Lehigh University - Epitome Yearbook (Bethlehem, PA)

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allowing an incubated chick to tumble forth unharmed and when unleashing a part of its tremendous strength it has torn apart a 1900 lb. steel bar. At the dedica- tion in October 1955, Dr. Eugene Grace, chairman of the board of Bethlehem Steel, expressed his hopes for the future, This new addition to the laboratory will mean a great deal to Lehigh as a center of engineering, knowledge and instruction. It will also mean a great deal to industry — all industry — for it will be available for the testing of all sorts of materials. As if to give his remarks emphasis, early in March 1957, Bethlehem Steel announced that expansion plans calling for a multimillion dollar research laboratory atop South Mountain included facilities for Lehigh University. At the time, no one knew just what the facilities were, but a local newspaper speculated at an Alpha Tau Omega, winner of the IFC Lafay- ette display contest, constructed this blue- ribbon satire of the Lafayette mascot. .• The Engineers, victorious after three con- secutive losses to the Lafayette Leopards, carry their jubilant coach. Bill Leckonby, from the field. I 1 }

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WLRN, the campus radio station, operated through the night to keep Lehigh informed of 1956 presidential election results. for a University Center, a centrally located building housing the major activities and fulfilling students ' needs with regard to dining facilities, recreation, and social activities. A solution to the Sophomore Squeeze was offered in the plan for a new dormitory. And to provide a University Center, plans were formulated concerning the renovation of historic Packer Hall, with provisions for a sizable addition, nearly as large as the old building. To finance such a tremendous undertaking the na- tion-wide Packer Hall-Dormitory campaign was begun and through the contributions of alumni and friends a sum in excess of two and one-half million dollars was raised. Excavation for the two structures began in May 1955, and by December 1956, the Sophomore Squeeze was a thing of the past, with the University Center scheduled for completion by summer of 1957. As the standard of living increases and price indexes spiral upward, the problem of financing extensive ex- pansion becomes acute. But large industrial interests, realizing the importance of continued progress in the field of education, often come to the aid of great universities when needs are pressing. Such was the case when Bethlehem Steel contributed to the construction of the addition to Fritz Lab, an addition which now houses the largest universal testing machine in the world. Rated at 5,000,000 pounds, the machine has a proven versatility; it has lightly cracked an eggshell Lewis Heck and Arthur Lakey, members of the first Brown and White Band, present a cake to the student leader, Curt Shollen- berger, at the celebration of the fiftieth an- niversary of the organization.

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obsenaton ' . a skyline amphitheatre, and isolated re- search buildings. More imp)ortant, perhaps, than impressive facilities and the physical plant, is the maintenance of a teach- ing staff adequate to the needs of the student body. In maintaining such a staif a university is always faced with the problem of adjusting facult}- salaries to make them as attractive as possible. Industry has recog- nized the need here also, and in 1955 the Ford Foun- dation granted S 5 34.000, later supplemented by an almost equal amount, to increase the salaries of the faculty- of the College of Arts and Science. Another grant of S20.000 was awarded for the study of Lehigh ' s engineering curnculums, the object being one of im- provement and increased efficienc) ' . A forward looking program must concern itself with the problems of the individual student, and at Lehigh several important steps have been taken with regard to what is often considered the most important class, the freshmen. In the fall of 1954 a new curriculum de- signed to aid the freshman engineer was initiated on Keeping an automobile free from freezing snow is only one of the many inconveniences during the winter months. The drab entrance to Sayre Park undergoes an unusual transformation when wearing winter ' s white garb. 21