John Adams High School - Clipper Yearbook (Ozone Park, NY)

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THIS IS an age of wonders. Dreams of skyscrapers, airplanes and steam- ships have become realities since the tum of the century. The mysterious force of electricity has been harnessed, its behavior analyzed, its services offered to the entire world. Like an in- finitely versatile servant, it drives the wheels of industry. helps the housewife, and brings the entertainment of masters into the very privacy of a living room. Many men have made great contri- butions in the field of electricity, men like Franklin, Faraday, Maxwell, Edi- son, and Thompson. In the tirst rank of this distinguished group of men stands a truly great American, Charles Proteus Steinmetz. Steinmetz was born in Breslau, Ger- many, on April 9, 1865. But unlike other children, he was born a hopeless crip- ple, a hunchback. He was destined never to grow taller than 4 feet 3 inches. Little did anyone realize that this hunchbacked gnome was someday to become one of the world's greatest mental giants. Charles' early life was uneventful. Because of his crippled condition he was unable to play with other children and, consequently, spent a great deal of time alone. He did not distinguish himself at tirst in school, but perhaps it was because. rather than in spite of, mis deformity that Steinmetz studied :rd and soon became a leader in all f his classes. But young Charles de- lloped other interests too, interests rt were to alter profoundly the path his life. ermany was ruled at the time by tl 'on Chancellor, Otto Von Bismarck. Bi 'rck was a dictator, and Steinmetz no ly disagreed with his policies but let feelings be known. The police sought Steinmetz and he fled at the age of twenty-three to America, the Land of Opportunity. The engineering world did not have long to wait to hear of Steinmetz. His first discoveries in the fields of mag- netism and alt-ernating current estab- lished his reputation. Today Steinmetz's principles in these fields are used in the manufacture of every type of electrical motor from sewing machine to hydro- electric generators. In 1893 Charles Steinmetz became an American citizen. From this point until the end of his life, Charles Steinmetz gave unreserv-edly of himself as he pro- pounded new theories. His truly was a life devoted to science and humanity. He gave liberally of his time to lecture and to teach young students. He took an active interest in civic affairs, and at the same time he devoted long, hard hours to his laboratory, a laboratory from which was to come man-made lightning and hundreds of other ideas and applications that were to revolu- tionize -electrical engineering and eam him the title of The Supreme Court of Electronics. On October 26. 1923, the end came to Charles Steinmetz as he died in his sleep. He had made his contribution to mankind as an improver, not an in- ventor, as a patent helper, not as a hard-bitten man of science. as a friend of the underdog, not as a self-satisfied man of fame. Even after nearly three decades, it is impossible to evaluate adequately Steinmetz's contributions to mankind. He was one-half a man in physical stature and twice a man in heart and ambition. This is the story of Charles Proteus Steinmetz, great scientist, engineer, and, above all, A Great American. 7 'N '11 nn 1 M S azyd my 1116.49 'Jauugm fb 1 -. H 3 3 he w : C' : 1 Cl: ra fb Q EE' : UQ C1 o : R fb 04 ln Nr NOSDYIIS .LHTIHOH F Q Q. E 90 2. Wh W

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g .Siu Wulf 164 CONSTANCE BENTIVEGNA THE HEAVY sleet lashed mercilessly at my face as I walked down the quiet country road. Once or twice. I winced and quickened my pace. Soon, a small cabin appeared in view, my destination. When I reached the door, I paused, fumbled in my pocket for the keys, and nervously released the lock. I paused again. There was still time for me to run away. But I couldn't. A burning curiosity forced me to open the door and enter. The one-room cabin was still the same. A large, well-wom sofa stood against the wall by the door. Two equally worn chairs filled the opposite corners. The only other piece of fumi- ture was a badly scratched, ma- hogany veneer coffee table in the center of the room. How I had hoped that I would be wrong, that the room would be differ- ent. But although I had wished to prove myself mistaken about the room, I had known inside that I couldn't be. Now the real test was to come. I walked over to the closet which stood between the two chairs. I touched my fingers to the knob. My whole body trembled. In that moment before I opened the door, the whole 8 terrible nightmare flashed before my eyes. It happened just a week ago today. Having had a hard day at work, I decided to retire early. The clock in the square chimed ten o'clock. Soon, I was awake again. Unconsciously I began to dress myself. Fate works mysteriously, for I was acting through no will of my own. Soon I had found myself walking down the same country road I had iust travelled. I found myself in the same room I was in now. The only difference was that then the room was crowded with many people who were enioying a party. A man, who seemed to be the host, invited me to join the festivities. I did. I danced and drank and had a won- derful time. I seemed to forget that I was the tired person who had been awakened from my sleep. Then, suddenly. all the guests, ex- cept one man, the man who was my host. disappeared. I turned my head in amazement and sought to satisfy my curiosity through my host. He just stood before me and laughed at my anxious questions. I became very annoyed at him. It was then that I saw the knife which lay on the table. An unseen force, stronger than my will, caused me to reach for the knife. My host anticipated my move. There was a struggle for it and then-victory for one. Slowly, the blade rose. and equally as slowly, it found rest in the heart of its victim. The body was put in the closet. not an original hiding place, but the best that could be afforded. Now Imust see what I knew I could not avoid. something I must know before my soul could seek sanctuary. I opened the closet door and looked at the body. It was mine.