Claremont
But former students who studied English under the caring, passionate and demanding teaching of Paul Magoon would argue differently.
Magoon, who died on Oct. 26, 2017, at 86, taught at Stevens High School for 36 years. During that time he earned a reputation for being tough but fair, with an often animated and slightly unorthodox style, such as when he would stand on a chair to loudly recite a poem while insisting students give him their undivided attention. If they were caught briefly glancing out the window, he took notice.
“As I remember it, he made it easy to be attentive,” said Dan Caccavaro, a freshman at Stevens in 1984. “He was entertaining and often quirky. The way he talked about language; he got so much pleasure out of it. It was like how some people talk about food.”
Caccavaro, executive editor for Express, a free daily newspaper distributed by The Washington Post, credits Magoon’s influence for his decision to pursue journalism.
“It was in his class that I developed a love for the English language,” said Caccavaro, who earned a degree in English from Boston College.
Nancy Shulins, who attended Stevens in the early 1970s and today is a writer living in Norwalk, Conn., was influenced by Magoon as well.
“Everyone has a favorite teacher. Mr. Magoon was mine,” Shulins said in an email. “I found him mesmerizing, not a word often associated with English grammar, but he elevated the teaching of it to a kind of performance art. He was theatrical one minute, terrifying the next. You took your eyes off him at your own peril, not that there was anything — or anyone — more worth watching. He taught at a dizzying pace, making his the fastest period of the school day.”
Magoon’s wife of 54 years, Joan, said her husband’s teaching style connected with the students.
“I think it was the way he interacted with the students that got them excited about what he was teaching,” Joan said.
Magoon was born in Hanover on Aug. 4, 1931, and grew up in Wells River and Woodsville, graduating from Woodsville High School in 1949. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Plymouth Teachers College and a master’s in education from University of New Hampshire. He served in the Army from 1953-55 and was stationed in Austria before returning home to teach.
The Magoons bought a home on Whitcomb Lane in Claremont in 1963 and lived there up until early this year when Magoon transferred to Cedar Hill Continuing Care Center in Windsor.
At Stevens, where he did his student teaching, Magoon’s engagement with students extended well beyond his English classes. He led the chorus and a capella choir for 18 years and was active in high school theater productions.
Magoon, who started creative writing and public speaking courses at Stevens, inspired and influenced thousands of students with an ability to bring out the best in them, something his son made note of at memorial service last week, when he spoke about the numerous tributes to his father.
“I consider him a fortunate man to have spent his life doing what he loved. ‘I had your father for a teacher’ is a refrain listened to over and over through my life,” Paul J. Magoon said.
“His strictness, inspired energy, and pushing students to do more were often noted, although sometimes fully appreciated only after the fact,” he said. “Even more humbling, is the number who recount the impact he had on the direction of their lives, from encouraging them to attend college, influencing their decision to pursue a career in writing, and citing him as one of the reasons that they themselves became teachers. There are many heartfelt expressions and anecdotes shared, but the drive to be your best is a common theme and lesson across these stories.”
George Caccavaro, Dan’s father, was on the Claremont School Board for several years during Magoon’s tenure.
“He taught my four children and when he died I called each one to tell them. Their first words were exactly the same: ‘He was the best teacher I ever had,’ ” he said.
Many students not only retained much of what they learned, but used it later in life. Bill Wilmot, a freshman in Magoon’s class in 1974-75, went on to a career in law enforcement and his understanding of proper grammar proved useful.
“When I looked over police reports, I would take out a red pen and check the grammar mistakes and send them back for corrections,” Wilmot said at the memorial service. “He was a fantastic teacher.”
Brian Stowell, president of Crown Point Cabinetry, had his first class with Magoon his freshman year in 1974.
“He could command a room,” recalled Stowell, who loved the classroom atmosphere so much he requested Magoon for his teacher his junior year. “When he walked in you knew he meant business but you had to like him. He was very engaging. He knew we were kids, but he expected so much from us, he treated as adults.”
His impact on his students and the community was revealed when friends, colleagues and former students filled the Trinity Episcopal Church for a memorial service last week.
“It is a testimony to how one life could affect so many,” said the Rev. Janet Lombardo, noting it is unusual to see so many people at a funeral two days before Thanksgiving.
Lombardo said Magoon lived his faith and love for God every day in the classroom and community.
“His real gift was his ability to love and care for each of you. And that love came from his heart but it came first from God. He touched so many lives in so many ways.”
Though Magoon had been retired as a full-time teacher since 1991, many former students, in online tributes, reacted with sadness at his death while expressing appreciation for having been in his classroom. Posts came from around the country, from New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine to Michigan, Florida, Tennessee, Arizona and California. “Genuine treasure,” “dynamic” said a couple, and many included the phrase “best teacher I ever had.”
“He enjoyed kids and they appreciated what they learned from him,” said his wife. “He must have done a pretty good job because some students can still recite the parts of speech he taught them. Over the years he heard from a lot of them with letters and phone calls.”
Former student Judy Hayward, executive director of the Preservation Education Institute in Windsor, said Magoon had a unique ability to get freshmen engaged in literature not written in common English, but he also saw meaning in modern language.
“When we read The Merchant of Venice I became so excited about Shakespeare,” said Hayward, a freshman in 1971. “We also studied American Pie (song by Don McLean) as poetry. We covered the Greek classics but he wanted to acknowledge what was going on in the contemporary world.”
His longtime colleague, John Bennett, who taught at Stevens for 40 years, remembered his friend’s passion for theater, music and art.
“We worked together, team teaching in the Humanities course and traveling to Boston on many trips to the hear the Boston Symphony, attend theater performances, and visit the Museum of Fine Arts,” Bennett said in an email. “We always had to rush from the MFA to be at the symphony on time for the Friday afternoon concerts. Paul happily herded the students from the back while I lead them to the entrance. He enjoyed music and made special presentations to his classes of his time in Salzburg, Austria.”
Bennett, vice president of the Claremont Opera House board of directors, said Magoon was a “loyal member of the board” and was a big part of bringing Stevens theater to the stage.
“Paul and I, along with Al Gader, worked for decades on musicals at Stevens,” Bennett said.
“He was a tireless worker and directed the singers and chorus, but always lent a hand with the sets,” he added. “Many laughs were shared with the tasks to be handled even on Easter Sunday after church one year. Students felt his genuine interest in their work and well-being.”
Magoon’s interests were varied and diverse, approached always with enthusiasm. He started a photography club at school, loved antique cars and was an avid skier and hiker. He sang with the North Country Chorus while in high school and for 30 years with the Yankee Male Chorus of Albany when it came to Claremont every August, Joan said. He substitute taught for 20 years after retirement and served on the Fiske Free Library Board of Directors and the Claremont Housing Authority among other organizations.
At the memorial service, his son, who lives in Colorado, spoke about outdoor adventures as a boy, hiking and searching out remote fishing streams with “backwoods treks on overgrown trails.”
“I fondly remember our hikes in the White Mountains and other outdoor activities around New England, some shared with family and friends who are here today,” Paul said. “I loved these trips for the time in the woods and mountains with my dad, and his passion for this has continued on to my own son, Matthew.”
Paul also reflected on memories of his father’s energy for teaching, from mimeographing papers, setting up bulletin boards and varnishing desks in preparation for the start of the year to nights of grading papers and preparing lessons.
“Although able to present a stern demeanor and forcefulness in the classroom, this was also intertwined with his sense of humor, his pleasure in telling amusing stories, and a genuine concern for students, friends, and of course his family,” Paul said.
Stowell summed up the feelings of many with an online comment
“The educational community has lost one of the greats.”
Patrick O’Grady can be reached at pogclmt@gmail.com
