J.M. “Sudsy” Tschiderer
Class of ’71
Environment:
Her last name is Tschiderer, but three generations of university students know her as
“Sudsy.” When she was a student, she said, it was “a brand new entity” with a diverse
student body that included returning veterans, local parents and junior college grads.
Friendly faculty and an average class size of 15 to 20 students created a familylike
environment at the Bay Campus.
Hangout Spots:
In the early ’70s students noticed a pool littered with leaves and animal carcasses.
Determined to fix it, students rallied together; they dug for plumbing, cleaned and
repainted the neglected pool. “While people didn’t live on campus, they lived in the
community, and the pool was the real hub of our social life,” Sudsy said.
School Activities:
As a new campus, a student affairs department didn’t exist. When Sudsy saw an
invitation to start developing student life, she joined the Student Affairs Committee in
1969, which later served as the foundation for the Student Government Association.
That same year, Sudsy started The Bay Campus Bulletin, the campus newspaper. A year
later, Professor Bill Garrett won a contest that changed the name to what it is today, The
Crow’s Nest, referencing the onsite marina. A crow’s nest is the tower atop a ship that
serves as the lookout.
Memorable Moment:
“One of the most profound stories to me is when we broke ground for phase one of
campus expansion – which is today’s Davis Hall and Bayboro Hall,” said Sudsy. After
the 1978 ceremony, university people, civic leaders, and St. Petersburg Times editor
Nelson Poynter went to lunch at the Yacht Club. Hours later, Poynter tragically suffered a stroke. He was
taken to a hospital and died soon after. “Breaking ground was his dream come true,” Sudsy said. “He
accomplished what he wanted to do. It was his unfinished business, and when it was finished, it was
okay.”
Eileen D’Angelo Mattioli
Class of ‘68
Environment:
In those days, all campus buildings were barracks, having been an old military port, and
classrooms were plain. “People there came from all careers and lives to get that
elementary [education] degree,” Mattioli said.
Education professors took this program seriously and kept a strict environment that was
focused on getting their students involved in local elementary schools to teach children.
Hangout Spots:
With Mattioli’s busy schedule in the education program, which was similar to an
internship with handson teaching at local schools, it left her with little extra time.
However, she found excitement around lunchtime because of Freddie Crawford, who
would join her and her friends. “He was the first black policeman in this area to kind of
mingle with whites,” she said. “He protected us…it was very exciting and I’m so glad I
had that experience.”
School Activities:
Mattioli found herself more involved in her job at Davis Elementary than at the campus.
“It was a really great experience to work with the other teachers – it was team teaching,”
Mattioli said. Her professors, Dr. Shannon and Dr. Bubois, discussed methods on how to
properly teach children, which was especially important during a time period that public
schools were being desegregated. They would tell her, “You don’t have to know
everything as long as you know where to look it up.” This motto was considered the basis
for most of the program: finding knowledge.
Memorable Moment:
One of Mattioli’s most treasured memories was in 1967, when Shannon and Bubois
published a book, “Pyramid of Learning: Physicians, Visions and Propositions,” which
was comprised of papers written by the education class. Mattioli had contributed a piece
called “Reorganize the Elementary school.”
Sue Porter
Class of ‘89
Environment:
The small campus size made it difficult to “goof off” because the professors
affectionately knew all their students. The school’s layout in the late ’80s differed
significantly from today’s campus many of today’s buildings didn’t exist and there was
a bookstore where the Grind is.
Hangout Spots:
Porter enjoyed spending time at the same tables that still sit along the harbor today.
During her first week of school, she sat there as a small plane headed straight toward her.
“I could see the pilot inside the plane,” she said. Having no idea that a small airport was
next to the campus, she thought her life would end at the age of 40. Luckily, the plane
flew off, and she could breathe again.
School Activities:
Porter got involved on campus in the ambassador program and honor society. As an
ambassador, her obligations included helping out and participating in various campus
activities. In the late ’80s, she attended a homecoming concert by the band Chicago at the
Sun Dome in Tampa. Ambassadors were expected to act a certain way, but she couldn’t
resist being the first one to take off her shoes and green jacket to start dancing on a chair.
Memorable Moment:
When “Dr. Rich” interrupted Porter’s class to announce her appointment into the
ambassador program, she first took no notice, and was busily chatting away with her
friends. But the moment Porter realized what he had said, she couldn’t believe it. Having
been the oldest person to interview for one of three positions in the program, she never
expected to be chosen.
