Trosper receives President's Medal

The Emory Trosper collection is displayed at UMUC's headquarters.

By Nicole Kaese, special to FYI Online

Longtime UMUC professor Emory Trosper received the President's Medal during commencement ceremonies for UMUC - Asia on April 21 in Tokyo. Retired in 1995, Trosper said he "deeply appreciates being singled out for this honor," and treasures his 33 years of teaching history and government for the University in Tokyo.

Emory Trosper

Though Trosper deems the President's Medal his "finest honor ever received" and one that he "will always treasure," he said the graduating students were "more exciting and more important."

"It was very moving because many were adults who had worked so long for their degrees," Trosper said. "You could see the intensity on their faces."

Trosper said the people who really deserve to be honored are his friends, faculty, administrators and students at UMUC because they supported him."

Trosper originally applied to teach in the UMUC's European Division, but was assigned to Asia instead. After a year, Trosper said UMUC offered him the chance to go to Europe, but he loved Asia and wanted to stay. "Asian people are truly one of the most remarkable in the world," Trosper said.

An avid collector of Japanese art, Trosper has donated several pieces from his collection to UMUC.

"The wood-blocks of children by Sekino are special," Trosper said, "because children have always been so important." Trosper explains that some of the children in Sekino's work have already died. Sekino had been the resident imperial artist for Japanese rulers and was most famous for his geishas and roofing pieces.

Trosper has one child of his own, his adopted son Eugene. Eugene works for NATO as a translator of English, Turkish, and French. He currently lives in Saudi Arabia with his wife and two children.

From a mostly German, background, Trosper himself knows a few languages. He said he remembers some German from his childhood and is studying Japanese currently. Though he says he doesn't "have a head for the Japanese language" and is "making no progress," Trosper said he knows enough to get around downtown Tokyo.

"It's not necessary to know Japanese in Tokyo because there is always someone who will speak English," Trosper said.

Trosper took one year of retirement and decided to return to his passion of teaching. He now teaches mainly American history and government; and sometimes teaches political theory and western civilization classes when needed. Still collecting art, Trosper enjoys helping friends and hearing good news from former students.