Brother professors both teach in the Department of Biology and Chemistry

Every department at Liberty has notable faculty and professors who students know regardless of whether or not they’ve taken a class with them. For the School of Health Sciences, those people would be the dynamic duo of the Sattler brothers: professors of biology Paul and Gene Sattler.

There are not many siblings who both have the desire to teach, much less the opportunity to teach in the same school and in the same area of study (in this case biology). Paul Sattler came to Liberty in the fall of 1985, and Gene Sattler joined the Department of Biology and Chemistry in 1996. This wasn’t planned by any means as the two brothers  both actually went to different schools and, for the most part, did their own thing growing up and well into their adult lives. As part of a family with seven children, Paul and Gene Sattler were not overly close. 

“There’s eight years difference between us,” Paul Sattler said. “There wasn’t a lot of interaction between the older Sattlers and the younger Sattlers.”

However, since their parents owned a parcel of 14 acres of land, used in part to raise and sell flowers, the boys had plenty of outdoors to explore. Some of their fondest memories included snake hunting together.

“To a young kid growing up and liking snakes as well as birds, (it was fun) being able to go out to the Lake Erie marshes and catch a lot of snakes there,” Gene Sattler said.

By being outdoors a lot, the pair found a love and fascination for nature, animals and the biology of it all. However, while they were both interested in the study of biology, Gene Sattler developed a particular love for birds, whereas Paul Sattler became more interested in reptiles and amphibians. Gene Sattler finds the facets of many animal groups interesting, but he naturally “gravitates” towards birds.

“I think all boys at one time find creepy crawly animals fun to study,” Paul Sattler said about how he became interested in reptiles and amphibians. “I just never grew out of that stage.”

Both brothers received their undergrads at the University of Toledo, but the Sattler brothers parted ways once they graduated, with Paul Sattler getting his master’s at Miami University of Ohio and his doctorate at Texas Tech University. Gene Sattler received his master’s at Ohio State University and his doctorate from the University of Maryland.

The Sattler brothers decided to go into teaching for different reasons. For Gene Sattler, he didn’t consider teaching biology until he became a believer while receiving his master’s.

“I didn’t become a believer until I had my master’s degree, and I’m studying biology in the context of evolution,” Gene Sattler said. “When I became a believer, I started looking at science very differently … and that’s what led me into teaching. After I went into the zoo work, I felt a restlessness, that God was leading me somewhere else — teaching.”

For Paul Sattler, he was led into teaching when he saw families struggling because of the busy requirements that came along with research projects, and he didn’t want that to happen to him.

“I saw so many families falling apart when I was a grad student,” Paul Sattler said. “It really was publish or perish. You spent all of your time writing grants, doing research, pushing to get ahead.”

Before teaching at Liberty, Paul Sattler taught at the College of the Southwest in New Mexico, another Christian school, for five years. However, a teaching position at Liberty had not only the religious environment he wanted in a university, but it was also closer to his family in Ohio.

Gene Sattler came to Liberty when he became a Christian and wanted to teach at a school where religion and science intersected. In fact, Paul Sattler helped him get on staff teaching biology at Liberty.

“I just saw an area that the Lord was leading me into,” Gene Sattler said. “I just started applying to a lot of different (Christian) schools … and I thought I was going to be hired in California, but the Lord closed that door and opened the door here.”

While the brothers teach a course together in the fall, their academic interactions are limited. In fact, Paul Sattler claimed they rarely interact academically, even though their offices are right next door to each other, since they have different research areas. 

“We have interactions,” Paul Sattler said. “Gene is my brother, but I probably interact more with the other biologists who are into amphibians than I do with Gene.”

This also partly had to do with Paul Sattler being the chairman of his department when Gene Sattler was hired on staff. As chairman, he went out of his way to make sure it never looked like he was favoring Gene Sattler in any way.

“The university was very leery of nepotism and favoritism,” Paul Sattler said. “This is why we bent over backwards to dispel any rumor or appearance of favoritism.”

While the two may not interact much in school, the brothers still see each other at family gatherings and have grown to appreciate their academic relationship, along with their personal relationship.

Pickard is a feature reporter for the Liberty Champion