Fred Main, Freshman Writing Instructor

My college friend, Phil Schein, recently invited me to a lunch with the Dean of Rutgers School of Arts and Sciences to talk through some of the concerns facing our alma mater. The conversation was direct and allowed for a deep dive into the battles colleges need to fight to regain their credibility in dealing with antisemitism, a topic of my concern. Perhaps because I have the need to explore more of who I am these days in terms of my family history and childhood, I asked the dean if the college still held my academic records, including course names and professors, from the time I was there in 1958. Not expecting much, I was surprised to receive a note from her the following week with a list of my freshman instructors in various subjects, including one that particularly stood out: “Composition—Assistant Professor Charles F. Main.” I immediately searched for him through Google but without success. His name opened a floodgate of memories.

Though he was Charles, I recall that he went by “Fred” in class. He was the instructor who assisted me on an accelerated path to graduation after three years of studying American Literature and History. I went straight into law school after my junior year, energized by what I had been able to accomplish with his help. It was Fred Main who taught me to read with better understanding and, most importantly, how to write more effectively. He diagnosed my dyslexia and showed me ways to compensate for the shortcomings of this learning disability.

It was a constant challenge for me though. I recall one law school exam where I confused two lines, causing a mistake that kept me out of competition for Law Review and severely limited my early job prospects. Eventually, I was able to gain traction as a young lawyer through my brief writing and analytic skills. Fred Main gave me the confidence I never had in high school taking English exams or later on during the crushing SATs, sidelining any chance I might have had for Ivy League consideration. Of course, dyslexia is never really “cured,” so I still have some trouble reading, particularly on a computer screen. I must print out all emails and documents of any import.

Though I cannot find any online record about Fred Main of a noteworthy career in academia or some other field, he had a tremendous impact on me. Now that I have been reminded of him and the role he had in my academic development, it gives me satisfaction to honor his memory as one of the important people in my life.