Ozarks Technical Community College mourns sudden, unrelated deaths of two longtime instructors
Faculty and students at Ozarks Technical Community College are mourning the sudden and unrelated loss of two long-term adjunct instructors.
John Rude, a fixture in the college's precision machining program for more than two decades, was recently diagnosed with an aggressive disease. He died Friday at age 74.
Mike Ferguson, a psychologist, has taught at OTC since 2012 and specialized in mental health education. He was killed in a car wreck Sunday at age 58.
Both men taught in the fall semester. Ferguson was scheduled to teach this spring but Rude was not.
Rude, who joined OTC in fall 2000, retired in mid-2016 but continued to teach part-time and serve as a substitute at the college.
"He was truly a machinist: quiet, detailed, precise, and just a very nice man," said Matt Hudson, executive dean of career, technical, and community development. "His mood was always even — I never saw him get excited, angry, or sad."
Danelle Maxwell, chair of the industrial and manufacturing department at OTC, said Rude was dedicated.
"He was extremely kind and compassionate, really cared about his students, worked hard to make sure that they were to do the best that they possibly could," she said. "He had a lot of passion for helping his students improve their skill set."
Maxwell said Rude stepped back from teaching early in the pandemic, citing health worries, but then returned. She hoped he'd be well enough to teach this spring.
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She said the impact Rude had on students and the program is difficult to measure.
"He has trained hundreds of students in the art of machining, even to the point of our full-time instructor now was one of his students," Maxwell said. "And we've had other instructors over the years who were his. He definitely made an impact."
Ferguson, who had a doctorate in psychology, was founder and clinical director of the National Text Crisis Line, a counseling service that allows people in crisis to receive therapy via text messages.
For 2020, OTC honored him with the Excellence in Education Award for his work focused on suicide prevention and mental health first aid.
He typically taught introduction to psychology and lifespan psychology at OTC.
Tracy McGrady, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs, notified faculty of his death Monday.
"Those of you who did not know Mike personally may have interacted with him on the OTC Faculty Facebook page. Mike frequently posted there, sharing his teaching experiences and philosophies. In one of his last comments, he wrote, 'I am on a passionate hunt to be the best professor I can possibly be!' His students loved him," she wrote.
She added: "Mike was a bright light among us, and he will be missed."
Stephanie Davenport, chair of the behavioral sciences department at OTC, said he was an upbeat influence at the college.
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"Any topic we were talking about, he would produce a positive spin on it," she said. "He made students feel really respected and included in his classroom."
Davenport said Ferguson was the perfect fit for the lifespan psychology class, which covers topics from birth to death and dealt with "some pretty sensitive material."
"He was always open to student feedback, to student input. He had great discussions. He would have them write journal entries," she said.
On Monday, as word was spreading, she said colleagues gathered to remember him.
"We talked about the fond memories we had of him. He was very social," she said. "He always had a positive word for somebody."
Claudette Riley is the education reporter for the News-Leader. Email news tips to criley@news-leader.com.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: OTC faculty, students mourn deaths of two teachers over weekend
