The Big Picture: A Sociology Primer
Jon Witt was born in Sheboygan, Wisconsin and raised in a predominantly working-class community.  His father, Richard Witt, was a printer and his mother, Mary Carpenter, was a stay-at-home mom.  After his parents divorced, his mom returned to school to get a college degree and became a high school English teacher.  Both his parents remarried.  He has a brother and two sisters.  In 1984, he married his high school sweet heart, Lori Opgenorth, who continues to be his life partner.  They both headed to graduate school, and Lori earned a Ph.D. in U.S. History.  Together they have the world’s two most wonderful daughters, Emily, born in 1994, and Eleanor, born in 1996.  They recently added Jessie, a Pembroke Welsh corgi, to their family.Jon graduated from Sheboygan’s South High School in 1980.  He attended Trinity College in Deerfield, Illinois, from which he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in sociology in 1984.  While at Trinity, he completed a semester-long program at the Oregon Extension in Ashland, Oregon.  After college, he continued his education in sociology, joined the faculty of Central College in Pella, Iowa, where he is currently an associate professor.  He regularly offers courses in introductory sociology, social problems, social stratification, sociology of religion, sociology of science and technology, and sociological theory.