By far, Dr. Saxe was my absolute favorite professor while at UTA. I made sure to arrange my schedule so I could have one of his classes. He was engaging, funny, smart, and made you think about things in new ways. I enjoyed my time in his class more than any other.
—Tim Neathery (’91 BS, Economics)
The Illustrious
Allan Saxe
Hundreds of alumni answered the call when we asked for their favorite Allan Saxe memories.
IN 1965, a legend was born on the UTA campus: Allan Saxe became a faculty member in the Department of Political Science. In the intervening years, he became known for his passion for politics, his quirky classroom lectures, and his overwhelming generosity and kindness. He packed lecture halls as a must-take professor. He gave freely of his time—supporting generations of students inside and outside the classroom—and also his money, funding developments all over UTA, the city of Arlington, and North Texas. Fifty-four years later, Dr. Saxe has stepped down from his post at UTA, but his impact endures.
I still remember one of my first classes as an undergrad was with Dr. Saxe. He started class one day stating that he wanted to be like Lady Gaga and be carried to class in an egg and then be reborn. I have never laughed so hard in a class. He was by far the most entertaining professor.
—Nicole Langeberg (’14 BS, Management)
Wonderful professor and all-around great human! He is incredibly generous, thought- provoking, and humble. And he is UTA’s biggest champion.
—Alyssa Staats (’10 BBA, Marketing)
I took his “Politics of Arlington, Texas,” class, and the paper I wrote was “Why the Dallas Cowboys will Move to Arlington.” Dr. Saxe graded me a B+ and told me it would never happen. It was written before the days of saved files on computers, and I wish I could find it! Thank you very much, Allan Saxe! I graduated from college because I loved attending your class, and I rarely would miss it.
—Matt DeWitt (’04 BS, Political Science)
In Dr. Saxe’s “Issues in Civil Liberties” class, after he spent class time talking about how much he hates love, I secretly went to his classes and to his office on Valentine’s Day and put hearts and love notes all over the place. His reaction was, “Oh my, now this is fabulous,” as he grinned from ear to ear. I never admitted it to him. Shhhhhh.
—Danielle Gonzalez (’02 BA, Political Science)
The Thriller video says it all!
— Hera Jhaveir (’07 BA, Education)
I never knew the guy or took any of his classes, but I do starkly recall the moment I first wiped out on a long board attempting to round Allan Saxe Circle at a speed that was way too fast. That little sign is forever engraved in my memory: “Allan Saxe Circle.” Good times!
—Francisco Villarreal (’17 BS, Electrical Engineering)
At the suggestion of nearly everyone, Eliamaria Crawford (’14 BFA, Theatre Arts) took an Allan Saxe class to fulfill the political science requirement for her degree. “I would take notes on one side of my notebook and write down his memorable quotes on the other,” she says. Those notes became comic strips for The Shorthorn and eventually a book, Humans Really Irritate Me. “I’m honored he let me do so,” she says.
