Haverford College - Record Yearbook (Haverford, PA)

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THOMAS E. DRAKE WALLACE T. MacCAFFREY ANNE B. F. SCOTT HISTORY The rationale behind the study of history may be hkened to the tunetion tif an automobiles rear-view mirror — that is, the notion that by looking baek one can guide one ' s future actions more properly. At Haverford, the history department should reflect the humane attitudes which the typical small liberal arts college emphasizes. Presently, its small shifting com- position seems to be the unique mark of this depart- ment, but the powers that be are already plotting a historical strengthening and stabilization. Wallace Trevethic MacCaffrey is every bit as im- pressive and inspiring a professor as his name suggests. His basic course in ancient history has attained, by vir- tue of massive reading assignments and impossible ex- aminations, the fearsome reputation of ranking in diffi- culty with organic chemistry (an indirect way to achieve unity between the physical and behavioral sciences). Possessor of the most disjointed gait on campus, MacCafF frequently encounters organizational difficulties in finding the correct map and has manipu- latory problems in operating a mechanical pencil or Venetian blinds. Though he occasionally seems to be the fictional absent-minded professor ( May I have a pencil, please? ), it is when the discussion begins ( What did you get out of this week ' s readings? ) that true know-ledge and scholarship prevail. While constantly revealing his own overwhelming scholarship — seeming knowledge of everything there is to know about British history. MacCaff alternates in class be- tween relating humorous anecdotes and squelching in- correct or overgeneralized answers. He makes his essen- tial points by requiring students to become more and more explicit ( Well, what exactly do you mean by institutions? ) . An astute cross-examiner, he generally finds few if any volunteers to his questions, but he al- ways manages to allow the class to enlighten itself ( Is everything crystal clear? ) Those wdth a sincere in- terest in histor ' revere him as a god. Anne Scott, sincere and energetic, forms with her spouse Andy the only husband-and-wife teaching team at Haverford. She has the habit of occasionally plug- ging one of his courses ( You may have heard about this in Political Science 57 ) and of overemphasizing the feminist movement. She has a true respect for scholarship, encourages intellectual curiosity, and espe- cially stresses source materials. Thomas Drake, head of the department, is on leave this year. Drake is a self-appointed country gentleman whose class discussions in American history are typically dignified, quiet, and slow-moving, with an expansion by him of minor details. He combines a gentle urging for intellectual prowess with an almost slavish adher- ence to Morison and Commager. His office as curator of the Quaker Collection fits him as though he were destined for the role. A Friend, he specializes in study- ing the history of American social reform movements, and believes that the peace movement has always been a part of U.S. politics. Drake has a passionate love for books ( to appreciate a book you ' ve got to handle it, feel It, smell it . . . become one with the hook. ) He demands voluminous bibliographies, but encourages a cultural, more than intellectual, knowledge of books. Ticentv

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passes. In his noble endeavor, man ' s best friend be- eomes the selfless advisor of budding philosophers. He performs the necessary function of leadint; the swarms behind him to the main trees, introducnii, ' them to all so they may better plant their own. Critical realism plays a necessary role, but it seems a shame that it has become une.xpressivc of itself. The opposite trend occurs in Martin Foss, a cultured owl flitting from bough to hough in the tree-tops uttering Germanic compound words. He is the most sincere and spirited in his philosophy at Havcrford, but also the most fixed in his ways. The one-sentence lectures given in one breath from notes written on well-used wrapping paper will be missed badly next year. We only hope that he can be replaced with a man as sincere in his view-s. But we must all follov. ' through wisdom to Nirvana, for such are the terms of the world. JOHN W. FLIGHT BIBLICAL LITERATURE A precisely clipped mustache and trimmed white hair are of a piece with John W. Flight ' s snappy walk, careful but unobtrusive dress and a quiet passion for Biblical schc larship. Flight ' s scholarly activities have not decreased during his close of a thirty-year stay at Haverford. He is a good friend of the ancient tongues, and keeps up his acquaintance with modern languages by reading from the French and German Bibles daily. He has done much literal as well as abstract digging from which his devotion to the Archaelogical Collection on Sharpless ' top floor has sprung. The studies, activities, and ideas of his students are of a lively concern to Flight. As he lectures from behind an ebony-topped Sharpless desk and particularly in discussions and conversations. Flight ' s wry grin and suppressed chuckle punctuate his interest in his students. RICHARD M. BERNHEIMER HISTORY OF ART In a society as fast-moving and as pragmatic as our ow ' ii, a man like Richard Max Bernheimer can exert a w-elcome and beneficent influence. This chubby, jovial man teaches history of art, not simply as so many old pictures and decaying buildings, but as an ever- continuing human struggle for beauty, truth, freedom of expression, and other spiritual values. Bernheimer attempts to invoke in his students a certain depth of feeling, and simultaneously he exposes them to a depth of knowl- edge that is truly amaring. He lectures coherently and continuously without ever referring to any notes, and he seems to know- the con- tents of every museum in the world. Bcrnheimcr ' s Cjerman accent, tapped shoes, and black slide case make him an individual personality, both here and on his home grounds of Brsm Mav.T. T ineteen

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ECONOMICS The economics department resides, appropri.uely enough, in Whitall, the building to and through which many a greenback flows. We must give the ec scholars credit for discussing dispassionately such emotionally charged subjects as income, taxes, and depressions, and for considering such weighty questions as whether the invisible hand is really invisible and what the chances are of transforming guns into butter. Howard Teaf is a tough customer, especially when he knows you don ' t know what you ' re talking about. His discussion section is one long cataclysmic catechism, in which he demands extreme precision in formulating detinitions and utilizing concepts. Even his lectures ,ire so conducted that most of the information presented is eventually elicited from the students. He character- istically refers to all students by their last names, es- pecially when he becomes angry (no rarity). His classes start in high gear (usually he begins talking as he approaches the doorway), but sometimes he stretches out his long frame m his chair, closes his eyes, and describes dreamily his observations while visiting the Near East. Teaf specializes m business and labor ec, and has served as an advisor to the state of Pennsyl- vania on insurance problems. He frequently visits Harrisburg; his majors wonder if he goes to try to prevent the new belt highway from running through his new house. Holland ( Ho ) Hunter ' 4. , the master of Wood- side Cottage and third floor Whitall, holds the faculty speed record for ascending and descending stairs. He calm;; down in class, however, where, after putting the daily outline on the board and manipulating his course cards to correspond to the students seating arrange- ments, he folds his hands, occasionally scratches his nose, and procedes to criticize an incorrect statement or faulty generalization with the initially innocuous deterent Well, now, wait a minute. He is plagued by books that keep disappearing from the reserve desk, but is pleased by researchers who discuss their topic and outline with him ( Then how can I fail to give you an A? ). Ho ranks as an expert on the Russian transportation systems, and spent a month in the Soviet Union last summer. Will Lyons comes to the ec department this year with ' a background in government service and Wall Street finance. His special field is everyone ' s favorite subject — money — and his pet theory on how to have the same may surprise some: If something goes wrong with a durable good (e.g., auto, TV), throw it away. It ' ll cost less to buy a new one. His students speculate that besides collecting pipes and stamps, Mr. Lyons may also save such memorabilia as GM and RCA stocks. Will dislikes losing at bridge, being interrupted during class by phone calls from the library, and that ob- noxious parable, You can lead a horse to water but you can ' t make him drink. Lyons appears more theo- retical than case-study-oriented Teaf. HOWARD M. TEAF, JR. HOLLAND HUNTER WILL LYONS Twenty-one