"In Memory of Professor Noah Haiduc-Dale" by John Aller

When it comes to thinking about Dr. Haiduc-Dale, dozens upon dozens of memories come to mind. Picking one memory to share is a tough choice, as I had the pleasure of spending lots of time with him during my tenure at Centenary, and all of these memories I cherish deeply. However, in an effort to be brief, I will generalize by mentioning the numerous class trips that I took part in during his Public History course. Being able to drive to many different locations and listen to Noah, as well as other historical commentators, discuss all kinds of local history was a real treat. 

However, it was in this class that he gave us a project that we could all take part in. This project revolved around creating a guided tour map of Centenary’s campus. Each building would be assigned a QR code, and upon scanning this code, a video of a group of students discussing the usage and history of the building would play. For my share, a partner and I discussed the Taylor Memorial Library, the archives, and completed the introductory video to the map. 

Upon our entire class completing this project, Noah was absolutely ecstatic. Being able to see the pride he took in this concept, as well as how proud he was of all of us, was such a fulfilling feeling. This project, to me, as well as many other classmates, was about more than achieving a good grade. I truly feel that class went above and beyond to accomplish everything that Noah had set us out to do. 

To this day, I feel an immense amount of pride knowing that I took part in one of his many clever ideas. My biggest takeaway from this memory was how much respect Noah had for everyone, and how willing he was to bolster people’s confidence in an effort to help them achieve both personal goals and project goals. Even when students would struggle with coming up with a good way to shoot a video for their building or would take a bit too long on something, not once was he ever upset. Instead, he was endlessly grateful that every student was taking part in his idea. 

I am so thankful for the time he put in with me, as I am sure anyone else who had him as a professor would be. Dr. Haiduc-Dale was not only my professor for many classes, but he was also my advisor and a mentor to me. His guidance expanded far beyond the classroom, and his absence in my life will be felt for many years to come. 

Above all else, we as a community have lost one of the kindest, most selfless, and intellectual human beings anyone could ever have the pleasure of crossing paths with. 

Thank you for everything, 

John Aller

John Aller is an alumnus, Class of 2022, with a bachelor's in history.