Don Merle Sparlin

My name is Mike Noble and I was a student of Dr. Sparlin's at UMR in the late 80's/early 90's, graduating with a Physics degree in December, 1991. He was my favorite professor at UMR!

After graduating, my work career has taken me all over the world with the Air Force, General Mills (food company), Sazerac (distilled spirits), and now Lodge Cast Iron (cookware). One of the lessons Dr. Sparlin taught me, and countless other Physics students, was a concept he referred to as "make new mistakes as fast as you can". It sounded crazy to have our professor telling us to make new mistakes (as fast as we could) and we wondered what that meant. Then he would explain, "If you are making new mistakes, it means you have solved old problems and have now uncovered new ones. It means you are learning."

That concept is now more commonly referred to as "growth mindset" penned by Dr. Carol Dweck of Stanford University. While Dr. Sparlin was teaching us, Carol Dweck was studying the concept and had not earned her PhD yet. I find it fitting a Physics professor had already solved the mindset problem before the psychologists did. He was a wonderful teacher and motivator.

In my current role as Vice President of Continuous Improvement and Technology for Lodge Cast Iron, I was recently called upon to give a presentation at an American Foundry Society conference about Continuous Improvement. I dedicated a portion of my speech to Dr. Sparlin's concept about new mistakes as fast as I can. I have never forgotten it from my days as his student and it has served me well. I now teach that same concept to others - always giving him props and calling him out by name. His influence has extended far beyond what his eyes could see.

My education at UMR provided a solid foundation for what has been a very rewarding career. Dr. Sparlin was the prime architect of that foundation and I will be forever grateful for his teaching.

A Total Solar Eclipse is a rare event - you have to be in the right place to see it.
Luckily, I fell into just the right place when I first met Don Sparlin - he was our 1972 eclipse expedition leader.
Don made our month long + 4000 mile roadtrip, an education and a unique adventure !

Many years later (37!), when I finally looked him up in Rolla, Don never said "I wondered why I never heard from you" he just welcomed me with a big grin and open arms.

That meetup started a second chapter in my time with Don - one where I met his wonderful wife Linda & talked about kids & grandkids, we became on-line friends, and learned about Don's many interests other than Physics - like family, community and just enjoying life.

Sure, we still talked about adventures from 1972, but he continued on as a mentor - sharing his wisdom w/thoughts about staying active & engaged in retirement, plans for a breakfast meetup in Rolla someday, and of course, about viewing eclipses yet to come.

We would still enjoy those eclipses, even though we would not be watching through the same telescope.

I'm blessed to have spent time with Don, it was only a month but he gave me memories that have lasted a lifetime.

Family, friends, neighbors, and students - all hold fond memories when we reflect on his extraordinary life.

Dr. Sparlin was the go-to for Freshman physics. He loved teaching and it showed. In my teaching days I taught mechanics using his catch phrase--"the hot rod equation," and would tell stories about him to my students. He was famous in my time for his homemade ice cream. The year I graduated, there were 4 women in my class, and two of us with Polish heritage. We quipped that such an unusual occasion deserved ice cream, and he and his wife invited us to their home to enjoy some. As we cruised through town sitting on the back of his convertible you could see how proud he was. He will be missed. I offer my sincerely condolences to his family. May your memories comfort you.

He was a very wise person and always asked me about the Nepali chicken recipe. He enjoyed those chicken curry so much.

Rest in peace - Puja and BJ