University of the South - Cap and Gown Yearbook (Sewanee, TN)

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THE RT. REV. R. BLAND MITCHELL Bishop of Arkansas Chancellor of the University ! i E (; n 1 c n n R This age is characterized by mass production. It is turning out the chain-store variety of human product — the same everywhere. Sewanee has never attempted nor believed in mass production education for her sons. Al- ways she has followed the vision of her Founders — that the leadership of the South and of the Nation depended upon the training and development of the individual according to his gifts and genius; that each man is distinctive and should have his distinctive talents brought to fruition by character-training in the setting of Christian truth. The reason Sewanee men have become out- standing in many fields of life ' s endeavor is that they have been trained to stand out as indi- viduals through the moulding power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As our Founders expressed it: We shall secure to the South an institution of the very highest grade, and raise up a body of scholars of whom no country need be ashamed. . . . We desire to build up a great University, which shall open its arms, far and wide, to literature, to science, to art, to knowledge, under the sacred sanction of religion as we have received it from our fathers. America desperately needs this kind of education for the leadership of its oncoming generations. Sewanee ' s mission is to supply as much of it as possible of the highest quality possible for the benefit of our Nation and of our Southland. R. BLAND MITCHELL, Chancellor 16

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D I II I A I i ROY BENTON DAVIS B.A., M.A. F. B. WILLIAMS PROFESSOR ol Chemistry For thirty-eight years a Sewanee man! Such is the record of the University ' s senior pro- fessor, Roy Benton Davis, head of the chemistry department since 1918. Mr. Davis had come to Sewanee in 1917 from Washington, where he had worked with the Chemical Warfare Service during World War I. His job had been to locate chemists in uniform and place them in appropriate research laboratories. Chemistry as a career did not particularly occur to Mr. Davis until his freshman year at Earlham College, Richmond, Indiana, in 1908. He credits his teacher. Dr. Harry N. Holmes, with inspiring his interest to the extent that he went on for his master ' s degree at the Uni- versity of Missouri. Devoted to his work and especially interested in organic chemistry, in which he is currently authoring a textbook, Mr. Davis often works a nineteen-hour day. He likes to be in his office in Science Hall by 7 a.m. He explains, however, that this really de- pends on when the milkman comes. Sometimes his office lights don ' t go out until 2 a.m., as he types class notes, studies chemical journals, or checks papers. A great believer in a sound liberal arts background, Mr. Davis always requires his stu- dents to take three to four years of languages, and a generous amount of English, phi- losophy, and social sciences. He holds a deep faith in God, and the compatibility of the idea of God with today ' s concepts of science has often been the subject of bull sessions in the chemistry library. Mr. Davis encourages his students to use their minds, not just their memories, and empha- sizes the building of resourcefulness and independence as much or more than scholastic proficiency. He Virants his boys to obtain the best training possible. Although his standards are high for his students, they are always higher for himself. Mr. Davis ' reputation as a teacher is such that his recommendation at graduate schools is usually tantamount to acceptance. At the presentation of the Leon P. Smith Award by the Crucible Club of Wesleyan College, Macon, Georgia, in 1942, it was said of Mr. Davis: He is loved and respected by all his students who have received from him training in the art of inde- pendent thinking and action. Typical of the respect and admiration held by former students for Mr. Davis is this remark by Dr. Henry F. Johnstone, ' 23, now professor of chemical engineering at the University of Illinois: 1 have been associated with a great many teachers of chemistry, and there is no doubt in my mind that Professor Davis is one of the finest of all. Mr. Davis browses through the departmental library Tho proiessor works on his forthcoming textbook in his Science Hall office 15

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Gen. Williams, Bishop Juhan, and Dr. McCrady look over some plans for Sewanee ' s future. f n r n A i n 1 1 1 Fi All of my life I have been deeply impressed by the extraordinary beauty of this mountain and the invigorating and enriching academic and spiritual tradition of this institution. Though, as you all know, it is not a place into which the cares of the world do not intrude (indeed, there is no such place), it is a place in which those who understand and respond can find the strength and competence and grace to meet whatever comes. I hope all of you who have become a part of Se- wanee have felt and responded to this influence which I have tried inadequately to express in the following poor verses. Hail Sewanee, beauteous mountain, Sculptured Mesozoic plain Carved by rivulet and fountain. Clad in forests drenched with rain. Thou, so blessed with wondrous beauty. Give us taste to understand; Make our labors and our way of life Deserve this favored land. Teach us discipline and freedom; Give us godliness and strength; Let thy crags and falling waters Nurture us until, at length, When from cliffs we view night ' s splendor We are moved to search our hearts For the words with which to render praise For what God ' s grace imparts. EDWARD McCRADY, Vice-Chancellor DR. EDWARD McCRADY Vice-Chancellor of the University