Dr. Margaret Jane Pepperdene had retired from Agnes Scott College after a 31-year career. The Paideia School called. They wanted her to teach junior and senior English.
She harbored doubts, but gave it a shot.
At Paideia, she didn't dumb down the curriculum. She taught "Comedy and Tragedy" or "The Figure of the Journey."
Betty Derrick of Atlanta, a 1968 Agnes Scott graduate, had her for sophomore English.
"She was a scholar of the first order," Ms. Derrick said. "She possessed a sharp intellect and was a dramatic speaker. She never used an old lecture without looking at it again. She said the materials spoke to her differently and that the students were different."
Paideia Headmaster Paul Bianchi called the scholar's classes legendary. They were the basis, he said, for relationships that endured.
"She kept ongoing communications and relationships with her former students at Agnes Scott and Paideia," he said. "She taught students to read carefully and thoughtfully, and to write with clarity and expression. Most importantly, she taught them to let the great stories of literature inform their lives."
Margaret Pepperdene, 89, of Decatur died Friday of lung cancer at her home. A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Dec. 5 in Gaines Chapel at Agnes Scott College. A.S. Turner & Sons is handling arrangements.
Dr. Pepperdene earned degrees at Louisiana State University (bachelor's in English) and Vanderbilt University (master's and Ph.d). She was the recipient of several fellowships: the Fulbright Program, Ford Foundation, John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation and the Dublin Institute for for Advanced Studies.
In 1987, the Georgia Humanities Council honored her with its Governor's Award, which recognizes community members who work to increase understanding of the state's humanities. Three years ago, Agnes Scott College conferred upon her the degree of doctor of humane letters, an acknowledgment of her 50-plus years in the classroom.
Dr. Pepperdene taught at Agnes Scott from 1954 to 1985. She was Agnes' first Ellen Douglass Leyburn professor of English. For years, the Navy veteran, who served from 1943-1946, directed the college's Writers' Festival.
After retiring from Agnes Scott, she taught 22 years at the Paideia School. She retired in 2008, at the age of 88. There, faculty and students cherished her. One summer, a few students took a course on Milton at her home, said Joseph Cullen, a Paideia English teacher and friend.
"She was in constant interchange with her students," he said. "She would advise them."
The author and lecturer penned articles for scholarly journals and publications. She established personal relationships with Eudora Welty, Robert Frost, and James Dickey, among others. Many spoke at Paideia.
For relaxation, Dr. Pepperdene watched football. She read vociferously and deciphered the New York Times crossword puzzles. She watched films, was politically astute and harbored strong opinions about the role of higher education. At one point, she kept pedigree poodles.
An only child, she had no family. Her mother died when she was a toddler; her father died when she was in grad school. A cousin and aunt have also passed away. So her family, Mr. Bianchi said, are the students she taught more than 50 years.
"You can go anywhere in this city and beyond and people know Ms. Pepperdene," he said. "They'll start telling you what she taught them."
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