Northwood University - Northwood Yearbook (Midland, MI)

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90 Ten Years at Northwood By Bob France “| had my appendix taken out in the Dr. Dubois Room and recuperated in what is now the provost’s office,” recalls Parm Mayer. “| recall going to apply for the job of English instructor at Northwood and finding Mr. Turner and Mr. Stauffer, along with Mr. Turner’s fa- ther-in-law, in the basement of the Smith Building laying asphalt tile on the floor.” Having known Northwood Institute longer than any instructor still teaching, Parm Mayer is resident writer and associate professor at Northwood’s Alma campus, where he currently teaches composition. He has written more than 160 poems which now appear in more than 60 literary magazines, mostly college and university quarterlies, with two books ready for publication. He has poems in four anthologies which he was invited to compose, one bilingual, published in Buenos Aires, Argentina. For the last five years he has tried his hand at adult fiction, and retains editorial contact at most major magazines. His recent successes came after a “cooling off” period, which found him writing seventy juvenile stories for all age levels, which were all published. “ve wanted to write since my early high school days. When my sons were small | used to tell them stories | had made up.” Today, his two sons hold M.D.’s and Ph.D.’s in chemistry and have made their father “very proud of them”. He is married to a former small- town school teacher, Lillian. Parm Mayer was born in Merrill, Michigan, a small town in Saginaw County and attended Merrill High School from which he was gradu- ated at the age of 16. He worked during the summers at his father’s plant nursery, 10 hours a day, 6 days a week. He valued his working, and feels that it conditioned him for life to accept work as both neces- Sary and good. “l especially liked to plow because | admired the strength and willingness of the horses; | liked to see the fresh, good earth turned over by the plow share. | am small town minded and earth rooted, and feel flavored with the country air.” He graduated from Olivet College (A.B.) and the University of Michi- gan (M.A.). He did graduate study at the University of Michigan and Bowling Green State University of Ohio. Having taught much of his life on the secondary level in Alma, he has been with Northwood since 1959. “Northwood had a very humble be-