University of Massachusetts Amherst - Index Yearbook (Amherst, MA)

Page 18 text:

traditionally timid, fearful freshmen. A favorite tradition handed down from class to class and associated with Profes- sor Moore is that of his two definitions of infinity. Selecting a lengthy piece of chalk, he proceeds to the last blackboard in the far corner of the room, draws a continuous line from blackboard to black- board until he has exhausted all the avail- able board space in the classroom and approached a window, opens the window and casts the chalk out into space — and there, students, is his first definition of infinity. His second is similar to the first. As before, he continues the line until all the board space has been used, but now he approaches the door. The chalk — and Professor Moore — leave the room, and are seen no more during that hour. Such are the legends of Dinty — and infinity ! A habit for which Professor Moore is also noted pertains to the cleanliness of his boards. This he accomplishes by clutching an eraser in his left hand while writing with his right. The eraser chases the chalk at a fairly constant distance of about two words. In accordance with the Lamarckian theory students in his classes have developed remarkably keen and quick eyesight, as attempts to see the writing interposed between chalk and eraser, and screened by Dinty ' s body have provided effective exercise for the visual nerves. A brilliant man, Dinty often fails to comprehend the difficulties that many encounter in mathematics. He expects the student to have a thorough under- standing of the subject before taking the course. Unfortunately, the average stu- dent cannot measure up to his standards. However, all enjoy his eccentricities and, congratulating him on his twenty-fifth anniversary, wish him twenty-five more years of teaching here. JiMMIE 1944 is the Index ' s anniversary too — the seventy-fifth. . 2 . Doctor Torrey refers to him as Red O ' Donnell who never said much but had a good head in Botany. Those who do not know him often mistake him for a stu- dent. Those who say they know him often mistake him. As he walks the campus with a dreamy smile, eyes on the ground, or with an intense stare, many have drawn the conclusion that he is not pre- occupied with the harmony of cadet spirituals. They may call him a dreamer, but his is not so flimsy a thing as a reverie. When a student brushes by and bids him good morning, he looks up a little bit scared and answers only after bringing his mind from Kubla Khan ' s pleasure dome or Plato ' s Republic. When Dr. O ' Donnell walks into the classroom, a student reports, she feels a kindly impulse to take him by the hand and say reassuringly, It ' s all right — come on in. Don ' t be afraid. What a change in him, when once he stands, very straight, behind the lecturn. He is seldom hilariously funny as his is the subtle humor that not all understand, not many remember, and few quote. Yet it spices his lectures and stimulates alertness. Shuffling his notes, he embarks upon his perilous method of drawing class argu- ment — or, rather, of provoking it. This he often attempts by taking a stand contrary to his own opinion. In one such instance, he found the class unanimously agreeing with the argument which he wanted them to refute. He was faced with the problem whether to leave them in ignorance or, for their enlightenment, to expose his deception. He redeemed himself by con- fession. One may well suspect, too, a transfer of this reliance upon the effectiveness of opposition to his treatment of grammar. Does he concentrate on this delight to freshmen so conscientiously so as to stim- ulate a craving for literature. Such seems 14

Page 17 text:

the fall leaves. At 7:58, he whizzes down Fraternity Row and pedals up the Old Chapel hill just as coeds break into a run for their eight o ' clock class. (It ' s his gear shifts that get him there.) He is present among innocent gather- ings of students everywhere. Bull sessions inevitably turn from the last U.S.O. dance to a baffling discussion buzzing with f utilitarian irony, and religious hu- manism (not to be confused with moral humanism ), natural super- naturalism, and the twofold law of righteousness. The outsider is left some- what in the dark; but when he hears the Renaissance discussed in terms of per- vasive dualism and master dilemma, he knows he is dealing with a student of Dr. Goldberg. So what ' s and curlecues which, upon deciphering, turn out to be question marks printed across a freshman ' s scru- pulously composed argumentative theme, are another clue to identification of this remarkable professor. Which comes first, the chicken or the egg? is the Doctor ' s paraphrase of the more usual comment, illogical se- quence. Is it surprising that Dr. Gold- berg ' s marginal remarks rate high in the appreciation of his students? Recently, a freshman even received personal advice on a margin, after having emphatically explained the purely Platonic nature of his interest in a girl. Quoth the wise counsellor, Watch out! In class. Dr. Goldberg is famous for austerity, but strangely so ; for Li ' l Abner often makes an appearance in his literary discussion; and he dramatizes effectively the spitting schoolmaster from J. A. Rice ' s Cavie Out of the Eighteenth Cen- tury. For many, the onion will long impersonate Beowulf. And, as we peel tearfully, Dr. Goldberg ' s analogy of the accretive layers in Beowulf ' s character will be painfully evident at the disclosure of each additional layer. When Dr. Goldberg reverts to serious- ness, all sorts of things may happen. Once, when he had just expounded the difference between moral and re- ligious humanism, — at that crucial moment — a string of pearls broke. There, remarked Dr. Goldberg with gratification, you see how emphatically I stated that? As a matter of fact. Doctor G. is usually emphatic, except in asserting his privilege of closing the period, which the class grants him with exceptional generosity. There is an alarm clock on his table; but, much to the secret disappointment of students, it does not go off with a loud clamor, for it is not set. Invariably, therefore. Dr. Goldberg carries his in- spiring enthusiasm to a rapt audience several minutes beyond the end of the period. His are some of the very few students who do not object to running to their next class, in exchange for a closing remark on the compleat gentleman or on Daisy Mae. Skip If the scurrying figure of a small- statured man is sighted in the Mathemat- ics Building, it is undoubtedly Professor Moore — better known to the students as Dinty . Besides being head of the mathematics department, he is also the motivating force behind the Mathe- matics Club. To those who lack the opportunity of becoming acquainted with Dinty, he may at first appear to be gruff and abrupt. However, those who are acquainted with him realize and enjoy the real Dinty, for under his seeming harshness is as friendly and sympathetic a professor as can be found on campus. Perhaps it is through his apparent brusqueness that he com- mands the attention, awe, and respect of so many students, particularly the 13

Page 19 text:

to be the result among his students. Only his own classroom students know Dr. O ' Donnell as an outstanding student of such men as Voltaire, Carlyle, and Plato, but the nickname O.D. is con- tinuously acquiring a more familiar, ap- preciative ring among under-graduates, who keep an eye of friendly interest on his actions. Skip (loom 20i (ladio. Se iMil While performing the more menial tasks of licking stamps, or erasing math juggling from the dummy, in the far corner of the War Information Service room, the editor is often aware of the radio serial taking place in Room 20. Shades of Ma Peters or John ' s Third Wife! A young faculty assistant begs Prof. Dickinson for counsel. Should he become a deck officer, or wait to be drafted? Should he leave his wife and infant for a better-paying job, or should he stay with them longer, and give them only a private ' s pay later. ' A coed comes in and babbles of her sweetheart. Everyone else has been bored stiff at the recital of this super- man ' s qualities and adventures, but Pro- fessor Dickinson patiently listens while packing film. A faculty member lately come to these shores rushes in to ask which word of three he should use in his lecture. Pro- fessor Dickinson advises. The Glee Club ' s trip to New York is the subject of a dozen discussions on prices, fares, and number going; as a result Prof ' writes the letters and sends the telegrams in his capacity of financial advisor to the Academic Activities. What should I use for fertilizer on that green in these war times, asks a recent graduate of the Greenkeeper ' s School. The Agronomy Expert explains. Tune in tomorrow. Will Harry become a deck officer. ' ' Will Lydia tire of Bill? Will Josef use the right word? Will the Glee Club solve its problems? Will the maintenance man find the nitrate-sub- stitutes satisfactory? Brush your brain with Index, I-N-D-E-X, and listen tomorrow. OC ' ' llo4A, If he were not such a self-contained individual. Doctor William Ross would be one of the most harried professors on campus today. For Doc is handsome, young, athletic, and a bachelor — in a college which is now predominantly fem- inine. Perhaps he does find relief from the demure glances and the genteel wolfing of some of his students in teaching the cadets. The army is primarily interested in his subject, physics, not in him ! Independent as a sophomore believes himself to be, Doc doesn ' t care for others ' opinions, but does as he wishes. On the other hand, his humor, though effective and tinted with sarcasm, is never personal. A pendulum, a gyroscope, or a cylinder is Little Bessie to Doc, for he seems genuinely fond of the apparatus he uses for his lectures. At times he varies the nomenclature — and then the instrument is Esmerelda. Besides being one of the best-liked and most efficient professors on the campus, Doc is always vividly in the memories of his students — Doc Ross standing on his head to discourage a soporific atmosphere in class, and incidentally illustrating a law of physics; or Doc Ross casually munching an apple while presenting his lecture ! JiMMIE 15