Richard Gamble, professor of history, will retire at the close of this semester. Gamble has taught at Hillsdale College since 2006.
“I will miss my church, my colleagues, and the students,” Gamble said.
He plans to spend his retirement time with family in South Carolina and working on his biography on John Lukacs.
Charles Yost, assistant professor in medieval history, remembers all the interesting conversations he and Gamble had throughout the years.
“I learned so much from him, not just about American history, but about the historian’s craft,” said Yost.
Gamble’s book, “The Great Tradition: Classic Readings on what it Means to be an Educated Human Being,” is used for the Collegiate Scholars Program and is appreciated across homeschool and classical school communities according to Gamble.
Bradley Birzer, professor of history and Gamble’s longtime friend, met him before either of them taught at Hillsdale.
“He’s a man of deep integrity, insight, morals, and imagination,” Birzer said. “I really can’t imagine my own career without his inspiration and friendship.”
Birzer and Gamble first met in the early 1990s at a conference in San Francisco. Roughly 12 years later, at an Intercollegiate Studies Institute conference in Seattle, Washington, a conversation about Hillsdale College first came up.
“We were riding the elevator together,” Gamble said. “And he said to me, ‘You know, there’s an opening at Hillsdale College.’ And I said, ‘Brad, don’t complicate my life.’”
Gamble initially encountered Hillsdale College in October 2005. After his lecture during that visit, he was drilled by then-undergraduate student Jason Gehrke, assistant professor of history, in the following Q&A session. Gamble said after his visit he hoped to work for Hillsdale.
Mark Kalthoff, professor of history, made Gamble feel at home and helped him move in after Gamble was hired at Hillsdale. They went to church together and became good friends according to Kalthoff.
“Dr. Gamble has been very diligent as a scholar throughout his career. That speaks to both his intellectual curiosity as well as to his intelligence and ability,” Kalthoff said.
Matthew Gaetano, associate professor of history, has worked with Gamble for approximately 15 years. During this time, they have built a friendship, according to Gaetano.
“Richard has been and will continue to be an example of what it takes to be a teacher and scholar for many of us in the history department,” Gaetano said. “And alongside his role as an exemplary teacher and scholar, Richard is a good friend and a faithful Christian. It is hard to imagine the fourth floor of Delp Hall without him.”
Since his freshman year, senior Ethan Bourgeois said Gamble’s time at Hillsdale College has enriched him not only in his love for history, but travel, art, and classical music. Gamble and Bourgeois have traveled to Turkey, Hungary, Norway, among others according to Bourgeois.
“I am indebted to Dr. Gamble for mentoring me as a Christian, historian, and fellow traveler on this earth,” Bourgeois said. “I will continue to learn from and work with him in years to come. It is a rare gift to be able to call your professor a friend.”
Retiring was a hard decision for Gamble. He said he finds joy in the community of Hillsdale, and wants to give students historical insight, allowing them to recognize how history shapes the modern world.
“When I first arrived at Hillsdale in 2006, I was impressed by the students,” Gamble said. “They welcomed me to a lunch table my first semester here, and I am still in touch with many of them today.”
