At Lawrence's Reunion Convocation on June 21, 2003, David L. Hoffman, '83, offered these remarks in memory of Charles Breunig, professor emeritus of history, who died May 27, 2003.
It is, of course, with great sadness that we mark the passing of Charles Breunig, but it is also with a deep sense of admiration and appreciation that we remember him and his enormous contribution to his students.
Lawrence has always had an excellent faculty, and Professor Breunig was a truly outstanding faculty member: a well-known scholar, engaging lecturer, and dedicated teacher, someone who was genuinely committed to the students and their education.
Professor Breunig wrote one of the most widely used books on European history, The Age of Revolution and Reaction; he also authored a history of Lawrence, A Great and Good Work. These books certainly distinguished him as a scholar, but it is for his teaching that we remember Professor Breunig most of all. Over the course of his career at Lawrence he taught literally several thousand students and helped to instill in them the insightful reasoning that was his trademark. He also served as an advisor and mentor to countless students and provided them with caring and sensible guidance as they sought their path through life.
Professor Breunig had an enormous impact upon my own life. I arrived at Lawrence in the fall of 1979 intending to be a math and computer science major. I certainly had no interest at all in history — which, so far as I could tell, was nothing but a dry recitation of names and dates. That began to change on my very first day of class at Lawrence, when I met my Freshman Studies instructor, Professor Breunig. How could I have known, walking into his classroom, that the direction of my life was about to change forever? And yet, dedicated teachers such as Professor Breunig have that power, the power to open new intellectual horizons, to awaken students’ interest in new subjects, to instill a desire and an ability to analyze new worlds in new ways.
Under Professor Breunig, the study of history was anything but a dry recitation of names and dates; instead, it was an attempt to understand the political and social forces that drive historical events and that shape the world today. His lectures on the French Revolution, the First World War, and Nazism brought these events to life and conveyed the enormous importance they have for Western Civilization.
After taking two of Professor Breunig’s classes, I turned my back on computer science forever and became a history major, and I have been studying history ever since, eventually becoming a history professor myself.
While his effect on other students’ lives may have been less dramatic, it was no less important. Professor Breunig provided all students with a model of well-organized and judicious thought. Those who took his classes undoubtedly remember that, before each lecture, he would place an outline on the board of the major points that he was going to cover. Instead of rambling or going off on tangents, as professors sometimes do, he would work systematically through each of those main points, forming a clear and consistent argument. His conclusions were always extremely balanced assessments of the past and the present.
In his dealings with people, Professor Breunig also provided an exemplary model. Both in seminar discussions and personal conversations, he listened extremely well, something I’ve since come to realize is something of a rare quality in people. He never lectured people outside of lectures, another occupational hazard of other professors. Instead, Professor Breunig always gave everyone a chance to speak and was quite open to different opinions. The respect he paid to his students’ ideas made them feel valued as participants in the scholarly enterprise. For one seminar, I remember, he even allowed the students to select the readings and lead the discussions, a progressive pedagogical technique designed to give students a direct role in fashioning the class.
Finally, let me add something about Professor Breunig’s personal qualities. He was a very compassionate man, someone who was unfailingly considerate and kind. In fact, this is what all his students said about him, that he was an excellent professor but a genuinely nice person as well. He was always generous with his time and ready to offer helpful advice. When he was director of the London Centre, he and his wife even invited students to their home for dinner, providing what students studying overseas needed most, camaraderie and a good meal. Those who have lived in London on a student’s budget, eating nothing but fish and chips for weeks on end, can appreciate the value of this.
Professor Breunig’s consideration and kindness were qualities that evinced that he was not only an outstanding professor but a wonderful person as well. In all these ways, I believe that Charles Breunig was truly exceptional. Those of us who knew him and studied with him were extremely privileged. We benefited greatly from his intelligence, his compassion, and his wisdom. — David L. Hoffmann, ’83, associate professor of history, Ohio State University