FAREWELL, LOW: LONGTIME SEMO PROFESSOR RETIRING, LEAVING A WAKE OF AFFECTION AND ESTEEM

He's no ordinary Joe.

Dr. Joe Low Jr., a speech professor at Southeast Missouri State University, likes nothing better than to talk up the school.

No one cheers any louder or more enthusiastically for the school than he does.

"I have always considered myself a booster of the university," said Low, who has taught at the school for 36 years.

He has taught at Southeast his entire professional life, except for a stint as a visiting professor at Northern Arizona University in the summers of 1991 and 1992, and the summer and fall of 1993.

"I am pretty intolerant of people who bad-mouth the university," he said.

Southeast junior Mike Holland said Low loves the school.

Holland has had Low for several classes. He currently is taking Low's class in group dynamics.

"He won't allow you to talk bad about Southeast," Holland said.

Classmate Kim Jenne said, "He gets quite angry if you have a negative perception of it."

Low said some faculty members have accused him of being a "company man."

As head of the athletics committee, he was a strong proponent of Southeast's 1991 move to Division I athletics.

Low regularly attends football and basketball games, and other athletic events at the school.

He served a brief time as acting director of alumni services in the late 1980s.

Low served on the university's National Alumni Council despite the fact he wasn't an alumnus of the school. Low said he is the only "non-alum" who has ever served on the council.

Low's loyalty to the school is unquestioned. "If I didn't believe in the place, I would leave," he said.

Ready to retire

Low is leaving, but only because he is ready to retire.

The 61-year-old Low is retiring from full-time teaching at the end of this spring semester. He plans to teach part-time next fall before permanently closing the book on his teaching career at Southeast.

He and his wife, Lauchette, plan to move to a recreation community 12 miles north of Tucson, Ariz.

Low suffers from sinus problems. "I have always lived in humid climates where I can't breathe," he said.

Arizona should be a pleasant change, he said. "The years I have left, I want to be able to breathe."

The lowdown on Low

Low grew up in Coffeyville, Kan., a river town about 70 miles west of Joplin, Mo. His first name is Joseph, but everyone calls him Joe.

His mother was a registered nurse. His father was a doctor.

"I think it upset him that I went into education," Low said.

He said his father was of the opinion that "if you can, you do. If you can't, you teach."

But Low did well in speech classes at Baker University in Baldwin, Kan. A teacher encouraged him to pursue a career in that field.

Low graduated from Baker University in 1958. He went on to get his master's degree and doctorate at Denver University.

Low's favorite color is red, which also happens to be Southeast's school color. He painted his office file cabinets red without getting official permission. He even has a red nightshirt.

He loves good food and good cigars. But he is careful where he smokes.

"I never smoke them inside or in a car or where they could possibly interfere with anyone else," Low said.

He often smokes a cigar while walking the family dog, a shih tzu named Mimi.

"It means beautiful in Korean," Low said.

Mimi is 5 1/2 years old and an honored member of the household. "It is Lauchette's baby. We even have a dog sitter when we leave town."

The walls of Low's office in the Grauel Building are covered with awards. There are photos in the office too, including snapshots of Low at various campus events. A "Go Southeast" button is readily visible.

Early years at Southeast

Armed with his doctorate, Low took a job as a speech teacher at Southeast in the fall of 1962. The school had an enrollment of about 2,500 students.

In those days, male teachers were required to wear ties. The dean of the college, Forrest H. Rose, told faculty members that they should at least be dressed as well as a JCPenney clerk.

It became habit for Low, who still wears ties in the classroom.

Low once shared an office with Bill Stacy, who was then a member of the speech faculty. Stacy later served as president of the university.

The office was so small that one of them would have to leave if the other one wanted to talk to a student.

Low enjoys teaching his students the art of public speaking.

"A public speaker is no less a performer than an actor or a musician or an athlete," he said. "We all have audiences."

Four of Low's former students teach in the speech communication & theatre department.

They include speech professor Dr. Tom Harte, a close friend of Low's. Harte has been teaching at Southeast for 32 years.

The two constantly tease each other. Harte's office is just down the hall from Low's.

Low was an assistant debate coach when Harte was on the debate team in the early 1960s.

"He was always a likable teacher," Harte said. "He built a reputation as someone who is student oriented."

Low has served as adviser to various campus organizations.

Harte said Low enjoys campus activities. "He really is excited when homecoming comes around. He really does care who wins the football game."

Low and Harte were business partners too. They and their wives founded My Daddy's Cheesecake in 1987. They made and sold cheesecakes.

They sold the retail, wholesale and mail-order business in 1996.

Low said Harte was the cook. Low washed the dishes and did whatever else was needed to make the business run.

Students praise Low

Both former and current students have high praise for Low.

Regent Kim Mothershead of Benton had Low for classes in the late 1970s.

"Dr. Low is one of those professors that you don't forget," she said. "He had an open door and from what I understand, he still does."

Mothershead said Low gave her the confidence to get up in front of an audience without having her knees knock together.

Mothershead is one of five former students who will speak at the Low Lecture.

The annual lecture is funded by an endowment Low's mother established in his honor. This year's lecture will be held April 23 and celebrate Low's retirement.

Besides Mothershead, the speakers include Ron Hahs, who has an insurance business in Cape Girardeau; Indianapolis lawyer Jerry Jenkins; Georganne Syler, an associate professor of human environmental studies at Southeast; and state Sen. Peter Kinder.

Mike Holland and other students in Low's group dynamics class view Low as a friend.

Holland said Low stops in the hallways to talk to students he knows. He routinely invites students into his office to chat.

Classmate Ryan Hasapis said Low never talks down to students.

"A lot of teachers like to hear themselves talk," he said. Low isn't like that, Hasapis said.

Classmate Patches King said Low is like a father to students. "He loves people," King said.

Dr. Joe Low

Pronunciation: Low rhymes with how and now.

Age: 61; he will be 62 in June.

Profession: Low has taught at the university for 36 years. He began teaching at the school in the fall of 1962.

Honors: Low has received numerous campus awards. He received the Faculty Merit Award in 1985.

Childhood: Grew up in Coffeyville, Kan. His father was a surgeon and general practitioner.

Family: He and his wife, Lauchette, live in Cape Girardeau with their shih tzu, Mimi.

They have two grown children, Julie Katinas and Joe Low III.

Favorite color: red

Recreation: Enjoys fine dining and good cigars.

Plans: Joe and Lauchette Low plan to retire to Tucson, Ariz., later this year.

Low Lecture

April 23, 7 p.m.

University Center Ballroom

Theme: "Making a Difference Through Effective Communication"

Presentation by five former students of retiring speech professor Dr. Joe H. Low Jr.

Sponsored by the Department of Speech Communication & Theatre

Low Lecture is funded with an endowment established by Mildred Low in the name of her son, Dr. Joe Low Jr.