A U.S. map hangs on the wall in retiree Peter Kimble's computer lab at the Armory, and it has pins - for Illinois residents - and stars - representing people from other states - stuck on various towns and cities to show the hometowns of students who have attended the workshops that he teaches. The weeklong intensive Web Design workshop, one of several FAST3 workshops that Kimble teaches, draws 50-60 people a year, many from the UI campus but also people from other states: Alaska, California, Florida, Louisiana and Texas, to name a few. And, just a few weeks ago, Kimble placed a star in Idaho to commemorate his first student from that state.
Although Kimble retired from the UI on April 30 as a computer-assisted instruction specialist, he still schedules and teaches FAST3 workshops on campus. Independently, he also teaches workshops and in-service classes for school districts.
FAST3, which stands for Faculty and Staff Technology Training Team, is a consortium of the Center for Teaching Excellence and Campus Information Technologies and Educational Services that provides instruction on computers, software, digital photography and related technology. Although FAST3 originated to provide training solely for computer users at the Urbana campus, it has since opened its classes to anyone who wants to attend, although the majority of participants are affiliated with the UI.
Kimble, who is scheduling workshops for the spring semester, said his teaching schedule varies from week to week.
"I pretty much schedule the workshops according to what I think is most useful, interesting and is going to have the most response," Kimble said. "But I control the timing of that scheduling. At most, I will have a 40-hour week." At the least, he said, he'll have two or three weeks during which he doesn't teach, an ideal situation for someone who wants to travel.
Kimble and his wife, Brenda, who retired three years ago as a music teacher at Robeson School, are avid travelers. They have visited Connecticut, Florida, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina and Texas since he retired. They've also been to Austin, Texas, several times this fall to visit their son - named Austin, coincidentally - who is a professional musician and recent graduate of the University of Texas.
"Over the four years that Austin has been there, we've visited fairly frequently, and we've really grown to appreciate the city of Austin," so much so, that they recently purchased a home there, Kimble said.
They have plans to visit the Carolinas again soon, and next summer may visit friends in Maine. While in Maine, Kimble said he hopes to cross the border to see the Canadian Maritimes - a region that he has yearned to see every time he's been nearby.
"That's a nice thing about being able to travel and not use vacation time," Kimble said. "We don't feel that we have to fly somewhere unless it's a great distance," and if they see something that piques their interest, they can adjust their itinerary accordingly, he said.
Inspired by filmmaker Ken Burns' recent documentary on national parks, Kimble said he wants to tour the U.S. national parks and explore the Desert Southwest more.
In addition to traveling for pleasure, the Kimbles also have been traveling for J.T. Smith and Associates Inc., a Philo-based computer technology company that provides computer support for vendors at trade shows. The Kimbles and other staff members set up the booth and computers and assist people with ordering products from vendors at the show using Smith's computers and software.
Traveling from place to place, setting up and tearing down equipment for events is nothing new for Kimble, who, during the 1970s worked as a sound technician or "roadie" for several bands, mainly the Grateful Dead but also Black Sabbath, The Carpenters, Procol Harum, Quicksilver Messenger Service and Steppenwolf.
Kimble began his 35-year career with the UI as a teaching associate at University Laboratory High School, where he taught computer science, problem-solving and technology literacy classes for nearly 20 years. In 1996, he joined the Office of Instructional Resources, now CTE, when FAST3 was founded.
"I'm all over the place because my wife and I are doing a fair amount of traveling domestically, and I still have people come up to me and say, 'Hi, Mr. Kimble. Do you recognize me?' because they had me as a teacher 15 or more years ago," Kimble said. He added that even though his former Uni High students are now adults, "There's just no way they can break the habit. They never call me 'Peter.' It's always 'Mr. Kimble.' "