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On Anne Tyler Netick

Sarah Lage

In October of 2021, Provost Peggy Agouris notified the William and Mary community of Dr. Anne Tyler Netick’s passing. Netick, a descendant of President John Tyler, taught Russian language and literature classes at William and Mary until her retirement in 1992. In this somewhat brief notice, we learned that Dr. Netick directed the Russian Studies program for many years and designed multiple upper-level Russian courses, including classes on Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky’s writings. She was also a prolific researcher and published many articles concerning modern Russian literature. Her legacy in both the Russian Studies program in the Department of Modern Languages at William and Mary and in the broader scholarly community was profound. However, there seems to be a lack of information about the personal impact Dr. Netick had on her students.

Tom Farrell, a William and Mary alumnus who graduated in 1987 and took Russian with Dr. Netick, wanted to speak about his experience with her. Interestingly, he expressed that he feels as though he was a disappointment to Dr. Netick. Having often skipped class, he graduated from William and Mary without being able to speak Russian (although he does now!). Still, he remembers Dr. Netick as a “really good professor and good person” who was, in the mid-80s, desperately trying to hold things together in the Russian department. In the 1980s, the Russian department was not as cohesive as it is now and Dr. Netick, who was the head of the department, was under a tremendous amount of pressure to save it.

Despite a general consensus among students that Dr. Netick was a bit more aloof and a bit stricter than other professors, Farrell came to deeply appreciate Dr. Netick’s straightforward, professional teaching style and eventually realized what a caring person she was. He recalls that despite not being one of her “good” students, Dr. Netick went to bat for him and helped him get into a competitive program at the University of Virginia. Farrell transferred to William and Mary from another college and ended up needing to make up credits, and Dr. Netick personally helped him with this. Farrell expressed that he always hoped to run into Dr. Netick one day and tell her, “Hey, I can speak Russian now!” Unfortunately, he never got that opportunity – but my mother, who also studied Russian for a few years at William and Mary in the mid 80s, did.

My mom was taught by Dr. Netick from 1984 to 1985. The experience was positive; she remembers Dr. Netick as a competent and professional professor. My mother, like Tom Farrell, also feels as though she was not one of Dr. Netick’s “good” students. Although she was interested in the Russian language, in retrospect, she wishes she had tried harder.

After her sophomore year, my mom stopped studying Russian and parted ways with Dr. Netick. She majored in art history, moved to Richmond and, as a hobby, became a docent at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Dr. Netick retired in 1992 and relocated to Richmond, where she became the director of the Poe Museum. She also became a docent at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts; and, through this work, reconnected with my mom.

Dr. Netick, despite many years passing, recognized my mom when she saw her at the museum and approached her, telling my mom that it was wonderful to see her again and that “[she] was always such a good student.” My mom attributes this compliment to the fact that she, despite not always succeeding on assessments and homework assignments, always attended Dr. Netick’s lectures. My mom and Dr. Netick enjoyed a few years of occasionally running into each other at the museum and sharing kind words. Eventually, though, my mom stopped seeing Dr. Netick at the museum. It was through my work on this article that my mom learned Dr. Netick passed away, and how I learned that my mom was a student of Dr. Netick’s.

It is clear that in addition to a brilliant mind and far-reaching impact in the scholarly world, Anne Tyler Netick also had a kind heart and a significant personal influence on those she taught and worked with – even on students who felt as though they may have disappointed her. May her memory be a blessing to all she knew.

Citations

Agouris, Peggy. “Notice Regarding Anne Tyler Netick.” William & Mary, 27 Oct. 2022, https://www.wm.edu/news/announcements/2021/notice-regarding-anne-tyler-netick.php.

Vincent Funeral Home. Anne Tyler Netick, 86, Taught Russian Literature and Language at the College of William & Mary. 9 Dec. 2020, https://wydaily.com/obits/2020/12/09/anne-tyler-netick-86-taught-russian-literature-and-language-at-the-college-of-william-mary/.