HORACE SEYMOUR ROCKWOOD III of St. Augustine, FL, died peacefully at age 81 on July 11, 2015, from complications related to pancreatic cancer. Rockwood earned his A.B. from Boston University in 1955 and his M.A. in English Language and Literature from the University of Michigan a year later. After serving as an Operations Officer in the United States Navy on the USS Buck (DD-761), he returned to Ann Arbor, earning his Ph.D. in 1966. Growing up in Connecticut, "Rocky," as practically everyone called him, sang in choirs and church groups at almost every opportunity - a talent that would pay dividends for decades to come, including invitations to perform in Carnegie Hall twice, which he accepted with his wife, Gail, an accomplished contralto. He graduated from Stamford High School in 1951, where he played on the soccer team, sang baritone in the A Cappella Choir, and was an All-State chorister. Rockwood graduated from the U.S. Navy's Officer Candidate School in 1958 and was stationed in Newport, RI, Brunswick, GA, Coronado, CA, and billeted at San Francisco's Presidio. Professor Rockwood taught English at Defiance College (Ohio) and Eastern Michigan University, and became a tenured professor at California University of Pennsylvania in 1969, where, for 30 years, he focused on philology, specifically early British poetry, the art of writing, and higher education. A trademark assignment of his was to instruct students, both undergraduate and graduate, to rewrite paragraphs of their work without a single declarative sentence. Many professed their inability to complete the assignment. In the latter part of his career, Rockwood devoted his time to the study of cooperative versus collaborative learning. He characterized the differences between these methodologies as one of knowledge and power: cooperative learning is the methodology of choice for foundational knowledge while collaborative learning is connected to the view that knowledge is a social construct. He further distinguished these approaches by the instructor's role: in cooperative learning the instructor is the center of authority, with group tasks usually more closed-ended and often having specific answers. In contrast, with collaborative learning the instructor abdicates his or her authority to empower small groups, which are often given more open-ended, complex tasks. Rockwood used both approaches depending on the academic maturity of his students. An accomplished bridge and pinochle player, Rocky enjoyed fishing the lakes and streams of Michigan and Pennsylvania with his children, taking them to Tigers and Pirates games (especially in the World Series-winning years of 1968, 1971, and 1979), and participating in environmental advocacy organizations, most notably the Sierra Club. He and his wife ran and nurtured a NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) group for patients with borderline personality disorder and their families. The Rockwoods continued their singing careers throughout their marriage, singing with the Pittsburgh Camerata, the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh, and the St. Augustine Community Chorus. H.S. Rockwood III was predeceased by his daughter, Patricia Susan, in 2003; and his wife of 51 years, the former Gail Margaret Keller, on May 22 of this year. He is survived by older sisters, Betty Martin of Danbury, CT and Joan Jayne of Easton, MD; sons, Timothy (Jessica) of Kensington, MD, Jeffrey of Ormond Beach, FL, and Christopher (Annette) of Wauwatosa, WI; in addition to grandsons, Andrew and Jordan; and granddaughters, Alexandra and Julia. A celebration of Mr. Rockwood's life will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, August 2, 2015, at the CRAIG FUNERAL HOME, in St. Augustine, FL. In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Mr. Rockwood may be made to the Center for Biological Diversity, P.O. Box 710, Tucson, AZ 85702- 0710.
Published in Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Jul. 17, 2015.
Joel Freedman
HORACE SEYMOUR ROCKWOOD III of St. Augustine, FL, died peacefully at age 81 on July 11, 2015, from complications related to pancreatic cancer. Rockwood earned his A.B. from Boston University in 1955 and his M.A. in English Language and Literature from the University of Michigan a year later. After serving as an Operations Officer in the United States Navy on the USS Buck (DD-761), he returned to Ann Arbor, earning his Ph.D. in 1966. Growing up in Connecticut, "Rocky," as practically everyone called him, sang in choirs and church groups at almost every opportunity - a talent that would pay dividends for decades to come, including invitations to perform in Carnegie Hall twice, which he accepted with his wife, Gail, an accomplished contralto. He graduated from Stamford High School in 1951, where he played on the soccer team, sang baritone in the A Cappella Choir, and was an All-State chorister. Rockwood graduated from the U.S. Navy's Officer Candidate School in 1958 and was stationed in Newport, RI, Brunswick, GA, Coronado, CA, and billeted at San Francisco's Presidio. Professor Rockwood taught English at Defiance College (Ohio) and Eastern Michigan University, and became a tenured professor at California University of Pennsylvania in 1969, where, for 30 years, he focused on philology, specifically early British poetry, the art of writing, and higher education. A trademark assignment of his was to instruct students, both undergraduate and graduate, to rewrite paragraphs of their work without a single declarative sentence. Many professed their inability to complete the assignment. In the latter part of his career, Rockwood devoted his time to the study of cooperative versus collaborative learning. He characterized the differences between these methodologies as one of knowledge and power: cooperative learning is the methodology of choice for foundational knowledge while collaborative learning is connected to the view that knowledge is a social construct. He further distinguished these approaches by the instructor's role: in cooperative learning the instructor is the center of authority, with group tasks usually more closed-ended and often having specific answers. In contrast, with collaborative learning the instructor abdicates his or her authority to empower small groups, which are often given more open-ended, complex tasks. Rockwood used both approaches depending on the academic maturity of his students. An accomplished bridge and pinochle player, Rocky enjoyed fishing the lakes and streams of Michigan and Pennsylvania with his children, taking them to Tigers and Pirates games (especially in the World Series-winning years of 1968, 1971, and 1979), and participating in environmental advocacy organizations, most notably the Sierra Club. He and his wife ran and nurtured a NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) group for patients with borderline personality disorder and their families. The Rockwoods continued their singing careers throughout their marriage, singing with the Pittsburgh Camerata, the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh, and the St. Augustine Community Chorus. H.S. Rockwood III was predeceased by his daughter, Patricia Susan, in 2003; and his wife of 51 years, the former Gail Margaret Keller, on May 22 of this year. He is survived by older sisters, Betty Martin of Danbury, CT and Joan Jayne of Easton, MD; sons, Timothy (Jessica) of Kensington, MD, Jeffrey of Ormond Beach, FL, and Christopher (Annette) of Wauwatosa, WI; in addition to grandsons, Andrew and Jordan; and granddaughters, Alexandra and Julia. A celebration of Mr. Rockwood's life will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, August 2, 2015, at the CRAIG FUNERAL HOME, in St. Augustine, FL. In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Mr. Rockwood may be made to the Center for Biological Diversity, P.O. Box 710, Tucson, AZ 85702- 0710.
Published in Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Jul. 17, 2015.