University of Pittsburgh - Owl Yearbook (Pittsburgh, PA)

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EDWIN PETERSON Ruddy-cheeked and tweedy, Pete injects life into his English classes by his tongue-in-cheek flickers of humor. We'd recognize that fine, clear voice anywhere, whether it's rolling through the slow-cadenced lines of his favorite Christina Rossetti or crackling through the Commons Room microphone at the traditional Christmas party. That's the time, incidentally, when, whis- kered and padded, Pete becomes our own Pitt Santa Claus. ln his spare time Mr. Peterson tries his hand at practicing the same writing principles that he teaches to his students, his short stories have been published in national magazines, while his full- length, idyllic No Life So Happy glows about the delights of fishing. We place him in an especially favored nook be- cause we admire his complete honesty and his enthusiasm for life that brims over to lend meaning to his lectures and warmth to his dealings with stu- dents. MISS RUTH SMALLEY Up in the School of Applied Social Sciences, students marvel at the im- pact of Miss Smalley's lectures. Quiet- spoken and crisply efficient, she con- ducts the kind of class in which every- one sits and listens actively, struck by the depth of her understanding of how people get that way. A word-eco- nomist, Miss Smalley gets to the heart of her material and compresses a wealth of knowledge into a single ses- sion. Cutside of class students find that her intelligence is combined with a likable genuineness and sense of humor. She's absorbed in her work, but not to the point of being one-sided, her outside interests indulge a sensi- tivity to beauty and include an ap- preciation for Edna St. Vincent Millay and Van Gogh. Because she's stripped Edwin Peterson Ruth Smalley D. D. Lessenberry 21

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earnest Miss Emily l-lolmguist, who enjoys working with the girls. A recent Pitt graduate, she appreciates the stu- dents' viewpoint and firmly believes in their right to voice opinions demo- cratically. At the same time, she agrees that they should learn to use their freedom wisely. The present shortage of nurses has increased the responsibilities of the facultyg they are now geared to intense wartime ac- celeration, which leaves them very little spare time. Miss l-lolmguist spends her infrequent free moments in relaxing with music or the theater. Selflessly devoted to a vital cause, she guides Pitt students to look beyond themselves, to expand their horizons and aim skyward. DR. FRANK MCGINNIS 'Way over in Pharmacy School, stu- dents all like the free-and-easy spirit of camaraderie in Dr. Prank McGinnis' classes. Most pharmaceutical lectures have all the glamor of a stack of pre- scriptionsg Dr. McGinnis spikes the factual part of his material with a smooth flow of jokes to keep his stu- dents chuckling as they jot down pages of complicated formulae. l-le has an extensive knowledge of his subject and the enviable knack of turning out scores of students with a thorough grounding in pharmacy. Easy to talk to, he's fond of chatting with his pupils during class intermis- sions, while they in turn enjoy the chance to know their professor as a man. We're pleased to add Dr. Prank McGinnis as Pharmacy Schools repre- sentative to our Pitt Faculty Hall of Fameg he merits recognition as one who is secure enough in his innate dignity to command respect even when he puts himself on an informal basis with his students. Iumes D. Heard Emily Holmquist Frank McGinnis

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22 of superficiality and geared to the pace of our times, and because of her ability to provoke thought, we add Miss Smalley to our gallery of out- standing professors. DR. D. D. LESSENBERRY When students actually persist in arriving eagerly at eight-thirty for a first-hour class, you know that they really enjoy it. And no wonder-rain, snow, or smog, Dr. Lessenberry cheer- fully greets everyone with a few bars of Oh, what a beautiful morningl This impeccably-groomed professor of commercial education takes a per- sonal interest in each student, declar- ing, l always try to make the students realize that they are worth knowing. They can learn, and l feel that it is my responsibility if they don't. That they do learn, and learn well, is shown by the membership list of Delta Delta Lambda, the honorary commercial ed fraternity which draws its name from Dr. Lessenberry's initials. Spring al- ways brings that back to the land gleam to his eyep he's justly proud of the prize roses that he cultivates on his sixty-acre farm in Fox Chapel. ln this man we recognize the gualities of a well-rounded person that we're striv- ing to achieve in our upward climb. DR. IOHN M. FERGUSON The catalogue lists him as john Max- well Ferguson, Ph.D., jur.D., but to the entire student body this wiry, ani- mated professor of economics is just plain 'jFergie . When exciting news breaks into the front page, we can count on Fergie to parade through the Tuck Shops, holding the headlines high for all to read. No school event is complete unless we see Fergie, cigarette holder in hand, nodding to his many friends and beaming at everyone in general. l-le's popular at fraternity house dances for his skill at Iohn M. Ferguson William F. Swanson Iohn I. Geise