Coker College - Milestone Yearbook (Hartsville, SC)

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QR! Embryology is only one of the fascinating courses encountered by a biology major. SCIENCE 'Tve found the strangest looking animal under my microscope. Do you suppose I've discovered some new form of life? And so the General Biology student be- gins her study of nature. Mr. John D. Reynolds, assist- ant professor of biology, patiently helps the bewil- dered student adjust the slide and the objective on the microscope revealing that the discovery of new life is just a piece of dust. This general course includes a two semester study of plant and animal life after which a student is apt to agree that nothing is impossible. Advanced biology courses offer many opportunities to those who wish to specialize. The anatomy and Zoology students under the instruction of Dr. Ezda Deviney, professor of biol- ogy, have accomplished the feat of dissecting doglish and cats while drinking cokes. Field trips and outdoor classes are factors contributing to the increasing popu- larity of botany, which is also taught by Dr. Deviney. General Chemistry proves to be an interesting course to the student who desires to learn about the physical make-up of various elements. Stained hands, burned fingers and acid burned aprons are a few of the usual characteristics of the General Chemistry student. Advanced chemistry courses are not without their mishaps and strange experiences. In Organic Chem- istry, the study of carbon compounds, a minor explo- sion is nor infrequent especially if one forgets to add boiling stones to a solution before heating it. Dr. Ernest McCullough, professor of the physical sci- ences, is always understanding as he listens to the Qualitative Analysis student explain that she had a precipitate of sulfate and not sulfite. In Quantitative Analysis it seems that the analytical balance receives the blame from those students who find errors in their chemical calculations. Mechanics and electricity are the main topics dis- cussed in General Physics. Dr. McCullough gains an idea of the student's mathematical background in the various problems encountered in the course. Students learn many new and different things in the General Biol- Jane Strader and Bill Humphrey prepare for a titration in the ogy labs, Quantitative Analysis lab. 76

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HISTORY AND SOCIAL SCIENCE History and social science students leave Coker well- educated and prepared to enter their post-college ca- reers, whether in graduate school or in the teaching profession. The background offered in Civilization plus the instruction and guidance of the professors in this department make this field an interesting and chal- lenging one. Social science students gain insight into the culture of man-his skills, beliefs, attitudes and customs. This knowledge enables them to affirm their places in so- ciety and to guide the environment they are personally associated with. The comprehension of the world be- comes prevalent in the field of social science as the economic bases, social customs, standards and influ- ences of the background of all peoples are analyzed and discussed. Dr. A. A. Fahrner, professor of history, leads the way for Coker history majors. His specialized and sometimes personal knowledge of world events makes him a capable and interesting professor. A recognition of present activities correlated with this knowledge of the past brings the world into focus and brings under- standing and patience. History and social science do not necessarily make the individuals of today the leaders of tomorrow. They do, however, bring about an educated public to hold up the principles of government in every field. Dr. A. A. Farhner gives his students a test in the American History class. Mr. Frank Saunders helps student Vance Williams with a difficult math problem. MATHEMATICS One of the things omitted during the week of fresh- men orientation, and yet one of the early discoveries made by the new student, is that two semesters of math can replace one of the lab sciences required for graduation. With this thought foremost in mind, the student enters the Department of Mathematics. To the student who has an inexhaustable curiosity to find X, college algebra is a genuine delight. How- ever, with the introduction of 9 in trigonometry, math assumes a new look, and it becomes Greek in more ways than one. And now those two semesters are completed. But since there are always those who are gluttons for pun- ishment, plane and solid analytical geometry become a challenge. But the mysteries are soon solved under the soft-spoken Mr. Saunders. The largest hurdle one must attempt in the pursuit of this, the purest of all science, is that of the Cal- culus. First semester finds students wrestling with changes. NW hen the problem has water going in at a certain rate and emptying at the same time at a second date, the exasperated scholar may attempt to use her own bathtub as a working example, only to find that this complicates the problem even further and that math is really less difficult when left on paper. Second semester brings new hope, for this student is now undoing all that she spent first semester doing. But with many hours of work and deep concentration, she finds that calculus was really funn-even when she spent hours trying to find the volume of a dough- nut. Theory of equations takes the form of a game and the student again searches for X, but now with a better understanding and a greater knowledge of this evasive character. Geometry further interests those with an understanding of congruence and symmetry. 75

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MODERN LANGUAGES The college catalogue lists a modern language as a requirement, and by virtue of this fact, the verdant freshman lunges into either French or Spanish. She soon is aware that these are two of the most complete and thorough courses taught and that they require in- tense concentration and work. To the student who is not a veteran of any foreign language, this new study becomes a labyrinth of nouns, direct objects and subjunctive moods, terms not under- stood clearly even in English. However, each day and each lesson brings the student closer to the second year and the conclusion of the requirements. Now she feels she has a firmer foundation and attacks noun clauses and intricate idioms with relative ease. If these first two years of either French or Spanish may be considered as the main course then literature is, beyond a doubt, the dessert. Classes have become more informal and even though the work is more ad- vanced, the student feels that she is acquiring skill in composition and reading as well as a deeper knowledge of the language and general evolution of the literature. She now can smile knowingly when a lecturer men- tions Bruyere or Espronceda for it was perhaps only yesterday that this author was the topic of discussion. Dr. Grannis and Miss Floyd spend many hours se- lecting records and other materials to aid their students and add interest to the course. It is no wonder that a student will brag on a good grade in her language class, for she is sure that she has earned it! Dr. Valleria Grannis brings Paris to life for her French students through pictures and the accounts of her own travels there. .fi Jane McCreight practices for one of the four annual music major recitals. MUSIC Mr. Smith nodded his head. A girl walked rather shakily to the stage and sat down at the piano. Wiping her hands nervously she began to play her recital piece, hoping her fingers would somehow find the right keys. The ordeal was miracuously over after what seemed an eternity, and the girl smiled with outward poise as she walked swiftly off the stage and collapsed into her seat. Other girls followed in her footsteps, some calm, some more nervous than the first but all with a look of slight wonder when they finally reached their seats again. The occasion was one of the four annual music major recitalsg at this time the voice, organ and piano majors display their improving talent and growing confidence. Back in the dormitory once more, one worn-out per- former said, It's so late now that I'll never finish my Music Theory homework. That's nothing, said another, It's my turn to direct the glee club tomorrow for Choral Conducting class, and I've lost my glee club folder! A voice student muttered while gargling with salt water, I needed a ladder to reach that high G in my piece tonight. Before going to sleep that night, one distraught organ student suddenly thought, Oh gosh, I left my shoes on the organ bench. The next day normalcy returned. Students went to their regular music classes and then began work on pieces for their next recital.