He has been called a "professor's professor," and his record-length tenure will come to an end this spring.
Leo Whinery, law professor of forensic evidence, will retire after this semester ending a 44-year career with the OU College of Law.
Whinery said he and his wife, Doris, whom he affectionately calls "Doro," plan to devote their time to keeping up their farm and traveling after his retirement.
"Doro and I already made arrangements to go to Australia and New Zealand in the first two weeks of September," Whinery said.
Whinery said he is genuinely looking forward to November's travel destination, Kyoto, Japan, where he will lecture a comparative analysis of the American and Japanese law of evidence. He said he also expects to continue teaching the forensic evidence seminar at OU.
"I won't miss the examination period," Whinery said. "That's the toughest part of being a teacher."
Whinery said one of the things he enjoyed most over the years was the interaction with his students.
"Teaching is a reciprocal process," Whinery said. "Hopefully, the teacher will learn something through the reaction of the students because reciprocal engagement is important in discussions."
Whinery began his career at OU in the summer of 1959 and has had the privilege of teaching OU President David L. Boren, first lady Molly Shi Boren, Dean Andrew Coats, former Gov. Frank Keating, and his daughter, Carrie Keating-Leonard, he said.
Boren said Whinery is not only an outstanding professor, but also a lifelong friend and mentor to both he and Molly Boren.
"His course in evidence was one of the best courses that I have ever taken," Boren said.
Boren said Whinery has made an enormous contribution to the academic excellence of OU during his 44 years of teaching.
Coats said Whinery's efforts were always to make OU a better place.
"I enjoyed him as a professor, and I've come to appreciate him as a member of the faculty," Coats said.
Whinery has provided great leadership over the years, Coats said.
"One of his greatest contributions to OU law is his love and loyalty to this institution," Coats said.
Keating said Whinery is a "professor's professor."
"There is no more energetic, entertaining or excellent teacher than Professor Whinery," Keating said. "He was an extraordinary talent in the classroom."
Keating-Leonard said Whinery has shared his love and knowledge of the law with generations of attorneys across the state.
"What we know about evidence we learned from him," Keating-Leonard said. "It is an honor to have been one of his students."
Chris Kannady, graduate student senator and a student of Whinery's in fall 2002, said Whinery is a legend of the OU College of Law.
"He knows what skills his students have and what skills he has, and he bonds those together so that when you get out of his class you know evidence," Kannady said. "He takes full pride in teaching," he said.
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