Meetin’ with Mooneyhan

As the semester crawls its way to the close, it’s met at the finish line with the ending of a series intended to introduce the new faculty with a mix of serious and not-so-serious questions. The last, but certainly not least, person to be featured is Dr. Mooneyhan. Dr. Mooneyhan is the new Chair to the Department of Kinesiology, Associate Professor of Kinesiology and Blue Motion Coordinator. If you haven’t had a class with him yet, then you probably aren’t familiar with him. To help change that, I sat down with Dr. Mooneyhan.

Q: Why did you choose to come to Blue Mountain College?

A: My oldest daughter was diagnosed with leukemia about a year and a half ago. And, it was horrible at first, but then you readdress it... She had treatment in Memphis, so she got moved to Memphis and my wife moved to Memphis, and the kids and I followed. I started looking for jobs everywhere, and really, it was God’s path that brought me back here. […] It was a journey of learning to trust, and then it opened up and it was the place I was supposed to be. […] But, my daughter is still getting the rest of her care there in Memphis, so it works out. […] ‘Bout a year later, she’s in remission and working a full-time job. God’s amazing.

Q: What is your favorite animal and why?

A: A horse, because they do their own thing, they do what they’re supposed to do, and they’re strong, but not overwhelming. They don’t try to beat up and attack other animals, but they can handle themselves.

Q: Why did you choose teaching in particular?

A: It allowed me to be able to do something that I could really make a difference in. There were a few teachers that I had growing up that were mentors, and they really put an interest in the students. […] I saw that and thought – you know what? I can be a teacher, and I don’t have to be an expert, but I can make a difference in that kid’s life.

Q: What’s the worst fad diet that you’ve heard of?

A: Probably the worst one I’ve heard of was the cotton ball diet. That’s where they take and flavor cotton balls with this liquid that’s strawberry, or blueberry, or chocolate, and eat the cotton balls because it’s flavored and it doesn’t have any substance in terms of calories. But, it can cause a lot of problems in the digestive tract.

Q: If you could have any superpower, which would you choose and why?

A: I have it. I’m a dad. My kids, they’ll sometimes ask about that and I’ll always say “well, I’m a super dad.” That’s the biggest thing. It’s hard, but it’s very rewarding.