Utah State University - Buzzer Yearbook (Logan, UT)

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a few good friends who were willing to sign notes for him without any security. Thus tne way was opened. In 1891. when but nineteen years of age. Mr. Widtsoe entered the Lawrence Scientific School of Harvard University, making chemistry his major study. The course leading to the B. A. degree requires four years of study ; but Mr. Widtsoe, through concentrated effort and the use of his summers, completed it in three years. During the last two years of his course, he won University scholarships which carried a monetary value of SI 50.00 a year. In 1894 he took his bachelor’s degree, sumrna cum laude.and on a special examination took the highest honors in chemistry. His graduation thesis was published in the American Chemical Journal. During his Harvard days Mr. Widtsoe took an active part in various student activities, and gathered, as far as was possible, information outside of his chosen specialty. During his senior year he was president of the Boylston Chemical Club, the chemical society of Harvard of that day. Throughout his college career he was a frequent contributor of stories and verse to the Harvard Advocate, the literary publication of the student body. In fact, a western sketch by Mr. Widtsoe was one of the two chosen by a Boston magazine to illustrate the literary achievements of the class of ’94. He was twice offered membership in leading Greek letter societies, but refused the honor, as he has never been in active sympathy with secret organizations. On his return to Utah in the summer of 1894. he was made Professor of Chemistry at the U. A. C. and chief chemist of the Experiment Station. Here he applied himself to the study of the needs and possibilities of the State agriculturally, and spent four years of constant concentrated work upon the actual problems of agricultural work in Utah. During this period his chief scientific contributions were those relating to the chemical development of lucerne and to the agricultural soils of the state. Five bulletins published during this time form a partial record of the work accomplished. In 1898 he made plans to go to Germany for extended study. He applied to Harvard for a traveling Fellowship; and, because of his splendid record made while a student, he obtained a Parker Fellowship, which carried $700.00 a year, with the opportunity of travel and study abroad He held this for two years. On June 1st of that year—1898—he married Miss Leah E. Dunford of Salt Lake City, who accompanied him during his two years' trip abroad. In the fall of 1898 he entered the Georg Augustus University of Goettingen, Germany, to study agricultural and plant physiological chemistry underGeheim-rath B. Tollens—one of the greatest living physiological chemists. He was successful in working out a method for detecting and estimating a series of plant constituents, hitherto poorly known. This work formed the basis for his doctor’s thesis, which was later published by the German Chemical Society. On November 20, 1899, he received the A. M. and Ph. D. degrees from the University of Goettingen. During the second year of his study abroad he pursued short courses of study at the University of Berlin, the Polytechnicum of Zurich, Switzerland, under the famous Dr. Schulze. Some research work was also done in London. Side trips were taken to various interesting European points. Upon returning to Utah in 1900, he was made Director of the Experiment Station which position he held with great credit until 1905. During his term of office, the work of the Station was systematized and made to conform to the special needs of the State. The reclamation of the State was emphasized especially in two directions; namely, bv a study oi the best use of irrigated water, and the methods of farming without irrigation. So valuable did this work appear to the people, that it was under Dr. Widtsoe’s administration that the State began to make the grants for experimental purposes, which have helped to make Utah's Experiment Station one of the most famous in the West. A number of published bulletins and reports show some of Dr Widtsoe’s activity at this time. In 1905 he was called to Provo to establish the Agricultural work at the Brigham Young University. Here he spent two happy years, returning to Logan in 1907 as President of the Agricultural College. Dr. Widtsoe has done much incidental work in his life. He is a member of manv scientific and other societies. He has from bovhood taken part in the activities of the church to which he belongs. He has written, almost voluminously, on a variety of popular and technical subjects. All in all, his life has been one of constant, honest, and useful concentrated activity. 14

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PRESIDENT WIDTSOE THE Island of Froien, one of the outermost islands on the coast of Norway, there lived many years ago a child, Anna Gaarden, whose forefathers for many generations had been the King’s pilots of the rough uncertain coast thereabout. Anna was a strongly romantic, intellectual girl and it is small wonder that her school teacher who came to the Island school to begin his profession, fell in love with her and in time won her for his wife. John Andreas Widtsoe. the elder, was descended for generations through a line of teachers and professional men. For many years he wielded a powerful influence upon the communities in which he lived Into this family, on January 31, 1872, was born John A. Widtsoe, Jr. By temperament he was artistic and, breathing as he did the myth-laden air of the Northland, he passed an ideal childhood. Six years after John’s birth, Osborne J. P, was born to the family. Two months later the father was taken with a sudden illness and died leaving a widow, disconsolate, but fired with one great ambition: to do her part toward making useful men of her two boys. Then began the hardships that seem to be the necessary accompaniment of all men who accomplish any thing worthy in life. Of course, John was to have a first-class education which should fit him to be a minister or school teacher, as his fathers had been for so many generations. His ambitious mother early taught him to read and write (which is the guarded privilege of all good Norwegian mothers), but he was not sent to school until he was nine years of age. About this time, the mother became interested in the strange religion called Mormonism and became a convert thereto. When the subject of this sketch was nearly twelve years of age: the mother with her two sons emigrated to America, arriving in Logan November 15. 1885. This move was made at an uncounted sacrifice. The pension which had been received since the father’s death was lost; as u'as also the chance to give the sons a good education at the expense of the country,—a custom extended toward the widows and children of deceased teachers of a certain grade and length of service. The little family found themselves deprived of means, and of influence, in a strange land.usingan unknown language, and forced to fight for every inch of progress made. The boy, John, was thus early made to feel the responsibility and seriousness of life, fie must work, work, if he would accomplish his aim in life. There was to be no loafing or profitless fun for him. He worked at many and divers “jobs” during those early years; his eager ambition preventing his being satisfied with any work in which his mind was not being trained as well as his t ody. He tried printing, delivered milk for neighbors, worked at mills and in time arose to the dignity of being a clerk in the old U O.”—the big store of Logan for many years. His quick mind and active body bespoke for him advancement and his employers made him flattering offers of promotions. During all these years the desire to go to school became more and more intense. A few broken years of study were obtained in the public schools, and between these periods private evening lessons were secured. Through the untiring exertions of his mother and his own thrift, the way was opened for him to achieve his great desire. Thus in the year 1889 he entered the Normal course of the Brigham Young College, from which he graduated in 1891. Then came the crisis of his life. Should he procure a position of teacher in a country school and begin earning money? Or should he again enter the field of business—for he had some flattering offers- and devote his life to gathering money ? This choice must lx? made by most young men sometime in their lives. In the year 1891 Dr. J. M. Tanner, who was then President of the B. Y. College, was preparing to enter Harvard to finish his law course. With far seeing wisdom he urged some of his most promising pupils to go with him and prepare themselves for lives of usefulness in the schools of their beloved State. Among the number was John A. Widtsoe. This would be the nilfillment of one of his wildest dreams; but how was it to be done? He had no father to give or lend the money; no brother to sign a note; no security whatever, except his good name. However, his mother consented to have her tiny home mortgaged; and there were 13

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FACULTY