A cultural affinity - Lamar University

A CULTURAL
AFFINITY
From Austrian studies to
literary history and Edward
Albee to Duong Thu Huong,
Pamela Saur has contributed a
lifetime of cultural study and
understanding to her students
and to academe.
Combining the tenure track with
the family track is no easy feat.
But Pamela Saur has navigated a
sure track to academic success—so much
so that she earned two of Lamar
University’s highest faculty honors within
less than six weeks.
Saur, professor of English and modern
languages, is Lamar’s 2007 University
Professor and its 2007 University Scholar.
The professorship, awarded for life to
recognize a senior faculty member for distinguished
teaching, is the most prestigious
faculty award conferred by Lamar’s
academic community. The scholar award
is the university’s highest honor recognizing
research and creative activities,
designed to honor a career of scholarship
and professional achievement.
Few faculty members anywhere have
been as productive as Pamela Saur, says
Stephen Doblin, provost and vice president
for academic affairs. “Often it is said
that someone has taught the entire curriculum.
Well, Pam has; in fact, she has
added courses to the German curriculum,
and then taught them,” Doblin said.
She is an internationally recognized
scholar in Austrian literature and recognized
as one of Lamar’s most respected
14 | CARDINAL CADENCE 35:2 MAY 2007
by Louise Wood
and talented faculty members.
Among Saur’s many leadership roles
at Lamar, Doblin said, one stands out as
the most challenging—as chair from 1995
to 1998 of Lamar’s steering committee
for the Southern Association of Colleges
and Schools, the national accrediting body
for higher education. Because of Saur’s
efforts, Lamar completed its last SACS
reaffirmation with several, rare commendations.
In 1998, the Faculty Senate
unanimously endorsed a resolution
expressing thanks to Saur “for a difficult
job extremely well done.”
She and her husband, Steve, assistant
professor of social work, have spent most
of their teaching careers at Lamar—after
years of challenges in juggling the pursuit
of advanced degrees with raising children
and finding the right fit in collegiate environments.
“We are lucky to be tenured at the
same university,” she said. “We had been
married 19 years and had lived in five
states when we came to Lamar with our
two young children. I am especially proud
of these awards because Lamar has meant
so much to our family.”
Saur’s parents were from Minnesota,
but she was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., while
her father was attending graduate school
at Columbia University en route to
BRIAN SATTLER
becoming a sociology professor. She grew up
in Washington state, Minnesota and Iowa.
Saur decided early on to follow in her
father’s footsteps, declaring during a junior
high career day that she wanted to be a professor
when she grew up.
“I began studying German in high
school, which was a common thing to do in
Iowa because about half of the people have
German ancestory—we had 71 people in our
German Club. After I went to college, as an
English major, I learned about a program in
Vienna and started taking more German. I
got a double major and spent my junior year
abroad in Vienna. I’ve never recovered from
that. I still love Vienna and Austria and have
been involved in Austrian literature more
than 30 years.”
Saur earned bachelor of arts, master of
arts and doctor of philosophy degrees from
the University of Iowa and a master’s in education
from the University of Massachusetts.
She and Steve met as students at the
University of Iowa. “We went to Omaha
together, strictly by chance,” she recalls. “We
were assigned to the same car to campaign
for Eugene McCarthy in what was called the
‘Children’s Crusade.’”
They married Nov. 1, 1969, in Iowa
City, Iowa. There were some tough times
along the way, with small children, tiny
apartments and long moves. “I remember
someone once saying to me, ‘What! You’re
35 years old and you’re both in school and
you have two kids?’ And I thought, ‘My
gosh, you’re right. That is crazy.’
“When you have one career, it’s difficult
enough, but two together is quite challenging
to get all the education you need and
raise your family,” Pam said.
They lived in Iowa, then Florida, where
Pamela and Steve Saur join their children and grandchildren
at the University Professor Award reception: Henry
Louis Saur and wife Elena (Chapman) Saur, with daughter
Carlee Marie Saur of Pearland and Catherine (Saur)
and Kenny Allen, with Tabitha Rose Allen of Beaumont.
Steve earned his master’s in social work, and
in Louisiana, where Pam had a temporary
job at Louisiana Tech in Ruston. Then it was
north to Boston, where Steve pursued an
advanced degree at Brandeis University while
Pam earned a second degree in education,
and back south, where Pam taught at
Auburn at Montgomery. They came to
Lamar in 1988 and, Pam said, “within a
couple of years, we both had tenure-track
positions. I love the combination of teaching,
research and service that the academic
profession offers, especially, the chances we
have to choose our own initiatives . . . We
participate in all the activities, go to sporting
events, support Lamar. We have a great
situation here.”
The Saurs’ son, Henry ’01, a communication
graduate, is a rising executive with
Enterprise Rent A Car. He and his wife,
Elena (Chapman) ’02 live in Pearland with
their daughter, Carlee Marie. Daughter
Cathy (Saur) Allen ’01, ’04 earned a bachelor’s
degree in political science and a master’s
degree in public education. Taking after her
father, she has a career in public service with
the Social Security Administration in Port
Arthur. Cathy and her husband, Kenny, live in
Beaumont with their daughter, Tabitha Rose.
Aside from her family and campus
activities, Saur relishes regular visits to
Vienna, which has by now become a second
home. “Every couple of years, I try to go to
Austria to present a paper or study in the
libraries. And I’m dull. I don’t go to
Germany. I don’t go to France. I don’t ever
go to other parts of Austria. I’m very focused
on Vienna, where I also love to go to plays.”
CHRIS CASTILLO
David Castle, professor of political science,
nominated Saur for University
Professor, describing her as “quite possibly
the best, most productive scholar among our
ranks.”
“Dr. Saur is the model of a teacher-scholar,
and Lamar University is truly fortunate to
have such a distinguished scholar on the faculty,”
wrote Kevin Dodson, professor of philosophy,
in nominating her for University
Scholar. “Dr. Saur has achieved recognition as
one of the leading scholars in her research
field, modern Austrian literature.
“In keeping with the wide range of her
“Dr. Saur has achieved a
reputation as one of the
foremost scholars in modern
Austrian literature in the
United States. Beyond her
primary domain, Professor
Saur has produced a variety
of studies on topics in
world literature and on the
diversity of other national
literature and cultures . . .
that demonstrates the
amazing breadth of her
research interests . . .”
—GERHARD KNAPP, professor of
German and comparative literature,
University of Utah
teaching assignments, Pam has published and
presented scholarly papers on a truly impressive
array of subjects in literature, language
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