In honor of winning the 22nd annual Golden Apple Award, American Culture lecturer Bruce Conforth delivered his ideal last lecture, “Heeding the Call,” to an audience of about 200 students, faculty and community members in Rackham Auditorium, utilizing his multitude of popular culture references and personal anecdotes.

Conforth, who was among about 100 nominees, was presented the Golden Apple for his exceptional dedication to teaching. He said receiving the award was the most memorable moment in his entire career, which includes serving as the director of curatorial and educational affairs at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum in Cleveland.

On March 14, the Students Honoring Outstanding Teaching, a University of Michigan Hillel student committee, presented Conforth with the Golden Apple Award — the only student-bestowed award for teaching at the University. The group surprised him during one of his classes with maize and blue balloons and a crowd of students with harmonicas and guitars.

The award highlighted one of Conforth’s favorite teaching ideals — that students are not the only individuals receiving an education during the teaching process. Conforth said the award aims to encourage teachers to consistently teach each lecture as if it were their last, which he said he strived to do in his speech.

Conforth has taught for more than 20 years, the past eight years being at the University, and specializes in a variety of humanities courses, such as folklore, blues music, popular culture and the history of social movements.

During the lecture, Conforth spoke about the importance of living a fulfilling life and encouraged adhering to “a life full of passion.”

After pursuing careers in neuropsychiatry, social work, museum studies, art and music, Conforth said he discovered his true passion was ultimately teaching.

“That’s what teaching is about: passing on a portion of yourself,” Conforth said. “What could be more honest or important than that — the passing of tradition and humanity?”

According to Conforth, teaching is about being honest and engaging, adding that education and fun do not need to be mutually exclusive.

“It’s about following your passion and what that might mean in your life and how you go about doing that without giving up on some of the other things you have to do in life,” Conforth said. “There’s nothing more important than being passionate about what you do, no matter what it is.”

Conforth’s last lecture probed how to live life to the fullest in a practical and self-fulfilling manner.

“The secret to a truly meaningful existence, I think, is in always holding on to the ability to define yourself, no matter who or how many times someone tries to define you for yourself,” Conforth said. “And part of that internal power to define yourself comes from living a life full of passion.”

The lecture culminated in a prolonged standing ovation. In an interview after the speech, LSA senior Elisabeth Dion said Conforth is a terrific lecturer, adding that she laughed during every class when she took American Culture 209: The History of American Popular Music with Conforth.

“Every day, he had a great story or funny quip that went with each topic,” Dion said. “He told us about how he played in the same bar as Bruce Springsteen way back in the day and about how he met with Yoko Ono to get memorabilia for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.”

LSA senior Arthur Snow, who attended the lecture, said he appreciated Conforth’s speech, and his radiant dedication to education and learning.

“His passion was evident, and it truly did put a new spin on old repeated ideas,” Snow said. “He managed to give them an impact that certainly resonated with me and, I think, resonated with everyone else in the room. And I think that speaks to his own experiences and the way that he has gone about heeding his own call.”