Professor
      Focus
     
    
   
   
    
     
      By
      Kheng-Wee
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Francis
      J.
      Ledwell,
     
     
      Professor
      of
      English
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Professor
      Ledwell
      was
      born
      in
      1930,
      in
      a
      little
      town
     
     
      called
      St.
      Peter’s
      in
      P.E.I.
      He
      graduated
      from
      Saint
     
     
      Dunstan’s
      University
      with
      a
      Bachelor
      degree
      in
      Arts
     
     
      with
      a
      major
      in
      History.
      He
      went
      on
      further
      study
     
     
      in
      Theology
      at
      Saint
      Augustine’s
      in
      Toronto.
      He
     
     
      then
      taught
      in
      Saint
      Dunstan’s
      High
      School,
      where
     
     
      he
      was
      a
      principal
      for
      nine
      years.
      "During
      the
      course
     
     
      of
      that
      time,
      I
      took
      some
      mathematics
      courses
      at
     
     
      Boston
      University,
      and
      I
      eventually
      taught
     
     
      Freshman
      and
      Engineering
      mathematics
      at
      the
     
     
      college,"
      he
      said.
      At
      the
      age
      of
      34,
      he
      went
      and
      took
     
     
      his
      Master
      degree
      in
      English
      at
      Notre
      Dame.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      When
      asked
      if
      U.P.E.I.
      has
      changed
      a
      lot
      since
      the
     
     
      days
      of
      St.
      Dunstan’s,
      Professor
      Ledwell
      declared
     
     
      "IMMEASURABLY!!"
      He
      told
      me
      that
      there
      were
     
     
      around
      250
      students
      back
      then
      and
      only
      about
      8%
     
     
      of
      those
      students
      were
      females.
      "Practically
      everyone
     
     
      lived
      in
      residence.
      Everyone
      knew
      everyone
      else."
     
     
      Life
      as
      a
      young
      student
      was
      full
      of
      discipline.
      "We
     
     
      were
      not
      permitted
      out
      at
      nights
      except
      for
      one
     
     
      night
      a
      week.
      We
      had
      to
      be
      up
      and
      out
      for
      seven
     
     
      o’clock
      every
      morning.
      If
      one
      was
      to
      miss
      more
      than
     
     
      three
      classes,
      then
      one
      was
      not
      permitted
      a
      grade
      for
     
     
      that
      course."
      Although
      he
      led
      a
      strict
      life,
      it
      did
      not
     
     
      stop
      him
      from
      behaving
      like
      today’s
      students.
      "We
     
    
   
   
    
     
      had
      all
      kinds
      of
      fun.
      For
      example,
      playing
      sports,
     
     
      playing
      bridge,
      going
      to
      dances,
      going
      out
      on
      dates,”
     
     
      he
      grinned.
      "When
      I
      was
      an
      undergraduate,
      there
     
    
   
   
    
     
      _
      wasn’t
      any
      house
      parties.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      There
      were
      always
      large
      group
      parties
      where
      we
     
     
      would
      have
      parties
      with
      the
      nurses
      from
      the
      nursing
     
     
      school
      downtown.
      This
      is
      how
      we
      always
      get
     
     
      together!"
      Therefore,
      this
      made
      up
      for
      the
      lack
      of
     
     
      female
      students
      on
      campus!
      "The
      nursing
      school
     
     
      was
      Our
      major
      resource!"
     
    
   
   
    
     
      We
      were
      comparing
      students
      of
      generations
      and
     
     
      Professor
      Ledwell
      said
      wistfully,
      "people
      themselves
     
     
      don’t
      change.
      The
      students
      now
      and
      the
      students
     
     
      then
      are
      the
      same;
      wonderful,
      lively,
      full
      of
      life,
      full
     
     
      of
      FUN,
      sometimes
      going
      a
      little
      bit
      to
      excess,
     
     
      everybody
      always
      does.
      That’s
      what
      it
      is
      to
      be
     
     
      young."
      The
      biggest
      difference
      he
      sees
      in
      students
     
     
      today
      in
      contrast
      to
      his
      student
      days
      is,
      as
      he
      said;
     
     
      "students
      now
      tend
      to
      take
      themselves
      much
      more
     
     
      seriously.
      It
      is
      a
      fact
      of
      life.
      Everybody
      was
      laid-
     
     
      back
      in
      my
      time,
      there
      wasn’t
      a
      great
     
    

    
     
      deal
      of
      concern
      about
      competing
      against
      each
     
    
   
   
    
     
      other."
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Taking
      a
      trip
      back
      memory
      lane,
      Professor
      Ledwell
     
     
      found
      himself
      once
      more
      in
      a
      big
      arena
      of
      Notre
     
     
      Dame
      where
      the
      football
      games
      were
      played.
      He
     
     
      recalled
      vividly
      the
      amount
      of
      people
      that
      was
      there;
     
     
      "at
      a
      football
      game
      with
      sixty
      thousand
      people
     
     
      sitting
      there
      was
      almost
      the
      population
      of
      P.E.I.
     
     
      That’s
      astounding!"
      The
      other
      part
      of
      the
      memory
     
     
      lane
      trip
      was
      not
      as
      thrilling
      to
      Professor
      Ledwell
     
     
      as
      he
      said
      with
      a
      sober
      voice;
      "I’ve
      had
      my
      down
     
     
      times
      as
      a
      student.
      I
      had
      some
      difficulties
     
     
      maintaining
      my
      interests
      with
      Latin
      and
      Philosophy.
     
     
      I
      got
      tired
      of
      Latin.
      I
      did,
      1
      REALLY
      did!"
      There
     
     
      were
      two
      professors
      who
      influenced
      him
      the
      most
     
    
   
   
    
     
      _
      when
      he
      was
      a
      student.
      One
      of
      the
      professor
      turns
     
    
   
   
    
     
      out
      to
      be
      Professor
      O’
      Grady,
      who
      is
      currently
      with
     
     
      U.P.E.L’s
      English
      department.
      "He
      was
      my
      teacher
     
     
      and
      my
      mentor
      for
      many
      years.
      We
      have
      been
      in
     
     
      association
      with
      each
      other
      ever
      since
      1948.
      Can
     
     
      you
      believe
      it?”
      Professor
      Ledwell
      laughed.
      "I
      was
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      UPEI
      X-Press
     
    
   
   
    
     
      October
      18,
      1990
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Page
      24