Haverford College - Record Yearbook (Haverford, PA)

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ment into two Ki oups: Ashmeads and mutton- heads. But after all, he ' s a scholar. Married in soul to thirty thousand at least, Robert Kutnuin is a lover of the gentler sensual gratifications. He loves to tell people the truth about themselves and is loved in turn by every- one, except those who can ' t believe that anyone can be so friendly. Bob borrows the wit of great writers, but shows a bit of his own as well : Out of the mouths of babes, ' quoth he, oft comes half -digested Cream of Wheat. At a large table in Chase sits John Lester, a large and gentle man (Collection orations not- withstanding). As on the soccer field, his energy abounds, while his imagination unravels the mysteries of Dickens ' prose. With compli- cated diagrams, he shows how Wordsworth pas.sed the ball to Keats. But then his thoughts fly to the Library where his justice is inflexible and his swiftness terrifying. He seriously doui)ts that Percy Bysshe Shelley ever kept a book out overdue. Here, there, and everywhere appears that bundle of wit and energy, Frank Quinn. For those who catch Mr. Quinn at the corner of Founders before he darts home to Merion for tea, he is the essence of reality and mysticism. The never - to - be - forgotten moments when Quinn takes poetry and makes it simmer with intensity and realism or subtly leads a founder- ing discussion to the light — these are the corner-stones of his teaching effectiveness. Any freshman in Mrs. Frank Quinn ' s English 11-12 section must live by the Boy Scout motto — Be Prepared. Preparation includes ear- muffs to with.stand the chilling blasts from gaping classrooms windows, as well as a thor- ough knowledge of the assigned reading. Mrs. Quinn ' s English pronunciation makes Shakes- Human values in the raw; truth and beauty emerge from a Quinn class: I know it, call on me. Messrs, Satterthwaite, Rose, Quinn, A hmea(l, Sargent, Lester, Butman, and Mrs. Quinn share with Mrs. Nugent the problem of missing Sheats. pearean characters come alive; but more astute freshmen have remarked that her readings do little for Jim ' s speeches in Huck Finn. Ted Rose is often seen striding about the campus wearing an expression both kindly and preoccupied. The image is not misleading: he approaches literature with appreciation as well as genuine and thorough scholarshiiD (so thor- ough that he sometimes ends his introductory remarks only reluctantly after half an hour of class). Helpfully reading meaning into the most inane comments, Mr. Ro.se evinces a sin- cere interest in his students. Heading a contingent of l)udding gram- marians, Alfred Satterthwaite requires his stu- dents to learn spelling and sentence construc- tion as thoroughly as 17th century literature. Picking up stray seniors and hapless freshmen alike, he takes the unfortunate by the ear and tells them that at Harvard one spelling mistake means failure. Satterthwaite ' s tete-a-tetes with students and perceptive analysis of Spencer both play a role in forming the molded man. According to Paul Sheats, one characteristic of a tragic hero is a fall from a high place. It might be said that Sheats himself has under- gone such a fall. After a distinguished career at Harvard and Oxford, he now holds the un- enviable position of teaching elementary Eng- lish courses at Haverford. Resigned to his plight, the warm and wide-eyed Mr. Sheats mountain-climbs, folk-sings, and awaits his crack at more advanced students.

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HUMANITIES BIB. LIT. Perched on a hipfh stool behind the lecture desk, John Flight attempts to get his class underway. It is a while before the quiet voice pierces the rumbling of chairs and the crum- pling of papers: Ramey? Ramey? Oh, I thought you sat in the next row. Before the weary eyes of his students and their wearier minds, he lays bare passages of the Holij Bible. Dry and subtle humor in the Dead Sea scrolls seems to intrigue scholars John Flight and Bob Horn. Quotation upon quotation lies within easy reach of his memory. This point can be further illus- trated by Genesis 14:2, which you will remem- ber says . . . But who else does remember so well? Comparative Religion class ends with a note that modern man may not be so far ahead of the primitive as he sometimes thinks. After parking his ever-faithful Saab and ascending to the Museum, congenial Robert Horn assumes his position at the head of the seminar table. Pulling his texts from his brief case (a Hebrew Old Testament, a Greek Neiv Testament, and a German source book), he be- gins discussion with a question that bewilders the three seniors for the next two hours. He increases their suffering by diagramming their heretical ideas on the board and then intro- ducing new factors that shatter their argu- ments before their eyes. Yet, as his victims stagger out, they can ' t help feeling deep ad- miration for this young scholar and the vibrant insights which he has salvaged from their confusion. ENGLISH John Lester is caught with a rye expression as leads a discussion of Salinger ' s religious novel. he Head of Haverford ' s largest department, Ralph Sargent is a recognized scholar in fields ranging from the Elizabethans to James Joyce. With a compelling smile and contagious en- thusiasm, he reveals subtleties of off-color ma- terial as easily as he offers intellectual justifica- tion for symbols and ideas. This cheery scholar, articulate in all subjects from the quality of physics books to interesting sidelights on the maids, infuses the shyest students with literary confidence. John Ashmead? No, I wouldn ' t bother him. He ' s hard to talk to — too many proper names. What ' s he like? Sort of a large-noodled Mal- volio, cross-gartered in cross-references. He psychoanalyzes freshmen in class, strangles people who mark up library tomes, and button- holes J. Lester for more books. Seeing things in patterns, he ' s divided the English depart- Eighfeen

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lAtamtaMdl Bow-tied Larry Wylie regales colleagues Shaw, Smith, and Gutwirth with tales of Parisian night life. FRENCH A reviewer spoke of Laurence Wylie ' s Village in the VaHcluse as sociology without pain and cited his warm, personal, and relaxed style as one of the most strikiner assets of this none- theless serious and thorough study. Like author, like book! His humor and warmth make Mr. Wylie one of the most acces sible members of the Faculty, though behind an enjoyably re- laxed manner he hides an unexpected wit and rigorous mind. His personality and his recent literary activities have won for him and for Haverford a wide-reaching reputation of supe- rior achievement. Marcel Gutwirth, a serious, intimidating scholar, ranges from the satanic to the sublime. He does not refuse to mix the social and the intellectual, believing that both realms of ac- tivity have implicit rules of conduct which are not mutually exclusive. If Mr. Gutwirth needed but one I ' eason for demanding high-grade per- formance from his students, it might be that every lecture, every discussion reveals his con- scious effort to give of himself, his knowledge, and his insight. With scathing criticism tem- pered by infectious enthusiasm, Mr. Gutwirth may have opponents, but he has no critics. He is an original thinker with intellectual finesse, and such men are invaluable to Haverford. If ever there was a theory whereby positive results follow negative presentation, Michael Shaw has mastered it. A book, a student, or an idea of which he approves is hard to find. Yet, from his flow of )wn and nein there emerges a fine, subtle wit and a sharp, critical spirit whose judgments are never unfounded. In class Mr. Shaw wages a personal fight for clear analysis, reading, and expression. Dou- bling as a Humanities professor, he has no sympathy for those who need philosophical treatises to explain Daisy Miller ' s innocence. While Mr. Wylie was abed first semester with infectious hepatitis, the French department en- listed the aid of Mrs. Michael Shaw (wife of the above) . Enthusiastically attacking the proverbs of such literary figures as Rousseau and La Rochefoucauld, which abound in French 11, she proved herself an imaginative student and teacher, often digressing into discussions of the subtleties of French philosophy, the superiority of Europeans, and the indolence of Haverford French students. Another first-semester replacement for Mr. W.ylie, Rene Daudin instructed naive freshmen and experienced sophomores in the intricacies of Parisian night life. Rumored to be a descend- ant of one of Henry IV ' s illegitimate sons, he brought warmth, personality, and a vast knowl- edge of the French people into his teaching. He had only to grin over his lunettes and say, ... a very interesting answer. Monsieur, but it has nothing to do with the cjuestion, to make a student feel completely at ease. French House was founded with the idea of providing students a chance to live comfortably and speak French. They live comfortably. Tzvcntv