East Texas State University - Locust Yearbook (Commerce, TX)

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Dedication Dr. Arthur M. Pullen: ET's Piper Professor Many college instructors are outstanding in their field. Many are outstanding as instructors and as personalities. But some are outstanding in all three categories. Such an instructor is Dr. Arthur M. Pullen, chairman of the department of biology at East Texas State College. According to the national Piper Foundation, he is an excellent professorf to a biology student he is a model teacher,' and to his secretary, Dr. Pullen is a wonderful person. Named as a recent Piper Professor of 1960, Dr. Pullen was one of 10 professors selected among 110,000 nominees from colleges across the country. Because of this selection 'the Minnie Stevens Piper Foundation awarded the ET biology professor -with a 31000 check and a certificate for professorial excellence. Mrs. Barbara Gaines, his secretary, said, Dr. Pullen brought in several forms to fill out concerning his work and personal life,' they were to be sent to the Foundation office. When he was filling in the forms and questions were asked concerning any studies and research he had done, Dr. Pullen never failed to give credit to anyone who had helped him. That is the kind of man he is. She added that when he was filling in the forms--rather reluctantly'-he said, I haven't got a chance in a million. I-Ie was right. He only had a chance in 1l0,000. Apparently his -was a chance well worth taking. Dr. Pullen said, The basic principle for giving this prize is to promote the 'teaching' part in a teaching professionf' It would seem that such a recognition of his abilities would encourage Dr. Pullen to enter biological research instead of teaching. Why doesn't be? The main reason I teach is that I like people, and research isolates One from people, he explained. - Miss Sue Driskell, senior biology major and biology assistant, said, He make-f you feel as if you're the only person in the world with a problem. He'-V ll model teacher because he's proud of his profession--it's not just a way of making money. To Dr. Pullen, teaching is a way of life. He has started a book on radiation biology because he feels that it is coming up in importance in today's nuclear world. He said, I have a good reason for writing a book on this subject. The only book written about this field of biology went out of print in the summer of 1960, and the market is wide open for such material. He added that he studies radiation biology because he is concerned about how people will be affected with radioactive materials in the world today. . V Since he came to East Texas State in 1952, the professor has organized elementary science and biology workshops, courses on techniques in biology, and courses in application of biology principles. The college sends him each year to the Texas Academy of Science, of which he is a board member on science education, and to several symposiums. He attended the M.D. Anderson Cancer symposium held in February in Houston. Dr. Pullen often travels to Oak Ridge, Tenn., to do research studies, and he has received grants from the Atomic Energy Commission and the National ,Science Foundation to further his research work. After receiving the B. S. and M. S. degrees at the University of Tennessee in 1948 and 1950, Dr. Pullen went to Oklahoma State University to study for his doctorate degree and obtained it in 1952. He also attended the Biarritz American University in Biarritz, France. While in the service in Germany he prolonged his discharge 'so that he could attend the school for one summer in 19-l6. , One reason he likes ETSC is its relatively small enrollment. He wants to know his students and be able to work closely with them. As for future plans, the tall, easy-going professor wants to complete his book and continue teaching at He has completed two chapters of the book, which will be entitled Radiation Biology, and has outlined the rest. But I just want to stay at ET and teach my students, ' he said, because I feel that a teacher can leave something for the .future through his students--at least I, as a teacher, hope I can. --N.S.

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