Elisabeth Behr (COL ’06) says that Wayne Knoll is one of her favorite professors. And it looks like she is not the only one.

Come commencement weekend, Behr and other outgoing seniors will get the chance to see Knoll recognized when he receives the 2006 Edward E. Bunn Award for excellence as a member the Georgetown College faculty, given annually by the Georgetown College senior class.

“I have never met someone who views the world and humanity in such a beautiful, positive light,” Behr says.

Knoll, a 34-year veteran of the English Department, says that the honor is a reflection of his dedication to and appreciation for Georgetown.

“There’s nothing I’d rather be doing than teaching here,” he says.

Knoll, whose roots trace back to a small hometown of Victoria, Kan. says that he first fell in love with the university while visiting Washington, D.C. with his aunt as an adolescent.

“When I finished that tour, I told my aunt that I would come back here as a professor,”

he says. `I thought, `This is my life. This is my dream.'”

Knoll then entered the Jesuit order and earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the University of St Louis. Knoll says that he became interested in American expatriate writers while studying in St. Louis. Now he teaches a popular course on that very subject.

After teaching English and coaching football at Georgetown Preparatory School, Knoll earned his Ph.D. at Harvard. It was while working towards his doctorate that Knoll became interested in the writings of one of his major literary influences, William Faulkner.

At the time he received his Ph.D., Knoll said teaching opportunities were scarce at the college level. He nevertheless pursued a job at Georgetown.

“I remember one colleague sent out 200 letters, looking for positions. I only sent out one. I knew where I wanted to go.”

Since arriving in 1972, Knoll’s passion has not wavered. While he decided to leave the Jesuit order to pursue a family lifestyle more than 20 years ago, he says he uses much of what he was taught by the Jesuits in his own teaching.

“I can never repay the Jesuits for what they’ve given me.”

Meggie Purpura (COL ’06) says that many of Knoll’s personal qualities have distinguished him as a professor.

“His compassion, warmth and guidance helped me tremendously,” she says. “He has impacted my time here at Georgetown and is one professor that I will never forget.”

Mary Rafferty (COL ’06), another student of Knoll’s, echoed those comments.

“He challenges us to think critically about the academic material and discover how the material factors into our own lives.”

“We started to read [Faulkner’s novel], “The Sound and the Fury,” and I got so frustrated because I couldn’t understand it that I threw it across the room. I went over picked it up because I had to, and read it through the night,” she added. “I haven’t been able to put it down since.”

When asked about plans for retirement, the 73-year-old Knoll shies away from any definite answer.

“I have no plans to retire,” he says. “I wake up every day looking forward to class. It’s my life.”