Worcester Polytechnic Institute - Peddler Yearbook (Worcester, MA)

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liarity which most impresses those in touch with him is the trick of express¬ ing practically all of his thoughts by means of curves. He seems to think, and he certainly talks, in curves. Those of the underclassmen who are to graduate in the next two years will lose much by his absence, and we can only express the hope that the time spent away from the cares of the school will be of enough benefit to him to offset the great loss to the school. Arthur Willard French, C.E., Professor of Civil Engineering Graduate of Thayer School, Dartmouth, ’92 Member American Society of Civil Engineers Member Society for the Promotion of Engineering Education “ Prof ” didn’t ever write any “ Why I Am and Why I Came to the ’Stute,” so we’re decidedly shy on facts as to his previous career. As a boy, back on the farm, we are led to believe he was a holy terror. He early invented a slide-rule by means of which he could determine the most eco¬ nomical way to hoe ’taters. At one time in his career he aspired to be a pirate, but he soon found out that the pirate business was overrun, so he took a chance on engineering as the next best bet. He has the distinction of having slid through Dartmouth with less plugging and a more varied collection of cribs than any man before or since. In his early days he was of very rotund proportions, but upon graduation from college, he took Jinny Haynes as a model and a bottle of Anti-fat as a means, and beat it for the tall timbers. When he at last emerged he wasn’t at first visible, unless he stood twice in the same spot, but the backwoods air of Hanover, where he was Associate Professor of Civil Engineering, did wonders for his emaciated frame, and at last he was able to cast a shadow if the sunlight was bright enough. His love for civilization at last compelled him to locate down here in God’s(?) country, at Tech. He and Jinny manage to amuse themselves most of the time by trying to see which can look the most like the other. We rather think that “ Prof ” is slipping it over on Jinny, at that. Besides the societies mentioned above, “ Prof ” is a charter member of the Ananias Club. It has been very carefully doped out that he held 4937 jobs between graduation and teaching. He has a job to fit every 21

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would fain administer the swift kick to every other form of athletics sup¬ ported at the Institute. But friend and foe alike agree on his ability as a lecturer; he is always deeply interested in his subject, and has that remark¬ able faculty of presenting dry material in a most interesting way. We have listened with the keenest enjoyment to his savage arraignment of unfortu¬ nate Sir William; to his indulgent ridicule of Priestley, the accident; and to his deploring of the frailties of the flesh, with Peruna, Lydia Pinkham, and the electric belt for texts. And even in that damnable organic, he kept us awake all the time, and interested most of the time, which is some stunt, when you think it over. Zelotes W. Coombs, A.M., Professor of English , French , and German The first real prof that the Freshmen meet is “ Z. W.” In English lecture they are charmed by the easy flow of his words as he combines the multitudinous errors, culled from the weekly crop of themes, into sentences. The ease with which he puts together, off-hand, the incidents of the “ Walk to Wachusett ” has caused more than one of the uninitiated to exclaim, “ Say, he must be a pretty good writer.” Not until these Freshmen have met and bound securely the “ beetle-browed robber ” four or five times, does the idea occur to them that perhaps this is all worked out ahead of time and recited. With the calling of this bluff the clay feet of their idol begin to give way, until soon the only support to the once majestic figure is the deep interest taken in and help given to athletics on the Hill. Harold B. Smith, M.E., Professor of Electrical Engineering That Tech, and more especially the Electric Department, is what it is to-day, is due in large part to the unceasing and energetic work of “ H. B.” The value of the electric course is more than doubled by contact with this very successful man, whose knowledge and experience seem to know no bounds. The most heartily admired man on the Hill, he is still human, and alive and sympathetic to the frailties of the students under him. The pecu- 20

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occasion, and makes an occasion to fit the spare ones. Cheer up! They sound pretty fair and they might have been true. When you come right down to it, though the Civils may swear a blue streak about “ Prof ” to each other, just to hear themselves talk, they are ready to back him against any other man on the Hill. If we got as square a deal from all the profs as we do from our own, there wouldn’t be any kick coming. Here’s hoping that his shadow never grows less and that his Ana¬ nias qualities always stay by him. A. Wilmer Duff, D.Sc., Professor of Physics We all make the acquaintance of this member of the “ A. W. Quar¬ tette ” in the horrible course of Sophomore physics. This course, as taken from Professor Duff’s book, and presented under his direction by his assist¬ ants, has caused more nightmares and sleepless nights than any other thing on the Hill. Very little is seen of “ Dooff ” outside of lectures, but all through the second year the touch of his guiding hand is felt, and many times the touch is heavy enough to retard greatly the progress through Tech. Until we pass beyond the realm of his control, we look upon him as a sort of ogre whom we must meet face to face and please sufficiently to be allowed to pass on; and once we are beyond the reach of his arm, we take care to think no further of the trials we have passed through in his domain. William W. Bird, S.B., Professor of Mechanical Engineering “ Piggy ” is supposed to have derived his nickname from his constant use of the term “ pig ” in his course in materials of construction. His chief characteristic is the inveterate habit of punning, which is redeemed by the occasional good joke which he inadvertently and, we suspect, unwit¬ tingly springs upon us. As head of the Mechanical Engineering Department and Director of the Washburn Shops, he has considerable influence in Institute affairs. He is always ready to use his influence to help those of the Mechanics who are among the “ downs ” from being forced into the “ outs,” and several of our number graduate on schedule time simply because of this fact. His specialty is long and complicated problems call¬ ing for maneuvers in mechanics or shop-costs, and he takes great delight in puzzling a whole class with one. He is a graduate of the Institute, Class of 1887, and is a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. 22