3:00 AM on a Monday on a college campus usually has no activity going on. However, at NVU-Lyndon, there is one thing you can do–talk to mathematics professor Kevin Farrell. Kevin Farrell, better known as Doc, is available for Zoom meetings 2:00-6:00 am, and sometimes 7:00 am for students needing help in class. These hours however are not his choice but recommended by his doctor to keep him safe during COVID-19.
Doc has always been an early riser but never this early. This change has caused him to try to go to bed earlier which was hard in the beginning but “as it gets darker earlier, the easier it is to sleep.”
His sleep cycle isn’t the only part of Doc’s life affected. As many students and alumni know, Doc is an avid basketball player and fanatic. Pre-COVID, he would play basketball most mornings before the school day, putting close to 300 shots up a day before he had wrist surgery in 2016.
A big part of Doc’s love for the game, and teaching, was the social aspect. Repeatedly throughout my interview, Doc would mention how he misses teaching people in-person and feeding his students beef jerky and cookies. It’s been 30 years, and Doc still can’t get enough of NVU-Lyndon students.
Since 1990, this is the third The Critic article written on him, the last two published in 1990 and 2007. Doc proudly kept these articles and even sent me them to review. It’s clear to say that Doc is here for his love of the students.
Feature Photo by Quinlan Peer; Design by Alexandra Huff || Doc on Zoom at 3:24 am Monday.