Written by Mimi Smith
At the end of the academic school year, English professor John Simons will complete his 46th and final year of teaching for Colorado College. In his time at CC, Simons has seen tremendous changes to both the department and the college itself.
“When I came to CC, the English department mainly consisted of Literature and American Literature,” said Simons. “Now, though, we have so many more wonderful perspectives. There’s a block that goes to Paris, blocks that focus on the environment and literature—the department has really expanded.”
Simons is equally pleased to see the expansion in CC’s Film and Media department and film-literature tracks which have been his primary focus since the 80s. Watching CC’s Film and Media Department expand greatly, Simons commented that “film is more of a discipline than it used to be; there didn’t used to be a mass audience for it [as a scholarship].”
While this is Simons’ last official year teaching at CC, he will be returning next year to teach The American Short Story, Film History and Theory, and a Half Block course focused on the filmmaker Terrence Malick. Outside of these classes, he will focus his retirement mainly on the writing and publishing of his second book, written in tandem with professor emeritus Robert Merrill of the University of Nevada, Reno. This novel will be called “Marlow’s Cat” and is based on a Raymond Chandler detective novel about a detective who befriends a cat in a world where humans are decadent and deprived of emotion. Simons and Merrill’s novel will focus on the disappearance of this cat and the reasons and significance of both the cat and his absence. The novel, Simons said, “is a critique of contemporary culture.”
Simons is excited to retire and looks forward to working on his new book, but he is also sad to be leaving CC. “I’ve really enjoyed working with the president and the team on the Tutt committee,” he said.
He has an equal appreciation for his students and alumni, whom he will miss dearly. Simons has, however, decided to remain in Colorado Springs, stating that he “love[s] the college and the Springs.” Though many at the school will miss Simons, the college is fortunate to have him back next year and possibly in the future, looking forward to his new novel and future courses.