Sandra Goddess Looney

Anybody who has stepped foot on Augie's campus knows the goddess that is Sandra Looney—or at least they should (I'm going to ignore the (credible) rumor around campus that a senior who needed to independent study English 200 this semester just walked into her office because it was the first one in the hallway without knowing her legacy because it's inconvenient for my point).

Dr. Looney was my second English professor at Augie during the spring semester of my freshman year, and since the very first day I stepped foot into her classroom I've been in complete awe. She's a woman of wonder. She's integral to some of my very favorite moments at Augustana, both in and out of the classroom.

I will never forget the day in my Japanese literature seminar when a classmate was talking about a scene in the novel we were discussing when he said "it was fucking weird." He looked like he was about to crap his pants after he said it, but Dr. Looney grinned and said, "oh, that's alright—it WAS fucking weird."

I will never forget how much trouble she had in my world literature class when she would take attendance and she had to go down my row: Taylor, Kyler, Kyle and Taylor. I will never forget seeing her give precious pups treat after treat after treat.

I will never forget when she came to my house (which we've dubbed "Camp No Pants" for those of you who've never been) for my sister and brother-in-law's rehearsal dinner. She walked up to my front door, and I went to greet her. "Am I supposed to be here?" she asked me, glancing through the door to see the giant CNP banner with boxers and thongs on it. I told her she was the first one to arrive, so she decided to drive around the block a few times. Then she walked around (no through) the house to get to the backyard.

I only have six class periods left to soak up as much knowledge from her as I can. Not only am I graduating, but she's also retiring. Secretly I'm a little greedy and am glad we're going out the same year. I was honored to be asked to take photos at one of her many retirement parties this spring. Here are a few of my favorite photos from the event: