Professor Linda Gooding
1991 Excellence in Teaching Award Recipient

A Charleston native, Professor Linda Salter Gooding became a history professor at the two-year-old Baptist College in 1967. Her desire to teach at the school stemmed from the fact that it was a Baptist institution, and her pastor helped her secure a position. She received her B.A. at  The College of Charleston, then completed her master’s in European History at the University of Tennessee. She worked at the University of Tennessee for a while before moving back to Charleston and accepting a position at Baptist College.

Though getting students to think critically is not always easy, Professor Gooding has found several methods and activities to be successful.  One is to have the students find research articles in the library that encourage analytical applications to understanding history’s changes. A second is to show films of events being discussed in class. A third method is class discussions. In smaller, upper-level classes, she uses war-game strategies, role-playing, and even tours of Charleston. In the past, Professor Gooding has invited colleagues from other areas to present information.

Professor Gooding contributes her teaching excellence to her desire to give students information and to train them in critical analysis. To do so, students need to connect the past with  present events and learn how to organize their thoughts in a logical manner. This desire is fueled not only by her love of history, but of the students’ excitement when they begin to bring information, analysis, and organization together.

Professor Gooding admits there is a side of her that would surprise her students. She loves to sing and play the piano, and has given voice concerts around the state, at museums, gardens, and even the Governor’s mansion. She also grows camellias and has more than 350 plants. Like most women in South Carolina, she has a husband who loves to hunt wild game, and as a result she cleans, packages, and processes game meat at home.