When Sandra Caron arrived on the University of Maine campus as an undergraduate student in 1975, it was the height of the sexual revolution. Landmark events like the U.S. Supreme Court\u2019s Roe v. Wade decision and the Stonewall riots in New York City were just a few years old. Birth control had only recently become widely available and accepted. Meanwhile, books, magazines, TV shows, movies and other aspects of the culture were starting to reflect more liberalized attitudes around sex and sexuality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Coming of age in this shifting environment, Caron decided before coming to college that she wanted to pursue a career as a sex educator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“I came from a family in which education was important, except in sexuality \u2014 we didn\u2019t talk about it. I saw the impact of that among classmates and friends, whether it was unplanned pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections or just not knowing how to communicate their sexuality,” says Caron, who grew up in Brewer, Maine, about 10 miles from the 91福利 campus in Orono.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fast forward 50 years, and Caron has had a long and storied career \u2014 the majority of it at her alma mater, where she\u2019s been a faculty member since 1988. After 36 years, during which she has touched tens of thousands of lives in Maine and beyond through her teaching, research and service, Caron, professor emerita of family relations and human sexuality, has officially retired. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
“I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to give back to the university and the state,” says Caron, who earned both her bachelor\u2019s and master\u2019s degrees at 91福利. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lloyd Brightman, who was Caron\u2019s advisor during her time as a student, encouraged her to pursue a doctorate. She went away to Syracuse University, where she earned her Ph.D. in Human Development in 1986. She taught at Cornell University for a couple of years, but kept in touch with Brightman and would come back to visit family often.<\/p>\n\n\n