When Clifton Fox, a History Professor, and William Simcik, a Biology Professor, began their teaching careers in 1989, LSC-Tomball was a little different.
The entire LSC-Tomball campus consisted of one building, while a field covered in bluebonnets occupied the area where the library and Performing Arts Building now stand. The Commons, the sole building, featured Ficus trees growing through holes in the foundation, giving the indoors an atmosphere of natural energy and a garden ambiance. There were only a few computers on campus, no network, and no internet. Faculty checked their physical office mailboxes daily to keep up with communication.
On Fox’s first day of teaching at LSC-Tomball, 35 years ago, he recalls whistling his way into work. Ever since he learned that being a college professor was a job, he knew that was what he wanted to be. Although he taught as a graduate assistant and had a year-long temporary teaching position beforehand, “LSC-Tomball was my first real job, and it was a wonderful thing,” said Fox.
After Simcik completed his PhD at MD Anderson (MDA), UTHealth Houston Graduate School, he thought he would spend his life as a research biologist looking for a cancer cure. But a short time later, LSC-Tomball called UT in need of an adjunct (part-time) Biology Professor, and Simcik was selected by UT to teach the class. At the end of the semester, Simcik was offered a full-time position. He never went back to MDA. “I loved being in the classroom,” said Simcik.
Fast forward 35 years, and Fox and Simcik say they’ve gotten a lot out of their time at LSC-Tomball.
Simcik says the single most rewarding event from his LSC career is meeting Dr. Rebecca Tate, his wife and companion of 28 years. In 2016, he and Tate worked together with Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) students to bring Dr. Jim Allison, the 2018 Medicine Nobel Prize winner, to LSC-Tomball to speak about his breakthrough cancer treatment, immunotherapy. For 14 years, Simcik served in LSC-Tomball administration, in positions including Dean, Interim-Vice-President of Instruction, and the Natural Sciences Chair. While Simcik has earned two Faculty Excellence awards and a PTK Advisor award, he finds the success of his students to be the greatest reward.
For Fox, the most rewarding part of his career has simply been the opportunity to teach. He served as the Social Science Department Chair, but the experience further confirmed that teaching was his true passion. Fox's interest has always been reading. He enjoys delving into history and the complexity it offers and relishes the challenge of explaining it to students. Without reading, he says he would have no inspiration to share with his class. He firmly believes that LSC-Tomball is his place, expressing, "This is it, LSC-Tomball is where I fit."
The LSC-Tomball community has had the privilege of benefiting from the dedicated service of Fox and Simcik for 35 years. Throughout their tenure, they have observed the campus double in size, witnessed significant increases in enrollment, and navigated the evolving landscape of higher education with admirable poise. As they mark this 35-year of service milestone, LSC-Tomball expresses its deep gratitude for their unwavering commitment and invaluable contributions.
QUOTES from Fox's colleague and student:
“Cliff has a true passion for teaching. He approaches history as a story. You can hear him lecture from down the hallway with his booming, engaging voice. He has also read pretty much every book that you can imagine, and he is known for regaling students and colleagues with an incredible range of information. If any of us in the history department want a review of a new monograph, we go straight to Cliff.”
Alice Ferron-Gabriele, LSC-Tomball History Professor
“I didn’t do that well with history in high school, so I was skeptical about taking history in college. But Professor Fox made learning history interesting. He developed relationships with his students by asking engaging questions, making class fun, and assisting us when we needed help understanding a concept. He’s such a great teacher, I told my boyfriend he had to take his class next semester.”
Abigail Moira, LSC-Tomball Student
QUOTES from Simcik's colleague and student:
“I was very nervous about taking my first college science course. But Dr. Simcik made class interesting. His style of teaching was conversational, allowing students to lead the lecture where we needed extra time. He is open-minded and manages to remove student stress from his classroom as much as possible. A great professor causes their students to fall in love with the content and with learning. That’s what Dr. Simcik does.”
Travis Holden, LSC-Tomball Student
“Bill has devoted himself to this campus as a teacher, leader, and community member. Although we teach in different departments, I’ve gotten to know Bill through the various committees we’ve worked on such as the Academic Appeals Committee and the Rights and Responsibilities Committee. Bill does not shy away from chairing committees. He is systematic, fair-minded, and cheerful. His dedication to the campus and the community is shown by his service on LSC-Tomball’s Behavioral Intervention Team and Tomball Regional Hospital’s Bioethics Committee. There have also been personal dividends to working with Bill. After Bill heard that I told my wife she could have a cat if I wasn’t allergic to it, Bill’s expertise in biology and his interest in cats came together. Much to my wife’s delight, Bill learned of a breed of cats that is hypoallergenic. What I admire most about Bill is that his commitment to LSC has not waned in 35 years.”
Doug Boyd, LSC-Tomball English Professor