I can't say enough wonderful things about Uncle Kermit.
Even though -- due to circumstances beyond our control -- we hadn't seen each other for several years, we still kept in touch by mail. He could write some of the most interesting letters.
Anyway, I've shared quite a few memories of him over the years.
I always called him Uncle Kermit or UK for short -- and called him Kermie-Wormie sometimes, too.
His full name was Evan Kermit Jobe during his almost 93 years spent here after popping out of Grandma's birth canal on December 9, 1926.
For starters, I want to give you a thumbnail sketch of Uncle Kermit so that people who might remember him can find out more about him. This sketch will be mostly about his education and teaching positions so that people who would be interested in those (e.g. students, co-workers) might be able to find him.
But Uncle Kermit is far more than his teaching. I can / have / and will -- write volumes about him just because he lived such an awesome, fun, and caring life.
He wanted to leave the world a better place than he found it.
His field of study was Philosophy Of Science,
Some people called him Evan. Others called him Kermit. His co-workers during the time when he was working at Kessler AFB usually called him Jobe.
I know of at least one person named Marguerite who usually called him Cupcake when she wrote him letters.
Professionally, he was Dr. Jobe after earning his PhD at the age of 46 (a latecomer due to working on his degree as he had the time to do so between everything else that he was doing), but he was one who would rather have his students call him Evan than the more formal Dr. Jobe.
After he received his PhD, he taught at temporary positions (and got invited to stay on after each one, but he was looking for something in a climate where he could get out every day of the year).
From 1973-1974, he was at Iowa State University in Ames.
From 1974-1975 he was at University Of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
He decided to take some time off after that and lived in Baton Rouge, Louisiana for a year. He sent out applications in hopes of finding a good fit for him when it came to a place to get tenured.
He spent time walking around the area and enjoyed visiting with Mike The Tiger (a real tiger who was the school's mascot) who lived on the Louisiana State University campus.
He ended up finding the perfect fit: Texas Tech University in Lubbock.
This was where he stayed until time for him to retire -- at which time he moved to Bloomington, Indiana, a place he referred to as "The Center Of The Universe."
He had gotten his Bachelor's Degree and his PhD at Indiana University and his Master's at the University Of Florida in Gainesville.
After that, he taught for a year at the University of Tampa.
Finally, he taught at the University of Kentucky in Lexington beginning in 1966 and spent summers back in Indiana working on his PhD. In 1969, he moved back to Indiana to begin working on his PhD full time.
Here is another part of my precious uncle.
Below, find the shout-out to the law firm and more about Uncle Kermit...
Below, find what I wrote a year ago -- and I haven't changed my mind...
"This is part one of the shout-out I'm giving...
Posted by Ainsley Jo Phillips on Wednesday, December 23, 2020
