SUNY Oswego said farewell to a classroom and stage icon when Theatre Professor Emerita Rosemary S. Nesbitt passed away Aug. 2 at the age of 84.

"Mrs. Nesbitt was a scholar, author, an extraordinary actress with keen theatrical instincts, and an historian," remembered Carl Whidden '75, who played Ebenezer Scrooge in "A Christmas Carol," directed by Nesbitt in 1973. Whidden is a 31-year member of Actors Equity Association, and lives in Pasadena, Calif.

His sentiments were echoed in the remarks at an Aug. 14 event honoring Nesbitt at Oswego's Breitbeck Park. With the famous Oswego sunset as a backdrop, more than 100 well wishers gathered to celebrate Nesbitt's life, near a monument erected in her honor years ago by a grateful city.

One of the speakers was Mark Cole '73, current chair of the Oswego theatre department and a former student of Nesbitt's.

On the first day of Oral Interpretation of Literature class in his freshman year, the students asked Nesbitt what textbook they'd be using. She replied: “There isn’t one because I haven’t written it yet.”

"With the security of a textbook taken away, we hung on every word of instruction, commentary and example that Mrs. Nesbitt gave," Cole recalled. "She excelled at this type of class: inspiring students, bringing together her keen sense of history, her expansive knowledge of literature and her ability to teach by example. She opened up the world of great works of literature for her students."

Nesbitt’s influence reached generations of students, including actor, director and syndicated humor columnist Tim Mollen’91.

"She ran her classes and rehearsals with great intellect, fierce conviction, and absolutely zero tolerance for nonsense.  As my undergraduate career progressed, she became a committed and supportive mentor," remembered Mollen. "In all of her students, she instilled the work ethic and habits of a theatre professional."

Nesbitt instilled those values in thousands as she taught theatre and speech at SUNY Oswego from 1965 to 1993 and played a major role in establishing the theatre department. She later chaired the department's acting and directing sequences and directed its children's theatre program.

Professor Nesbitt directed 32 college stage productions; wrote nearly 20 children's plays and the history books, The Great Rope and Colonel Meachem's Giant Cheese; and was noted for her storytelling ability, especially her "Tales of the Haunted Harbor."

She received her bachelor's and master's degrees in theatre from Syracuse University. After working in professional summer stock, in 1950 she received an acting scholarship to study in Europe and the following year studied native dance and theatre in Mexico. In 1953 she won a fellowship to study Shakespeare at Stratford-on-Avon in England. She taught at Wells College before joining Oswego's faculty. She was the recipient of many community and professional awards, including the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching in 1972.

In a half century of calling Oswego home, her community involvements included founding the H. Lee White Marine Museum, serving eight years as campaign chair for the local United Way, dedicating time as Oswego's city historian, chairing the city's sesquicentennial celebration, launching Oswegofest (the forerunner of Harborfest) and volunteering countless hours for all manner of community and campus causes. Professor Nesbitt also lobbied successfully for Oswego Town's Mary Walker to enter the National Women's Hall of Fame.

Read more about Nesbitt's impact on the college community and share memories at Oswego etc., the new Oswego Alumni Association blog.

-- Tim Nekritz M '05 and Michele Reed

PHOTO CAPTION:
Theatre Professor Emerita Rosemary S. Nesbitt, seen here at the H. Lee White Marine Museum that she founded, passed away Aug. 2 at the age of 84.



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