Utah State University - Buzzer Yearbook (Logan, UT)

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FACULTY

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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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WILLARD SAMUEL LANGTON, B. S., Professor of Mathematics. Professor Langton, formerly of Smithfield, Utah, would be white headed if he had any hair. Of course he is married; so that may be some clue to the loss of it. We hasten to say, however, that Mrs. Langton has not pulled his hair too often, for it is not unusual to see the Professor ride gallantly by on horse-back, accompanied by some young lady equally well mounted. The rumor is that he has several belle” horses. Professor Langton is the senior professor of the U. A. C. and a man of worth. He first graduated from the Utah State Normal School. Later he received a B. S. in Biology from the Agricultural College of Utah, after which he did two years’ graduate work in the same subject. He has since been living on mathematics, astronomy, philosophy, literature and so on, to the end of the list. It is. therefore, no wonder that he often holds his students spellbound, with their eyes bulging like the compound lens of a microscope, and their mouths spread wide open to catch what misses their ears. The Agricultural College of Utah has had the masterly services of Professor Langton for twelve years. GEORGE WASHINGTON THATCHER, Professor of Music. Mr. Thatcher seems to be part nightingale and part mocking-bird. 11 is voice has a range impossible to measure on one scale, and, which once heard, is never forgotten. His specialty is music,—vocal, string, and wind. His past service extends over a range as wide as his vocal scale is high, having been an actual teacher since 1897. The cello is his favorite noise producer. His official duties are: 1st. Professor of Music, A C. U 2nd. Choir leader and time beater. 3rd. Leader of the A. C. U. band of musicians. His power of getting music of a high grade out of students is widely recognized. When he stands before the students in chapel, waving his baton, they shout with one voice, Lead Thou me on. 1C