Haverford College - Record Yearbook (Haverford, PA)

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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

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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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GERMAN Offering students a taste of German tradi- tion, as well as a knowledKe of German litera- ture, Harry Pfuiid, ' 22, makes his courses more than a series of lectures and discussions. As he reads from LessiuK or Goethe ' s plays or the Middle Hi h German of the Nibelungenlied, Dr. Pfund effervesces the true spirit of the old countrj ' . Projects with the genial head of the department are consequently noted for German beer and apfehaft. John Cary, ' 45, is an uncompromising perfec- tionist when it comes to precise translations of German passages. Yet he maintains a close iLjiMiiing- the magazine in order to look casual are I ' -srs. Heydebreck, Kelly, Pfund, and Cary. GREEK George Kennedy is new this year, but al- ready shows a youthful facility for an aged language. He is so much at ease before a class :hat it seems an effort for him to be disturbed 3y any student slurring classical phrases with i Left-Bank zeal. Every period he is purposeful :ind indulgent, calling students by their first aame, but allowing no lap.se in attention. Stu- ;lents studying the printed Greek with its sputtering accents, black iotas, and hearty . ' owels in their Homer .selections long for the ;wift chalk, articulate pause, and Hellenic oeace of their teacher. personal relationship with his students and is an ever-ready source of assistance to those un- fortunate individuals caught up in the com- plex cobweb of German grammar. His presence is also felt in a number of College activities, whether it be his participation in campus drives or his attendance at Meeting and soccer games. Professor Emeritus John Kelly came out of retirement last fall to teach a course in ele- mentary German. Precisely at 9:01 each class day, Herr Kelly appeared on Founders porch and commenced his way to the West Math room. Kommcn Sie nach meinem Hause, he often requested his students, who could only marvel at the versatility of this humble man, leading them in song around his piano. Tuesday night ! Time for Modern German Literature with Joachim Maass. Black-suited and precise, Mr. Maass would read melodically and imbibe some sort of Zaubertvank. What is beauty? he would ask. What is the literary work of art? Attempting to discover the an- swers, the class read Mann, Kafka, and Kilke. Each week, out came the attache case, the book of lecture notes, and the illuminating com- ments mit Witz und Aumiit vorgctragen. Spending only one year at Haverford, Man- fred Heydebreck showed enough detachment to smile o us and enough humanity to smile ivifli us. Besides taking English and teaching German, he endured innumerable dinner-meet- ings with local service clubs. What such experi- ences proved, beyond the superb powers of Manfred ' s digestive system, will never be known within our borders. Tact prevails. George Kennedy, newly-arrived Clas.sicist, frowns as he translates Class Night into Greek.