Keith Farrington, Professor of Sociology; Holder of the Laura and Carl Peterson Endowed Chair of Social Science.

Keith Farrington has been a member of the Department of Sociology at Whitman College since 1977. A transplanted northeasterner who received his BA from Bates College and his Ph.D. from the University of New Hampshire, Keith long ago became a true Northwesterner in mannerism, mindset, and behavior. Keith's alleged fields of specialization in Sociology are Criminology, the Sociology of Deviance, Sociology of the Family, Social Psychology, Social Research Methods, and the Sociology of American Music. His recent professional work has been in the areas of (a) the impacts of prisons upon the host communities in which they are located; (b) variations in social and family stress over the course of the life cycle; (c) the particular shape of crime in small, rurally-located cities; and (d) the historical relationship of the Washington State Penitentiary to the community of Walla Walla (which is conveniently the home of both the Penitentiary and Whitman College). Keith recently served two terms as Chair of the Whitman Faculty (1998-2000; 2000-2002), and two term as the Director of the college's Center for Teaching and Learning (2003-2006; 2006-2008).

An avid fan of virtually all kinds of modern music, Keith plays electric bass in whatever spare time he can muster, and he is currently a member of the local musical groups Vintage and Loss of Faculties. His previous group, The Walla Walla Rhythm Train, released a self-titled CD in 2002.  Keith continues to be an avid New England sports fan, and has basked in the recent success experienced by his beloved Patriots, Red Sox and Celtics.  Keith's wife of over 30 years, Nancy Tavelli, is the Associate Dean of Campus Life and the Director of Residence Life and Housing at the college, while his oldest daughter, Jane, is a graduate of Emory University, and his younger daughter, Katharine, is currently a student at the second best liberal arts college in the Northwest - the University of Puget Sound.  

E-mail Keith Farrington.
farrinmk@whitman.edu