Haverford College - Record Yearbook (Haverford, PA)

Page 27 text:

PHILOSOPHY Prosidiiifr over the phil depurlment, Duuglas Steere defends an essentially non-rational — or should we say supra-rational — position ajrainst I.B.M. Parker; he is obviously a man to be reckoned with on intellectual Ki ' ounds. His true gift, though, is his ability to slip away from the troubles of philosophy to an ephemeral level where contradiction vanishes, where life meets its source, and where things begin to happen. There are the cynics who say the new level is underground, in Plato ' s cave. There are others who observe the sense of delight obvious in all that he does and suspect that the new level has something to do with Jeremiah ' s tree. A latter-day Socrates, Frank Parker believes that the unexamined life is not worth living. Also, the unexamined thought is not worth giv- ing in his classes. Master of the gentle but deadly riposte, he is lucidity personified ; one can almo.st hear the mental wheels turning whenever he lectures. Nor do the wheels grind slowly, though they grind exceedingly fine. Said an honors graduate from Sharple.ss: Mr. Parker was at my oral. He asked if the psy- chologist made value judgments. I said no . . . and found out in five minutes that the answer was yes. Thus does wisdom begin. Paul Desjardins has come this year to be the maitrc d ' hofel at French Hou.se and the new life-blood of the philosophy department. Often seen striding across campus, he seems lost The search for truth continues on into the autumn after- noon idlTcf-break. Larry Maud relates Zen Buddhism to the statements of (seated) Engelhardt, Smith, Zapf, Bennett; (standing) Green, Putnam, Newcomb, Tobias. somewhere in the circle of Plato ' s World-Soul. In class his enthusia.sm often blurs the issue at hand, and discussion sometimes becomes a good game of Blind Man ' s Bluff. But the Socratic method is a welcome innovation in the department, and as he settles down to Haver- ford life, we know that lines of meaningful communication will open. After all, il faiit cul- tiver notre Desjardins. Henry Joel Cadbury In-ings to his course on the history and philosophy of Quakerism a famed scholarship in Friends ' history and a wide reputation for his charitable activities as a Director of the A.F.S.C. Students signing up for Phil 24 in hopes of a snap course are some- what disillusioned, but this pain is more than alleviated by their pleasantly gained knowledge of the idiosyncrasies of great Quaker figures. Jovial profe.ssors Parker, Desjardins, and Steere take a break from their metaphy.sieal labors.

Page 26 text:

• ' -It 1 ' ' ' r -♦• ♦- r ir ♦• - ♦- ' ' ' ' f • ' t- ' ■ ' W .- ' • ♦ ' ♦ ► r i «»• •■ - r ' « ». « ,m w m f m r m, -- y - J An intense James Fowle seems surpiised to find mani- festations of artistic expression in cold Hilles. Howard Comfort displays a curious artifact discovered by him in the dark Sharpless basement. HISTORY OF ART LATIN A newly-arrived emigrant from Harvard, James Fowle has eagerly accepted Haverford ' s challenge of intimate student-faculty relations and informal discussions. He approaches his subject with infectious enthusiasm, adding youth and vigour to the Faculty, and he in.stills in his students a heightened perception and appreciation of works of art. Despite his laissez faire policy toward correcting papers, Mr. Fowle ' s genuine interest in the scholastic ef- forts of his students makes their analyses of whatever Egyptian figure is glowing on the screen seem profound beyond words. An expert in many fields, Howard Comfort, ' 24, specializes in Catullus and pottery. He spends his free time writing, coaching cricket (with unbelievable success), and flying about the world to preside at the meetings of learned societies. Assuming as he does that everyone will have the stuff cold, he seldom checks up on assignments and feels each grammatical massacre as a personal disappointment. No one in Latin 15 will forget his lecture on the Plautine influence in Sgt. Bilko, for such methods are part of his success in making a dead language come alive. Charles Ludington and Alfred Swan iiolish their rendi- tion of an ancient Oriental melody — Chopsticks. MUSIC Energetically teaching music a la grancle facon, Alfred Swan is able to elicit creativity from the chaotic turbulence of most musical souls. A Program of Student Musical Compo- sitions was actually a highlight of this year ' s Collection programs, thanks to Mr. Swan ' s dili- gent supervision of the compositions and his whimsical, yet penetrating, program comments. Charles Ludinprton was Amherst ' s loss and Haverford ' s gain. Substituting for Dr. Reese, Mr. Ludington ably taught, directed, or be- friended everyone he met. He is most memor- able for admonishing the Glee Club ' s slow sing- ing: although the men loved to linger over each note he conducted, he loved each one so well that he couldn ' t wait for the next.

Page 28 text:

ScMKil iiiU ' riiiin r I ' l ' iii- I ' l iii ' al .1 de Graaft ' leads a Russian discussion. RUSSIAN Frances de Graaff is the human dynamo who generates knowledge of the one Slavic language offered in these parts. Teaching phrases for all occasions, she presents her subject with both dispatch and care, and makes a point of intro- ducing her students to the lighter sides of the language as well as the more serious. Multi- lingual Miss de Graaff is the owner of a polylingual dog named Tony. This intelligent beast listens to her elementary and secondary classes with the bored yawn of an old pro. Ruth Pearce arrived on the scene last Sep- tember to help the beleaguered Miss de Graaff cope with the quadrupled enrollment in Ele- mentary Russiari. She brings to the subject a high regard for accuracy and a fanatical deter- mination to have everyone speak with an im- peccable Moscow accent. Although she admon- ishes those stumbling on vowel mutations, con- jugations, aspects, and declensions to memor- ize like parrots, an ochvn kIio)osIio greets the performance of the knowledgeable. A smiling Ruth Pearce and a dubious Frances de Graaff prepare a class for their budding diplomats. SPANISH There are many clues to the personality of Sefior Manuel Jose Asensio: his physiology (short, stocky, dynamic) ; his philosophy (con- fident optimism coupled with sympathetic understanding) ; and, most significantly, the personal devotion he inspires in all who come to know him. The atmosphere of la Casa (pro- saically, Williams House) is a case in point — only el Senor (and la Sefwra) could make that cold grey Quaker pile of stone reflect the rich warmth of a Spanish atmosphere. No one who has studied literature ivith him can forget the depth of his insights or the sound scholarship that documents them. On sabbatical leave for the past semester, he will return next fall, ready to give several more courses than he ' s paid to teach. When Senor Asensio ' s second-semester re- placement failed to arrive, a frantic plea to B.M.C. produced Seiior Joaquin Gonzalez- Muela, a pleasant, easy-going scholar in modern Spanish poetry. His wide teaching experience adds color to his courses, and class discus- sions range from College problems to the Cuban Revolution. Joining the Haverford faculty in February, Senor Casiano Fernandez (another Asensio substitute) announced, We do not learn things about the language. We learn the language it- self. A strong believer in the conversational method of teaching, he furnishes delightful digressions into all aspects of Spanish and Latin American culture. Manuel Asensio, benevolent despot of Spanish house, radiates a regal warmth throughout his tiny realm.