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Embrace curiosity. Challenge beliefs. Prepare for the long game. These are the values education professor Wendy Brandon, head basketball coach Tom Klusman, and education professor H. James McLaughlin modeled for generations of Rollins students—while in the classroom, on the court, and in the world at large. After careers spanning five decades, they are now embarking on a new chapter infused with the experience of having lived and learned alongside countless students.

We recently caught up with three of this year’s retirees to reflect on their favorite memories, what they’ll miss most, how they hope to be remembered, and their service to Rollins.

Wendy Brandon

Professor of Education

The intimacy of the educational experience kept education professor Wendy Brandon rooted at Rollins for four decades. Reflecting on her tenure, diverse opportunities—from study abroad and experiential learning to independent studies and team teaching—led to an investment in her students’ success.

“The freedom Rollins gives its faculty is unparalleled,” says Brandon, whose academic interests range from feminist methodology to food democracy. “The opportunities to collaborate with undergraduates like Raghabendra KC ’13, who’s now a business faculty member, were some of my proudest accomplishments.”

Another standout moment came in 2012 when a dozen “feminists who changed America” convened on campus to mark the 45th anniversary of the National Organization for Women (NOW). Under Brandon’s guidance, students completed oral histories that they presented to the community at large during a panel discussion.

“These conversations not only yielded connection but also new ideas and ways of thinking,” says Brandon, who has been an ardent champion of her students both in and out of the classroom.

The lifelong connections forged with thousands of individuals over 41 years (many of whose children went on to teach) will be Brandon’s lasting legacy. Her next chapter includes trading a house one block from campus for a ranch in Okeechobee where the sea and prairie air meet.

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What’s your favorite Rollins memory? “Hosting my advisees for an end-of-semester holiday dinner and bonfire with s’mores—which I have introduced to a global audience—for dessert.”

What will you miss most about Rollins? “The community of students and running into them in various places around town.”

How do you want Rollins to remember you? “As teaching students how to think critically and complete research—by constructing a question, collecting data, and analyzing it.”

Tom Klusman ’76 ’78MBA

Head Coach, Men’s Basketball

After five decades on the Rollins court, Tom Klusman believes basketball is a lot like life. “There are wins, losses, and unfair calls—not to mention tremendous gratification and deep disappointment,” says the veteran coach and former player who netted 1,006 career points while an undergraduate. After 44 years spent helming the men’s basketball program and witnessing countless changes across campus and in college sports overall, Klusman’s advice to student-athletes remains constant.

“It is how you handle each situation, on and off the court, that will determine who you are and the success you achieve in life,” he says, pointing to the long-standing relationships forged with players as the most notable accomplishment of his tenure.

“After all my years coaching, it is wonderful to hear from former players as they share news of their careers and families,” says Klusman, an inductee of both the Rollins Athletic and Sunshine State Conference halls of fame.

Klusman’s career record (755-489) puts him among the top coaches in NCAA Division II history. His successor, fellow Tar Kevin Hogan ’07 ’09MBA, played five seasons under Klusman’s guidance, ensuring that his legacy will live on.

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What’s your favorite Rollins memory? “The first time we won the Sunshine State Conference tournament championship in 1992 and then, later in my career, getting to the Elite Eight twice—in 2004 and 2017. Quite an accomplishment for tiny Rollins College.”

What will you miss most about Rollins? “Spending time with my players and my assistant coaches.”

How do you want Rollins to remember you? “As a positive influence on my players and college sports overall.”

H. James McLaughlin

Professor of Education

Thirteen years ago, H. James McLaughlin sought to finish his career at a small liberal arts college. In finding Rollins, he hit the jackpot. Throughout his tenure, he put his heart into advising students and bringing history into the classroom.

In 2019, he and religious studies professor Yudit Greenberg co-created a course called Learning and Teaching about the Holocaust, the first ever of its kind at Rollins. Keen on global perspectives, he and psychology professor Alice Davidson co-taught a storytelling course told from two points of view.

“This is the best job I have ever had,” says McLaughlin, whose scholarly interests include the history of immigrant education in the United States.

The Richard James Mertz Chair of Education credits his colleagues with supporting the social scientist niche he carved out for himself. In his School and Society course, he shed light on marginalized children—from those who are unhoused and migrant farmworkers to refugees and Native Americans on reservations—many of whom remain invisible in the current educational system.

McLaughlin adopted various mantras over the years. “Be here now,” proved pivotal given the online world in which we currently live. From his first day to the last (which is technically not until December), McLaughlin strived to remind students of their primary objective: “Make yourself proud.”

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What’s your favorite Rollins memory? “Experiencing the world with students—from the Pathways to Teaching program for adult learners working as paraprofessionals in local schools to field studies in Amsterdam, Krakow, and Washington, D.C.”

What will you miss most about Rollins? “I will miss my students and the opportunity to learn from and with them each semester.”

How do you want Rollins to remember you? “As opening the world to students and helping them not only to see it—as complex, vital, and at times troubling—but also to understand it.”