Nancy
Schafer Hall, a University of Delaware alumna and faculty member who
taught UD math and statistics courses for more than 50 years, died in
February 2022. She was 80 years old.
Dr. Hall taught math and statistics and led a service-learning
independent study course at the UD Associate in Arts Program and, before
that, the University Parallel Program. Dr. Hall was a link to the
Parallel Program’s very beginnings; she began teaching for the program
during the first year of its existence in 1968 and served on the faculty
there until her retirement in 2019.
David Satran, director of the AAP, remembers Dr. Hall’s commitment to the program and to AAP students’ success.
“I have fond memories of Nancy at our faculty meetings, which she
made a point to attend even after she retired,” Satran said. “Nancy was
always prepared to share some happening from the Georgetown campus that
she wanted me to know about, especially concerning a student
achievement.
“She was always attentive to matters large and small, and expected
the same from others,” he continued. “Each year, when the dean would
visit, she’d wait patiently for her opportunity—and then be sure to let
him know what was on her mind!”
Jon Manon, adjunct instructor in math at the AAP, remembers how Dr.
Hall welcomed him to the Georgetown campus as she prepared to retire in
2019.
“Nancy welcomed me without hesitation when I came to teach our
Elementary Teacher Education program's math courses in Georgetown,”
Manon said. “She was gracious in turning over the reins of those courses
and generous with her time in sharing ideas and materials—and, of
course, her favorite ‘pumpkin Pi’ cartoon!
“When I first inherited the third course in our ETE math sequence,
Nancy's students were clearly saddened that she would no longer be their
math instructor,” Manon continued. “Their fondness for and devotion to
her clearly ran deep. Nancy Hall was an icon in the Georgetown program
and will surely be missed by students and colleagues one and all.”
After teaching for more than 50 years in southern Delaware, Dr. Hall
was an institution at the Georgetown campus — teaching, in some cases,
three generations of students from the same family. She was always
delighted to discover that a new student was the son or daughter of a
student she had taught decades before.
AAP alumna Erika Komp took several math courses with Dr. Hall while
pursuing her Elementary Teacher Education associate degree in
Georgetown. Komp, who graduated from the Newark campus in 2014, is
currently pursuing her doctoral degree in special education at Slippery
Rock University and says Dr. Hall positively influenced her own approach
to teaching.
“Dr. Hall was so cherished,” Komp said. “I honestly hated math until
she was my professor and showed me how I can love math and pass on
loving math to my students, as well.
“She never went anywhere without her coffee and was always gracious
and kind in her teaching practices. I remember there were only eight of
us in class, and she made sure to teach each and every one of us based
on our learning styles. She would always laugh at her own mistakes, and
never minded when we corrected her.”
Dr. Hall was an accomplished pianist and bassist and performed with
the Dover Symphony Orchestra for three seasons. She regularly attended
music festivals, particularly festivals for her beloved bluegrass and
mountain music, and performed in AAP music events with other faculty
musicians at the Georgetown campus.
