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IVCC RETIREMENTS:  Del Tunnell Tunnell-1972.JPG (33722 bytes) tunnell.JPG (14962 bytes)
1972 2001

 

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By Dustin Purcell

After 29 years of teaching at IVCC, math instructor Del Tunnell is retiring effective at the end of the semester.

Tunnell taught computer courses fulltime for all but the last six years, and he has taught nearly every math course at the college. He has also served on various committees including the President’s Advisory Committee, the Assessment Committee, and IAI Engineering panel and the American Federation of Teachers recruiting committee.

"The changes in technology have been enormous since I arrived here," he said, adding that the students are what he has enjoyed over the years.

Before coming to IVCC, he worked as a computer analyst for seven years. He received his B.S. from the University of Missouri and his M.S. from Trinity College in Hartford, Conn.

"I’m going to teach part-time, travel, golf, and spend time with my grandchildren," he said of his retirement plans. Tunnel and his wife Mary have two sons. Tim is an electronics engineer and Tom is a math instructor at IVCC.

Tom Tunnell said he has enjoyed working along side of his father.

"He has provided me with a lot of advice and assistance in my first two years teaching at IVCC. I am sure the reason I chose to go into teaching was because of the influence he had on me when I was a student at IVCC and also as I was growing up."

Ron Groleau, chair of the division of natural sciences and mathematics, said Del Tunnel is an excellent instructor and was influential in the development of the Math Lab.

"He has a neat personality and is always ready with a joke, some of which quite honestly aren’t that good," Groleau said. "He knows this but seems to get as much enjoyment out of the bad ones as he does the good ones.

"Del is well liked by students, faculty and staff," the division chair continued. "I’m happy to report that he’ll be teaching as an adjunct next fall."

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