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Do you know your professor?
Many students like to make guesses as to what a professor is
like outside the classroom. Quite often those guesses are
wrong, so here are a some interesting facts about Victor Symonette
as enumerated by his wife that you may like to
know.. Did you know that Professor Symonette is also a conductor who has conducted in Germany, Japan, and Carnegie Hall? (just to name a few places)?
Professor Symonette grew up in Germany! So he does know what he is talking about when he is teaching you the language and culture. Professor Symonette used to hang out with such notables as Christofer Plummer and Lotte Lenya (007's nemesis in "From Russia With Love")? In fact, Lotte Lenya was so close to his family, that he called her "Tante Lenya"..
Professor Symonette's father was an opera singer and his
parents met while both were performing in the same Broadway
show?
Professor Symonette speaks English and German
fluently, but also can speak Italian, French, and a little Russian and
Japanese? Professor Symonette graduated from Florida State
University? Professor Symonette's favorite color is blue, and he could live on tuna if he had to, but he hardly ever eats any other kind of fish? Professor Symonette has travelled to almost every continent. He has only not been to Australia (and Antarctica - obviously)? Professor Symonette scared his wife to death by leaving a
hangman's noose (a prop from Threepenny Opera) buried in a closet
that she was cleaning out? Professor Symonette has edited works of Kurt Weill and received rights to premieres of those works? Professor Symonette's mother was also an author who had a book on the New York Times best seller list? Professor Symonette was Florida State's Fencing Champ in his sophomore year? Professor Symonette has had several interesting jobs, including driving a taxi in Tallahassee and making handcrafted tile-topped furniture? Professor Symonette was an Auxillary officer for the NYPD for 8 years and achieved the rank of Sargeant, along with 8 Awards of Merit, a Letter of Recognition and a Commendation? So, now that you know your professor a little better you don't have to wonder where his versatility, talent and love of educating come from. He believes you never stop learning and the best thing a teacher can teach is how to learn and keep learning.
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