Because Professor Markley "had had a design concept in mind for Shakespeare's King John for years," Dr. Kolb says, "we decided to put on that play during his last year." Professor Markley includes King John among his favorite productions, along with Kindertransport and The Fantasticks.

Dr. Kolb says, "D.J. is wonderful one on one and has a great sense of humor. He's had a tremendous impact on his students here, including well-known ones like Chris Albrecht of HBO and Phil Rosenthal '81 and Monica Horan '84 [of Everybody Loves Raymond]." Professor Markley also designed sets for an off-campus project directed by Susan Schulman '64, Dr. Kolb adds.

"I've been here 36 years and doing this for a living for about 40 years," says Professor Markley, "so it's hard to judge the [career] high points. I won a couple of awards, got to meet a lot of people, and watched students become successes." Examples of the latter, he says, include Rosenthal, Margaret Colin (whose credits include Independence Day) and Robert Davi (whose credits include the TV series The Profiler and the film Die Hard).

What happens now to the space that was the West End Theatre? Next year, Dr. Kolb says, that space will be converted into a rehearsal room and costume shop, as Emily Lowe Hall is refurbished. Afterward, it will become fine arts classrooms, he says. A new 250-seat theater will be housed in the new academic arts building currently under construction on the South Campus, he adds.

Waxing nostalgic, Dr. Kolb says that the West End occupied for nearly 34 years what was intended to be "temporary" Calkins Hall quarters - what had been the weight room in the onetime Calkins Gymnasium. Might a plaque commemorate the theater's three decades of performances at Calkins? "I hope so," says Dr. Kolb. As for the sign that's above the doorway, he says, "We'll probably hang that in Lowe or in the lobby of the new building."

So, what's Professor Markley's next act? He will be moving to a town in Maryland, near where that state meets Delaware and Pennsylvania. "If someone offered me a project and I really wanted to do it, I would," he says. Otherwise, his plan is to "retire and live comfortably, do some traveling and do some reading and writing."

Looking back, he says wistfully that there have been "ups and downs." Shakespeare perhaps summed it up best: "All's well that ends well."