University of Pittsburgh - Owl Yearbook (Pittsburgh, PA)

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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

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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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coaxing rhythm out of the most un- musical of pianos, and this year the freshmen unveiled him as the title figure to climax their Sultan Swing. Fergie remembers his former students, too, and mails copies of the Pitt News to many of them who are now in the armed services. We point with pride to this professor because he hasn't been submerged by the routines of academic life but has managed to re- main a memorable, colorful person- ality. DR. WILLIAM F. SWANSON Dental students unanimously agree that Dr. Swanson is an all-'round good fellow. Professor of bacteriology and histology, he is absorbed in his work and is always willing to explain his fine collection of slides to interested visitors. He trains his students well for the exacting precision of their profess sion, the boys complain good-na- turedly about his inspection of their slides, when We had to grind those teeth down so fine that a breeze would bend them back and forthl Between periods the dents like to gather around and hear about Dr. Swanson's latest hunting or fishing trip. Aviation en- thusiasts compare notes with him, too, for he is also an expert navigator. As a scientist with a talent for knowing how and when to relax, Dr. William Swanson deserves recognition in our Faculty Hall of Fame. DR. JOHN I. GEISE Today he's saluted by the Historical Research Department of the U. S. Army, but we University of Pittsburgh students still think of him as the tall, deep-voiced professor who helped us to discover that there's more to history than reciting dates. ln his survey course of world history, Dr. Geise made even the remoteness of the Paleolithic age seem real and exciting. Philip E. Rush Agnes Lynch Starrett Alexander Silverman t23l