Wanderlust
The bubbly voice on the other end of the telephone indicated that retired psychology professor Elizabeth Duff was showing no signs of slowing down and was delighted to share her experiences with Rowan Magazine readers.

A professor at Glassboro State College from 1959-1984, Dr. Duff had a varied career before coming to Glassboro. The current Salem resident earned a master’s degree in physical education from New York University and a doctorate in education from Mansfield State College in Pennsylvania. After a brief stint in the United States Marine Corps, she earned another doctorate in health and physical education from the University of Maryland.

At Glassboro, the former psychology professor taught human behavior and development courses comprised mostly of first-year students. “I liked freshmen. It was a whole new world to them and I believe teachers can really get to freshmen. Later on, they get hardened and you can’t make much of an impression,” said Duff.

One thing she remembers well is the 1967 Hollybush Summit between President Lyndon Johnson and Soviet Premier Alexei Kosygin. “Overnight, the whole place changed. We had the snipers up on the roof and there were a lot of fences put around, but we were allowed to get up pretty close to them. It was interesting—they didn’t keep us away,” she said.

Since her retirement, Duff has had a hard time staying in Salem. “I’ve done quite a bit of traveling,” she said. But that’s an understatement. Duff has traversed several continents—Asia, Africa, Europe and South America. She’s also explored places closer to home, including Mexico and Canada.

“Russia was very interesting. We met a lot of the people there and went to dinner with them. It was fun. It was the beginning of spring, but it was still cold with some snow on the ground. Another place we went was in France where a great deal of the men who died in World War II were buried. I can remember standing on the roof of a three-story building and everywhere you looked around, as far as you could see, there were graves. They were kids from everywhere—America and Europe. That was something I’ll never forget.”

In spite of her insatiable wanderlust, Duff still finds time for community service close to home. She served on the board of directors for the Girl Scouts, in the chapter serving South Jersey formerly known as Holly Shores.

Duff has also supported the environmental preservation efforts near her home. “I live right on the Delaware River in what’s technically known as Elsinboro. It’s right on the water. People fish here, and I like watching the water,” she said. In the past, Duff and many other local environmentalists have expressed concern about pollution in the Delaware and have dedicated their time to attracting influential environmental groups like Riverkeeper to the area.

Although she has had to ease up on the hiking and bicycling she enjoyed in past years, Duff still maintains mobility—both on foot and on the road. “I like to drive, and I drive often. I’m also starting to walk more frequently,” she said.

But Duff doesn’t have to leave her home to enjoy many of the simple pleasures that color her life. She’s an avid reader of biographies and follower of current events.

These days, Duff is happy to share in the company of her two nieces, whom she sees during holidays in Vermont. And although the Green Mountains are no Alps, they’re enough of an escape for Duff, who values her loved ones even more than all the beauty she’s witnessed in her world travels.

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Alumni can honor retired faculty by donating to a scholarship fund and other investment. Call James Spencer at 856-256-5403 or visit the Rowan University Foundation.