Roger Mack is tall. No, that is an understatement. At well over six feet, he is very tall. But he is the gentlest giant you will ever encounter. He inserts humor into his conversations like a baker inserts crème into pastries. By talking with him, one can sense his contagious love of life.

His passion for teaching is unlimited. He started teaching at De Anza 33 years ago, and teaches the only community college behavioral economics course in the nation. His teaching career began at San Francisco State University at 19, teaching social science for three years.

Mack wants to his students to see the world around them differently.

“I want them to get a better understanding on everything they think they know by putting it into a new context and adding to it,” Mack said. “When you add, you don’t just add one new fact. It changes everything you thought you knew, you gain new perspective.”

He considers economics and sociology, the two subjects he teaches, arts more than facts. To him, they are an important way of understanding the world.

He has been a member of De Anza’s executive council for 30 years, where his colleagues are quick to praise him.

“Roger has played a fundamental role in the Faculty Association’s success in protecting and advancing the rights of faculty,” mathematics instructor and longtime colleague Richard Hansen said. “He has been a reliable adviser to several generations of FA leadership through his long-term membership on the executive council. In FA deliberations, what Roger contributes is always noteworthy, often insightful, and sometimes essential to determining the correct course of action.”

While battling cancer, Mack managed to teach while undergoing chemotherapy, showing that nothing could get between him and the classroom.

In the classroom, Mack often plays the devil’s advocate with students, as he feels it is a technique that constitutes a good instructor.

“A good teacher will take whatever position he needs to keep the discussion going. I do that all the time,” Mack said.

Mack encourages his students to voice an opinion and to not be afraid of being wrong.

“There is nothing wrong with being wrong. You have a chance to discuss an idea and understand a new way of understanding it,” Mack said.

“As a teacher myself, I know that effective teachers are people who go the extra distance in the classroom to make the material relevant and interesting for the student. They have a passion for what they do and the subject matter they teach. They are enthusiastic and energetic in their teaching style, and challenge their students to want to learn and succeed,” said Sandra Mack, Roger’s wife.

“Roger is now and has always been a great teacher who works hard to learn new things and new ways of teaching economics in the classroom. Many of his previous students became economics majors because of him and the fact that so very many past students remain in touch with him after many years is testimony to his ability to impact, influence and motivate his students,” Sandra she said.

“I believe that there are two real things in this world: passion and a sense of humor. Love what you do and be able to laugh at yourself,” Mack said.

When asked what his philosophy on life is, he refers to an old Italian saying: “Everybody deserves good food, wine and a fantasy.”