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Sidney Fine received
the Golden Apple Award
from U-M students
who have filled
his classes,
term after term.

RUTH LITTMANN

STAFF WRITER

11)

rofessor Sidney Fine
gave his "last lecture"
two weeks ago, but
make no mistake: He
is not about to retire.
The maverick 72-
year-old American his-
tory professor, a
favorite at the
University of Michigan
for more than four
decades, received this
year's Golden Apple
Award, sponsored by
B'nai B'rith Hillel and
Apple Computer.
The $1,000 award
comes with the opportu-
nity for winners to deliv-
er a lecture of a lifetime
— their ideal "last lec-
ture" — a chance to say
everything they would
say if they never had
another shot at it.
What makes the award

so special,
said Dr.
Fine, is that
it comes
from the stu-
dents, who
nominated Sidney Fine has taught more than 25,000 students.
and elected
him as their favorite
ward, Professor Fine
teacher this year.
embarked upon his "last"
With characteristic
lecture. He first argued
humor, Professor Fine
against a controversial
began his Golden Apple
belief at public universi-
speech March 31 by
ties: That academicians
thanking students for
sacrifice teaching to
the award.
research, or vice versa.
"Having over the years
Dr. Fine sacrifices nei-
written thousands of let-
ther during his 70-hour
ters of recommendation
workweeks.
for students, it's nice to
"It is my belief that
know that some students
teaching and research
took the time to write
are very closely related
letters of recommenda-
— or should be," he said.
tion for me," he said.
"It is research that keeps
Then, pledging not to
professors alive in their
quiz attendees after-
fields...(and) teaching

should stimulate re-
search."
He went on to lecture
about the history-making
contributions of Wood-
row Wilson, Franklin
Delano Roosevelt and
Eleanor Roosevelt, and
Frank Murphy, a c cg
Michigan governor in the- 0,
late 1930s.
"History is not the
product of ineyitable
forces," he said. "Man Ec
helps to shape his own .` c -
destiny."
More than 1,500 peo-
ple filled Rackham

25