by Jennifer Schneider
Staff Writer
Appalachian State University geography and planning professor Dr.
Neal G. Lineback received the Travelocity Award for Excellence in
Geography Education last Friday.
He was presented with the $5,000 award at the Association of American
Geographers meeting in Philadelphia.
The award recognizes professors who positively influence the education
of geography.
“Neal is the most dedicated teacher of geography I have ever
known,” geography and planning professor Dr. Michael W. Mayfield
said. “His enthusiasm for the discipline is contagious.”
Lineback spreads the understanding of geography through a newspaper
column, “Geography in the News,” which he has written
for the past 17 years. Lineback has published more than 720 columns.
The seed for creating a source to help others understand the connection
between geography and economics, politics, agriculture and more
was planted many years ago.
In 1963, Lineback taught high school in Henry County, Va. He said
he arrived at the school to find only a textbook, roll book and
a map of a Mercator project on the wall. For two years, he attempted
to figure out how to teach five classes a day with just those materials.
“Over those two years, I yearned for something that would
help my students connect their geography course to what was going
on in the world,” Lineback said.
Former Appalachian State Dean Bill Byrd saw the potential in Lineback’s
idea for a weekly newspaper. Now, 17 years and five deans later,
articles are still published to educate the public in a unique way.
“When Julia Alvarez spoke at Appalachian’s convocation
some years ago, she told us that 10 years down the road students
will not remember the detailed physics, chemistry or algebra that
we taught them. What they will remember are the stories we told,”
Mayfield said. “She must have been speaking of Neal Lineback.”
“I would like to be able to say that I knew all along that
‘Geography in the News’ was a good idea, but I still
struggle over each article and whether it provides some interesting
and useful information in a geographic context,” Lineback
said.
Lineback was nominated for the award by James F. Marran, a middle
school teacher in Illinois who has used Lineback’s column
in the classroom for years.
“I continue to be surprised when I hear from teachers in Maine
to Texas, for example, saying that they found something very useful
in one of my articles,” Lineback said. “Such testimonies
continue to drive me.”
“Neal has been an inspiration for all of us who share his
passion,” geography and planning professor Art B. Rex said.
“His professionalism, attention to detail and tenacity have
helped the world to better understand geography and the geographic
perspective.”
“I am both honored and humbled by the generosity of Travelocity
and my peers,” Lineback said. “I am very pleased that
Appalachian State University is receiving some very positive national
publicity from this award.”
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