Germantown High School - Record Yearbook (Philadelphia, PA)

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JUNE .-.NINETEEN .FORTY WALTER K. VAN HAAGEN, PH.D. N MAY 9, 1940, Dr. Walter K. Van Haagen of our faculty died after an illness of several weeks, and with his passing the Germantown High School has suffered the loss of one of its most profound scholars. Dr. Van Haagen's modest and retiring disposition was so pronounced that probably only those who knew him inf timately are in a position to appreciate the many facets of his personality. He not only was eminently well prepared in his major subject, Chemistry, but he had read widely in the humanities and in other branches of science. Coupled with his erudition were a keen sense of humor, a charitable spirit for the difficulties of both his pupils and his col' leagues, a generosity of heart, and an innate kindliness of purpose. In the earlier years of his teaching career he was an instructor at the University of Pennsylvania, Lehigh University, and the Georgia School of Technology. He came to this school in 1919 as a substitute teacher at a time when there were no eligible appointees in Chemistry, and later he qualified by examination for the position which he was des' tined to hold until his death. In some respects it is regrettable that circumstances did not permit Dr. Van Haagen to continue research work in his chosen field of inorganic Chemistry. However, if we are to believe with Emerson that there are always compensations, had he done so his teaching during the past two decades might have been less effective. His research work . before coming to Germantown was of a very high order. ' J Of his thesis for the doctorate, concerning a study of the il 1 A -p compounds of tantalum, the late Edgar Fahs Smith stated A I ' f ' A in one of his graduate lectures that it was an achievement I . comparable to the work of Faraday. Another notable . P- I . I piece of work to which Dr. Van Haagen gave full time for I more than two years was a refdetermination of the atomic .l weights of boron and fluorine. This paper was executed . U4 ylw under the auspices of the Carnegie Institution of Wash' 911 ington and was published in 1918. lu , I Dr. Van Haagen's relations with his pupils were always 1 lg I M i1l cordial, and many of them can attest to his broad knowledge U I ll fl p I in many Helds. He possessed unusual skill and inventiveness If p', p 4' p. in laboratory technique, as well as mechanical ingenuity, ,Il . ffl iliiyl and as a consequence was instrumental in many cases in fili il ' ill fllll furnishing students with the impetus to follow chemical ii I 1 f 5 ,ll 4 careers upon leaving the school. He will be greatly missed I p 4 1 .lil by his fellow teachers and by all the pupils who have I lj ll I gl A 'gil known him. He has left his imprint on the chemistry work if 'qi of this school in myriad ways and much of whatever good ..,,lW. I' 1',Qwgl2rfl is in it is attributable to his clarity of thought and sane gil ' 'Q . Yflifif ' 32:24 -ili . -X l .ii. 111'l1..1.m-ini'I p , ggp1:'l.lW3 'l4f llIl'lllIl9!LlYIi!. p I .,,,?5l ' .. To Y M 19 '.' l.....' Judgment .73-ASR L'Willst du ins Unendliche schreiten n1v',1,V7 X Geh nur im Endlichen nach allen Seiten. J I H a.f,auu1m

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JUNE .NINETEEN .-.FORTY 1 JOHN G. BEGHTEL The unexpected death of John C. Bechtel came as a distinct shock to the members of the Germantown High School Faculty. Unaware of his illness and seeing him in his accustomed place on Tuesday, March twelfth, we found it diiiicult to believe that his life had terminated on the following morning, After a number of years at the Gen' tral High School, Mr. Bechtel became a member of our faculty in the year 1916 as a teacher of Mathematics. In this position he remained until 1927, when he became Head of the Depart' ment of Mathematics in the South Philadelphia High School for Boys. Upon the retirement of 4Mr. Harry Graham in 1935, Mr. Bechtel returned to the Germantown High School as Head of the Department of Mathematics, in which position he continued until his death. ,. Mr. Bechtel occupied a place of distinction in the Germantown High School. He was a teacher in the best sense of the word, devoted to his profession and the various problems involved in it, and genuinely interested in the students that attended his classes and whom he came to know through other means. He was tireless in the per' formance of his duties and in the service that he rendered outside the classroom to inf dividual students and to the life of the school. He gave much of his time to promoting school athletics, acting as treasurer of the athletic association and as coach of the golf team. He believed in maintaining high ethical standards in all athletic contests, and did much to develop a fine spirit of sportsmanship among the members of our athletic teams. - In his work as department head, as teacher, as colleague, as encourager of the right kind of student activities, and in all phases of his life at the Germantown High School, he endeared himself to faculty and students alike. We shall greatly miss Mr. Bechtel because of the large place he occupied in the life of our school, because of his vigorous personality, and because he possessed those qualf ities that made him more respected and admired the better he was known. 18

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- JUNE .-.NINETEEN .-.FORTY IN MEMORIAM RICHARD FINDEISEN-NOVEMBER 1938 In November 1938, there was a collision between an automobile and a truck in which several boys from Germantown High were injured while on their way to a practice football game on our school field. As a result of his injuries, Dick Findeisen died a few days later, just as the football team, of which he was a member, was scheduled to play the annual Frankford game. Dick was with the team in spirit, for he sent the boys his best wishes, and asked them to win for his sake. When Dick's passing was flashed over the wire, and announced between halves, the tribute paid to his memory made a profound impression long to be remembered. . That Dick Findeisen was loved by his friends was evidenced by the establishment of a memorial in his honor by the Germantown HifY of which he was a member. In humbly trying to preserve his memory, Mr. and Mrs. Findeisen presented a cup in the Senior Athletic Assembly to the boy possessing qualities which in Dick were admired by his class mates-characteristics of a ine Christian spirit, generosity, and helpfulness to others. WHERE THE RAINBOW NEVER FADES It cannot be that the earth is man's only abiding place. It cannot be that our life is a mere bubble cast up by eternity to float a moment on its waves and then sink into nothingness. Else why is it that the glorious aspirations which leap like angels from the temple of our heart are forever wandering unsatisfied? Why is it that all the stars that hold their festival around the midnight throne are set above the grasp of our limited faculties, forever mocking us with their unapproachable glory? And, finally, why is it that bright forms of human beauty presented to our View are taken from us, leaving the thousand streams of our affections to flow back in Alpine torrents upon our hearts? There is a realm where the rainbow never fades, where the stars will be spread out before us like islands that slumber in the ocean, and where the beautiful beings which now pass before us like shadows will stay in our presence forever. George D. Prentice, QMa'n's Higher Destinyj. 20