Haverford College - Record Yearbook (Haverford, PA)

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Jaaar i ' lprpkfiH To the Class of 1920, the death of Isaac Sharpless brought a pro- found sense of loss. Our first impressions of Haverford were under his presidency. His chapel talks, in which were mingled so much wis- dom and a diplomacy that seemed more to suggest than to lead, were to us lessons in calm, unbiased judgment. By incomprehensible means, liis thcnights and wishes forestalled friction, compelled respect, and were accepted often as our own, so persuasive was the inspiration of his ex- ample. Thus we early came under the influence of his breadth of vision, liis absolute sincerity and rectitude. Haverford stands as his lasting monument. All of its truly great features today we owe to him. His life work is before us in the spacious, sweeping beauty of the campus, in the traditions of clean sportsmanship and fair play, in the high scholastic standard, in the renown of the col- lege, and in the devotion to high spiritual values. He built the very fibre of his life into the college. His work lives on in the lives of those who knew liim. of those who before us developed their ideals and pur- poses under his guidance at Haverford. These are the countless, un- traceable influences of a man who has left the world a better place for his passage through life. Isaac Sharpless ' work can not cease; the seeds he has planted by precept and example are growing into agencies for the betterment of humanit . His was a character that stood out above liis contemporaries, a product of tliat discipline of will to high ends that alone forms true and noble natures. fage Seven

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iFranrta larton (l umjnpr 1855-H»I9 Fnjfissor of hrit lisli Litiriiliin it Ihivtrfdnl Culltyc, 18S7-1919. Ours is the last class at Haverford to study the art of Chaucer. tile majestic verse of Milton, and the broad humanity of Shakespere under the inspiration of Dr. Gummere. We are the last to be thrilled by his scholarly and brilliant teaching;, with a real understanding and reverence for the masters of English literature. Charmed by his genial sense of humor, keen imagination, and ever youthful enthusiasm for his subject, the minutes flew all too rapidly as we drank in the beauties of verse and prose at his feet. , Those of us who were fortunate enough to know him outside of the classroom learned to appreciate more fully his kindly nature, bril- liant cnn ersatii n. and quick repartee. Gifted with a remarkable mem- or , he hail at his command an endless number of stories and quotations from the literatures of the world, which poured in a glittering stream from the rich store-house of his mind. However much in the future we may be engrossed in the stress and turmoil of the world, the name of Chaucer or Shakespere will in- evitably awaken in our memories the beloxed figure of him who was at once a great teacher, a profound scholar, and a true friend. Page Nine