changes in the political system in my lifetime. Decisions that have been for good and for evil." He mentions the Vietnam War, the Internet, women's rights (Title IX), and protection of individual liberties.
Peery earned his bachelor's degree at King College in Bristol, Tennessee, in 1962. He then went on for his master's degree at the University of Virginia. Finally he got his Ph.D. at Emory University. Not only active in the Political Science Department, he is also the current chair of the faculty and was on the search committee that looked for a new president last year. He has also been involved with many committees, the theatre, and singing with Mars Hill students and faculty over the years.
He came to Mars Hill in 1969, not expecting to stay very long. "I was looking to move on to greener pastures," he says. He ended up staying and Mars Hill, however, because the greener pastures turned out to be here.
When asked about the best thing at Mars Hill, he said, "The students the college attracts and the emphasis on liberal arts." When asked about what he wants to do in the next 20 years, he answered that he hopes to retire sometime in the foreseeable future. Because, as he put it, "I am no longer a promising young man."
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