Retirement Bio of Bob Cebelak
We are so thankful for all of your time and dedication to the college - 43 years is no small feat! Best wishes as you enjoy this new chapter in your life. Thank you, Bob! Bob’s comments on his time here and upcoming retirement: “Hi, I’m Bob Cebelak of the Physics/Physical Science department. I was born in Grand Rapids about 3 miles northeast of our downtown campus and went through the Grand Rapids Public School system. A number of our top Grand Rapids Central High graduates headed right down to Grand Rapids Junior College, as was common then for Grand Rapids area students, especially those aiming to graduate from the U of M or MSU. I had high school friends that very smoothly ended up architects, lawyers, engineers and more after starting here at GRJC. I went to Hope College and then Wisconsin-Madison. After planning marriage to a dental school graduate, I started looking for jobs in physics. In the midst of my job search, I returned to Hope College to request letters of recommendation and suddenly became a visiting professor of physics, filling in as a sabbatical replacement for one of my former professors. Before my second year was finalized, a permanent position opened at GRJC, and my journey at the college officially began in Fall 1983. When I started, there were five physics instructors and two also taught some math courses. Several math department faculty members originally started by teaching in the physics program. During my 43 years at the college, I have primarily taught the algebra-trig level of physics, with students of any science ambition, except engineering. Over the years, the department has seen great success and has consistently served around 80 to 120 students in engineering related courses, including calculus-based physics as well as engineering statics and dynamics. Herb DeVries, likely the most famous of our calc physics instructors of the time, sent over 1000 engineering students who transferred as Juniors to the U of M, MSU, Western and Michigan Tech during his career. Our instructors were serious about making sure students were prepared for where they were going. We had records and communications from our transfer institutions that our students were doing great! Much has changed during my time at the college. In physical science as a division, the first group of chemists I worked with retired, we hired a new crew, and many of them were here for about 20 years, retired and have been replaced again. In 1983, the physical and life sciences were in the Main Building (now Finkelstein) and then in January 2000, we moved into the brand-new Calkins Science Center. I also vividly remember the era of GRJC separating from GRPS in 1990 and becoming GRCC. Tuition was cheaper for county residents, we made enrollment projections going up for 20 years, and hit those marks almost exactly. Since then, demographic trends in the county trended down, and we have made changes in our services to benefit the community and us. Everyone I’ve worked with in physics and chemistry over those 43 years has been busy. When I arrived, I had the privilege of working alongside outstanding senior colleagues, and over the years we’ve continued to bring in excellent new people as I have aged as well. I have three current adjunct faculty members who now teach all the Physics 125 labs in my course that I worked with in the old Main Building in the 1990s’; they are Randy Creswell and Mary Beth O’Rourke as adjunct forever, and Matt Wang retired fulltime, now adjunct. There are no other full-time professors in our Physical Science department that go back to those “old building” days with me, and I’ve been so pleased to work with these and other wonderful adjunct instructors through the years. Also, driving in from Holland all 43 years, I have known all the maintenance and facilities staff in my area as I would often arrive early or stay late teaching night classes. Those men and women have been amazing, particularly during pandemic times when they would have to clean rooms daily as though they were disinfecting the groceries over and over and over. The amount of support for us and care they take in their work is inspiring. It’s not much of a biography, I hope none of the history is 100% wrong. I feel bad for not mentioning 20 people I worked with who are now retired and have passed on, 20 people retired and are still alive, and 20-40+ people who are still rookies who haven’t been here 25 years yet, but are doing fine work to serve our students and the community. Students have always been appreciative, many have transferred successfully, some even spectacularly, and some are even back working here at GRCC. It has given the job meaning, even the sense of a life well spent. Personal details, all important, but not really important to the exit story, I think. My dentist wife Kathy is retired, we have 4 kids ages 26-40 who are amazing like most kids, 2 grandkids that are 4 and 6 and likely to see Grampy more often soon, one more due in July. In retirement, I’ve got a garden that was beautiful in 2012 to continue working on, weird electronic and other music to listen to (google Creel Pone for examples), a million papers to sort through, baseball to follow/study/read about and lots of possibilities to work or not, here or there. And there’s one definite plan to still be in Room 403 Science on Community STEM day next year with 4 or more 'weird noises' setups; theremins and other things.” Thanks, goodbye. Bob C.