Retirements: Faculty Members To Depart From Exeter

Keeble

Instructor of mathematics Susan Keeble will be dearly missed by the Exeter Community next year when she retires after 25 years at the Academy. Keeble was a resident of Merrill Hall for 10 years and an affiliate for 11. She was an adviser to Women in Science and Mathematics, taught club sports and helped develop the first Advanced Placement Statistics syllabus. Before Exeter, she taught at Maryville High School outside of Knoxville, Tennessee for 19 years.

Keeble discovered her interest in teaching at an early age. For her, teaching seemed like “a natural next step” forward. Sometimes while she was in high school, she would even substitute for math teachers when they were absent. She received her bachelor's degree in mathematics from Emory and Henry College in Virginia and her master's degree in education from the University of Tennessee.

“Looking back as someone who has their 10 year reunion this year, she truly holds a lot of fond memories of Exeter for me.”

Each June, Keeble has worked for the Anja Greer Mathematics Science and Technology Conference that is held on campus for teachers from around the world. She also regularly presents projects at national conferences such as the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. According to instructor of mathematics Laura Marshall, teachers outside Exeter recognize Keeble as a leader in mathematics education who is regularly asked to evaluate schools and math departments of peer schools. “We all know that when we have a technology question, we can go to her,” Marshall said.

Senior Levon Brunson described Keeble as one of the most caring and dedicated teachers he’s had at Exeter. In class, she not only gave students the space to work through problems on their own but also made sure they understood the material by recapping the harder questions. “Every once in awhile I get a teacher like Ms. Keeble, of whom I can truly think of as one of the best teachers I’ve had during my four years at Exeter,” Brunson said.

Outside the classroom, Keeble has also left a large impact on both the students and the faculty of Merrill Hall. Former dorm head of Merrill and instructor of modern languages Elena Gosavez-Blanco described Keeble as “an ideal dorm parent: a loving presence, a good listener and a perceptive mentor students could trust.”

Sarah Lee ‘06, who was a Merrillite , remembers when Keeble was on duty, and they’d sit and talk for hours. “[Ms. Keeble] always made me feel welcome and cared for,” Lee said. “Looking back as someone who has their 10 year reunion this year, she truly holds a lot of fond memories of Exeter for me.”

With her retirement, Keeble hopes to travel more. While she plans to stay in New Hampshire for the fall, she hopes to go to a warmer place for the winter, such as the Research Triangle of North Carolina. While there, she plans to enjoy the new scenery and take adult education classes at Duke University. She’s also excited to watch college basketball games in person, one of her favorite pastimes.

Keeble will miss Exeter dearly, especially her relationships with students. and her colleagues. Having taught for 44 years, she believes that interactions with students, whether it be in the classroom or in the dorm, have kept her young.  "I think we need to bring younger people into the faculty, so I think it’s time for me to move on and let somebody else take my place,” Keeble said.

As Keeble is sad to depart the Academy, Seidenberg said the Exeter community will equally miss Keeble and the powerful impact she has had during her time at the Academy. “Exeter, especially the mathematics department, will miss her fair and balanced opinions on issues, and students will miss her sense of humor and deep concern for their well-being,” Seidenberg said. “Exeter's reputation is built on teachers like Susan Keeble.”

Trueman

Every term, students find themselves shuffling into the Student Activities Office trying to buy shuttle tickets the day before break. Although countless reminders are sent with “No Exceptions!”, Day Student Program Coordinator Jan Trueman makes sure that everyone finds their way home. After 28 years of serving the Exeter community as a member of Dining Hall Services and Student Center Assistant, Trueman retired this year.

Trueman’s career at Exeter started in 1988, and until 1995, she served as an employee of the Dining Services Department. Dances used to only be held in Elm Dining Hall, so for each event, the staff had to rearranged the furniture before and after. Trueman said that she always enjoyed working with and getting to know all of the students.

“When I bought my ticket late, she didn’t get mad and understood that I had forgotten.”

She applied to be the Student Center Assistant, a fairly new position during the 1990s. In this role, Trueman worked at the Student Center, now the Davis Center, and helped students with transportation. Over the years, the day student population has grown from 110—when Trueman first began working with day students—to over 200. She noted that transportation services have grown tremendously, with a rise in boarding students.

As the Day Student Coordinator, Trueman provided day students with support while on campus and organized events such as the annual Day Student Dinner. She found all of the day students easy to work with and approachable.

“I loved working with the day students from day one. I will miss each of them so much,” she said.

Unlike kids in a dorm, day students come to the academy already knowing other kids—many of them were friends since kindergarten.

“In a big dorm like Dunbar or Webster, it’s brand new to everybody, and it’s not like that in this case. I know many of the families, especially the parents, and now, I know the grandparents, which is a little scary,” she said.

Trueman thought that the parents were happy with her customer service skills. “Parents with call on a first name basis—it’s not even like talking to a dorm head with, ‘Dear Mr. Smith.’ I like that a lot,” she said.

Trueman explained that her job allowed her to have a “great experience” with a lot of student interaction without being a teacher. Although she explained that it’s “always the same job,” it’s never the same thing twice for her.

“I love every part of it. I would be a lousy teacher—the classroom isn’t for me, but this adventure is,” Trueman said.

As a coordinator for student transportation, Trueman felt that her organizational skills allowed her to do the best job she could to help everyone.

She especially enjoyed the more hectic moments of her time at Exeter. “One of the most thrilling things about transportation is when there’s snow. Flights are cancelled, and I love that for some reason,” she said.

Prep Inumidun Oyebode said that Trueman was “extremely nice” even when she had trouble buying shuttle tickets.

“I met her in the fall, and I was confused about how the bus tickets worked. Even later in the year, when I bought my ticket late, she didn’t get mad and understood that I had forgotten,” she said.

Trueman said that she was surprised that she is retiring because a couple of years ago, she talked to her husband about it and did not see an end.

“But 28 years is a long time, and I’m not a kid anymore. It’s a hard thing to wrap my head around—from the neck up, I’m thirty and I have energy,” she said.

Trueman reiterated that although she has a great appreciation for everyone at Exeter, she’s going to miss interacting and working with students the most.

“The fact that there is so many diverse interests—everyone is passionate about different things, not just science or just writing—is fascinating,” Trueman said.