An educator whose career has spanned more than 40 years, Dr. Michael V. Namorato Jr. retired from his official post as professor at the University of Mississippi in 2013, at which point he was honored with Emeritus status. Over the course of his professional life, he has taught nearly 40,000 students, including 10 PhD and 20 master’s degree students, and has led classes with as many as 400—he considers the impact on such a vast number of pupils to be his crowning achievement. Launching his career at Michigan State University, his alma mater, he served as an instructor there from 1971 to 1973 before advancing to the roles of assistant professor and associate professor at the University of Mississippi between 1973 and 1998. He became a full professor there in 1998, and taught a wide range of subjects, including history, mathematics, and economics.

Attributing his success to the example set by his parents, Michael and Filamina, both of whom work hard to provide and take care of the family, Dr. Namorato was inspired from an early age to work hard and always do his best. After graduating from high school, he attended Iona College in New Rochelle, New York, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in history in 1969. Subsequently, he continued his education at Michigan State University, from which he obtained a Master of Arts in American History in 1970; he also worked as an assistant there and in the midst of teaching at the institution, he pursued a Doctor of Philosophy, which he ultimately earned in 1975. In addition, he received a Certificate in Statistical Analysis from the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research.

Outside of his primary endeavors, Dr. Namorato has found much success as a voracious writer, authoring such history-based books as “The New Deal and the South: Essays (Chancellor’s Symposium Series)” in 1984, “The Diary of Rexford G. Tugwell: The New Deal, 1932-1935 (Contributions in Economics and Economic History)” in 1992, and “The Catholic Church in Mississippi, 1911-1984: A History (Contributions to the Study of Religion)” in 1998. He also penned “Study Guide With Map Exercises Vol. 1 To Accompany American History: A Survey, Vol. II: To 1877 (12^thEdition)” and “Study Guide With Map Exercises Vol. 2 To Accompany American History: A Survey, Vol. 2 (12^thEdition)” in 2006, and most recently “Have We Overcome?: Race Relations Since Brown (1954-1979)” in 2008—which explored “a variety of perspectives on America’s race relations” over the course of two decades.  In addition, when he’s not wielding his teaching skills in a college lecture hall, he has served as a church teacher at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church since 1975; a man of great faith, he’s currently studying Biblical Hebrew and Biblical Greek at the Rosen School of Hebrew within the Israeli Institute of Biblical Studies.

Additionally, Dr. Namorato has taught driver education to AARP for two years, was a volunteer member and driver for American Red Cross from 2012 to 2016, and served as a volunteer for GED programs, helping people to obtain a high school diploma, in 2017. He has remained abreast of his industry and interests as a member of the Economic and Business History Society, American Catholic Historical Association, and American Historical Association. As a testament to his myriad achievements throughout his career, he has been featured in Forbes Magazine and the Wall Street Journal and, earlier on, received a grant from the National Science Foundation and a fellowship from the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation.

Looking toward the future, Dr. Namorato, who remains active in his field, plans to complete his biblical studies to the point where he can read, write, and speak the Hebrew and Greek languages; he also strives to continue studying the Mississippi economic outflow, stock market, and varying aspects of the American economy, as well as mentoring others on the subject—particularly fellow educators. Dr. Namorato—who has been married to his wife, Karen, for more than 50 years, and with whom he has two children and a grandson—will also be maintaining the work he does at his church, as both an educator and a member.