In the fall semester of 2018, the leaves will once again turn, and Elizabethtown College will participate in the many traditions here on campus. Among the changes to Etown, there will be one major loss to the English department here on campus, and that is the transfer of R.W. Schlosser Professor of English Dr. David Downing.

Etown’s loss will become Wheaton College’s gain in Illinois as Downing will take over co-directing the Marion E. Wade Center with his wife, Crystal, who is currently an English professor at Messiah College.

“We will sorely miss Dr. Downing in the English department, and we celebrate his appointment to the Wade Center,” English department chair and associate professor of English Dr. Matt Skillen said.

The main reason he came to Etown is one of the main reasons he is leaving; he loves to work with his wife.

“We enjoy working together,” Downing said. “We complement each other’s talents.”

After both having teaching jobs in Santa Barbara, upon completion of their doctorates, they decided to move to Pennsylvania to have a broader variety of colleges to work within. They both hold doctorates in English, and many colleges do not hire spouses within the same department.

Downing explained how the couple does not have pets or children and enjoys focusing on their scholarly work. Together, they also enjoy biking the Amish countryside and visiting Europe on occasion.

The professor who started the Marion E. Wade Center met both J. R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis and began collecting letters from the two, coming to display their work, along with other famous scholars, in the center. The center focuses on a number of authors that integrate faith, intellect and imagination into their work.

While packing for his move to the Windy City, Downing came across a letter written nearly 30 years ago from the Wade Center. The woman who replied still works there today, as Downing transitions from a scholarly inquirer to a co-director of the center.

As a professor at Etown since 1994, Downing helped oversee the development of the professional writing program and really focused its curriculum on writing in the workplace – classes that have doubled in number since they began the program. Upon suggestion of the many new graduates that visit his classrooms, they integrated more business and public relations writing to help students get ready for the job market.

Downing says Etown is unique for a small liberal arts college, since it offers such strong creative writing and professional writing classes. Today nearly 50 students are in the professional writing major.

Although Downing enjoys teaching all his classes, he said that an odd favorite of his is teaching the short story class. He accredits this to the variety of majors that take those classes.

“Students bring their own experiences to fiction writing,” Downing said. “So every time I teach the class, it is a new experience.”

He values the collegiality of his fellow professors in the English department, saying he appreciates their collective works not only as scholars but also as novelists, memoir writers, poets and playwrights.

“It’s good to come to work and enjoy the people you meet,” Downing said.

He says everyone is very friendly and they often read each other’s manuscripts, which also makes work more enjoyable.

Downing has many post-graduate relationships with his students. He still gets requests to read inquiry letters and resumes even ten years after students graduate.

“He’s stayed in touch with many of his former students, and he often expresses pride in the work different alumni are doing in their careers,” visiting professor of English Dr. Tara Moore wrote in an email. Moore was a student of Downing when she attended the College.

“As an Etown student I remember learning basic, early web site creation in Dr. Downing’s Intro to Professional Writing course,” Moore said.

There are many students he met as prospective students who he then continues to advise through their senior theses and beyond.

One of Downing’s favorite things about being a professor at Etown is to see the students gaining self-confidence as they grow academically.

“One of the most satisfying moments is when promise and potential turns into actual accomplishment,” Downing said.

He credits this to Etown’s personalized environment as a small college, saying that some students have expressed they might not have done as well at a larger university.

“I like to see students develop global skills such as communication and critical thinking,” Downing said of students’ accomplishments beyond Etown.

He meets parents at graduation that appreciate how much the College has transformed their children from their graduation to the awards and clubs they have led. He appreciates the gratitude of parents and values having that experience.

Recalling meeting a set of parents at graduation, he notes that the family gave him a bottle of vintage wine in thanks for his guidance to their daughter, who really blossomed at Etown.

Around campus Downing might be known through his scholarship on C.S. Lewis. He explains that Etown has kept him on his toes as he can be found perfecting an article on C.S. Lewis one minute and teaching students how to make a brochure in the next.

His office is recognizable by the amount of C.S. Lewis memorabilia it holds. Upon entry a student can recognize the familiar face of Aslan in the corner along with a shelf or “dedicated shrine” to C.S. Lewis including chap-stick and tissues from the release of the movie adaptation of “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.”

Downing first started writing on C.S. Lewis when he was a sophomore in college. It was his first published piece, and he remembers being impressed that he got paid to write something.

Downing has been a professor at Etown for 24 years, the first three years as a visiting lecturer. Though he taught at several surrounding colleges in the ‘90s, he always hoped that Etown would be his “Goldilocks” college, with the most teachable students and likeable colleagues.

Downing lists a published book on the centennial history of the College as a high point in his career at Etown. It was a long-term investment, as he still connects with the students through Facebook and email.

Looking back on his previous mentors he appreciates his advisor at Westmont College who urged him to be an English major and to go to graduate school, which Downing did, eventually taking his professor’s position when his mentor retired.

Another inspiration to his career at Etown would be Dr. Don Kraybill.

“Donald was very encouraging and inspirational to me as a new faculty member,” Downing said.

“Dr. Downing’s tenure at Elizabethtown College has included meritorious service to the College, exemplary teaching and mentorship to hundreds of students, and creative and scholarly work that has elevated the profile of our department and the college,” Skillen said.

Downing’s appreciation of the professional writing program goes deeper than the scholarly connections he has made with his colleagues.

“Often the dynamism of the English department comes from the students than from the faculty,” Downing said.

He also shares three character traits, integrity, empathy and humility, as being integral parts leading to success. He sees a lot of professors throughout Etown’s faculty as being selfless and holding integrity in their work, having a balance of both intellectual and spiritual traits.

Downing is both co-advisor of the campus literary magazine, Fine Print, and the student newspaper, the Etownian.

“I have a strong belief in learning experiences outside of the classroom,” Downing said.

He has always been strongly involved in outside learning, such as coordinating internships, sponsoring independent studies and mentoring honors projects.

“I’m leaving with a bittersweet feeling because of all students I’ve had throughout the years some of the best are at Etown right now,” Downing said.