I wonder if you have any idea just how much you impacted me? It was March of 2009, the middle of the semester, and little did I know it, but I’d stumbled upon something that was potentially life-altering. I was in your Introduction to Dark Room Photography class, a class I’m sure you could teach in your sleep, and a class I know some of my peers were merely checking off to fulfill an art lab class.

But it wasn’t like that for me. I spent hours, and I mean hours of extra time every week in the dark room- perfecting prints over and over, developing additional rolls of film, and with every new strip of negatives, I fell even more in love. (I actually spent SO much time in the dark room that I made myself super allergic to the developer + fixer chemicals.)

I’d asked you to sit down with me one day in that old classroom in Porterfield, the one that was forever perfumed with paint and paper, and you kindly obliged. I had this feeling that I wasn’t half bad at this whole “taking pictures” thing, but due to my own crippling insecurity, I couldn’t give myself permission to pursue it with abandon unless someone else confirmed what I was just starting to see.

And you did that. You told me I had potential. You were the first person to whom I expressed that I thought I might one day want to be a full-time photographer, something I’d never even admitted to myself at that point. But there was this insatiable passion, a love of the wind of my shutter, that I couldn’t deny.

I wonder if you know just how much your words meant to me? That your encouragement, your affirmation, your willingness to teach a hungry student, by doing all of those things, I wonder if you know that you gave me permission to let myself dream, REALLY dream, for the first time in my life?

Professor Linkous, I don’t know if you’re still teaching photography at Radford University. But if you ever, ever doubt whether or not you’ve had an effect on any of your students, I can confidently say that you changed my life for the best. And I can never thank you enough for that.

Dear Professor | A letter to a teacher who changed my life | Abby Grace

^ My contact sheets, negatives, and prints from that class, plus my mom’s camera that I used for the semester. I kept everything, because I never want to forget how and where I started.

Dear Professor Linkous

February 2, 2016

  1. Brittany Brock says:

    Abby that is so beautiful. How many people take the time to go back and let the people who impacted their lives and let them know that they did! Cheers to you!

  2. Dad says:

    Wonderful

  3. Tina says:

    This is so great, Abby! I hope your professor somehow, someway finds this post and knows how much of an impact he had on his student. But either way, so wonderful that you had someone like that in your life! 🙂

  4. Rebekah says:

    I love it! Radford was such a magical place, wasn’t it? I really hope this professor sees this.

  5. Gjean says:

    This is such a sweet tribute to your teacher. It brought tears to my eyes, and took me back to the wonderful times we had together while you were at Radford. I remember how excited you were about that class and how your hands looked due to your spending so much time in the dark room. Love you and your passion!

  6. Karen Field aka Mom says:

    Speaking as a teacher myself, you cannot know how much this will mean to your professor. I’m sure it will inspire him to continue teaching with a passion that will guide others they way he guided you. You will be a blessing to him when he reads this!

  7. Caroline says:

    Abby! I had Professor Linkous as well, and she was quite a fine professor, agreed! I had a strikingly similar experience with her- she was not only kind and expert in her teaching, but was more than willing to work with you outside of class and help perfect technique. I also had Professor Jim (and if you know his last name, please pass it my way!). He was MY transformative professor at RU- same story: he agreed to meet with me many times over the course of the semester and was MY affirmation that photography is my undeniable gift. Funny how as humans we need and crave that one affirmation.
    Think of it this way: life is an ever-contributing circle. People pour into your life, and you in turn pour into others’ lives (which you are doing right now, no question)! Keep up the good work and find a way for your letter to reach Professor Linkous!

  8. Kathleen (aka, Professor Linkous) says:

    Abby, You brought tears to my eyes! I can hardly express how much it has meant to me that you’ve taken the time to write such a beautiful letter and to let me know I had an influence in your life. It means more than you can know because I had to leave RU for health reasons. I’m sure many of my students knew that I was in a lot of pain. Finally I had those total knee replacements which have helped a great deal. You should know that it was pure joy to teach you… your love of photography was so obvious and all your long hours in the photo lab was admirable. I watched you struggle and work through all those daunting developing and printing issues that students go through when beginning the class. And you were so determined to meet every challenge and not only do well but to excel at it! I could see your work improving with each assignment and then it seemed like overnight I found myself astonished by your photographs. You mastered composition and then added that something extra that was personal to you. When you photographed people there was a connection and an intuitiveness that made you images dance with life. I still remember those back stage images you took… I was wowed by them! I’m so glad that you have become such an outstanding photographer. You pursued your passion for photography and it has really paid off for you. You should be “very proud” of yourself!
    And Caroline, thanks for you kind words as well! They mean so much! I’m sure that if Jim Knipe reads this he will be pleased to know that you enjoyed his classes. Jim was my mentor and I can never thank him enough for all that he has done. He has touched all our lives. It was his passion for photography and love of art that brought Photography to Radford University. If not for him there wouldn’t have been photo labs to work in. It was through him that I began to see that photography could be so much more than images in a print. You don’t find that kind knowing everyday! Thank you Abby for sharing this and allowing me to respond! You are wonderfully kind and so talented! I will cherish your words forever! And I will always wish you all the best in life and with your career as a photographer! 🙂

    • Caroline says:

      Professor Linkous (and Abby)– WOW! You found this amazing letter to you! Never feel as though your support and efforts went underappreciated. It was so wonderful to hear your life/career updates- thank you for sharing. It’s so good to hear that you are in less pain and happy. 🙂 Thank you for providing Jim’s last name! He always just said to call him Jim, so it’s nice to have the missing piece. I will be contacting Jim this weekend. I know it may be a far stretch finding him, but I’d love to let him know how much I valued his influence when I was at RU and how it has propelled me to pursue photography over my lifetime. Thank you so much for everything you did at Radford- Abby and I were only two of the many many students you influenced to become more!

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