Worcester Polytechnic Institute - Peddler Yearbook (Worcester, MA)

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“ Recldy’s ” past is like an open book, which he who runs may read without having to turn a page. When he came to us, or more humbly put, when we went to him we marvelled at his learned discourses and dictations, and we have marvelled ever since. When we struck his “ Pamphlet ” on turnouts, undoubtedly his “ coup de maitre,” we thought we had reached the ultimate in mental density, but as all understood it equally it was decided that there was yet hope. Junior railroads was a marvelously conducted course. When “ Reddy,” with his dictations covering ten or more pages of blue foolscap, cleared up the methods of changing from a one to a two-pusher grade we collectively floated away to some shady dell beside a babbling brook, until rudely awak¬ ened by the remark, “ Are there any questions or remarks on what we have been over? ” Naturally there were none. Thus passed many hours with “ Reddy ” in charge. In Water Supply he would say with his character¬ istic directness, “ Er-we’ll-er-clear up a few of these points and-er-verify some of the er-the er—formulas.” During the elapse of the next half-hour the class would sleep peacefully while “ Reddy ” still cleared, “ ered ” and verified. Despite the many laughs we have had at his expense and despite the bluish tinting of the atmosphere that at times his acts have caused we have got to hand it to Professor Ives for doing and saying what he thought was right. He has a conscience, and it would be far from justice if we should leave Tech without some appreciation of profitable hours spent under his instruction. David L. Gallop, M.E., Assistant Professor of Gas Engineering Back in the year ’01 a Salisbury prize man received his B.S. in the M.E. course, and from our experiences we would say that the memory of those days still rankles. He evidently does not believe in letting anyone else get honors so easily. With a gas engine catalogue for a textbook and a walking encyclopedia of gas engines for a teacher a forty-eight-hour course was presented us to study all kinds of combustion engines, and three hours were allowed to write it all down. When “ Davy ” can spare time he gets into his inverted mud scow with the Franklin Engine, which was a gift to the Institute, and comes to Tech to teach. His lectures on gas engines concern themselves with features of engines not mentioned in the above noted catalogue, and are delivered by various members of the class under rather sarcastic, but skillful, cross examination. “ Davy ” believes that we came to Tech to learn things for ourselves, and he will never tell us any¬ thing more than the denomination of the answer. His habit in Mechanics 29

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time. We never had anything against him as a Prof however, in fact we doubt whether we ever had a better or more energetic one. The trouble is that his work of the past year has left such a good taste in our mouths that we fain would have it continue as his work indefinitely. Perhaps he has other ideas on the subject. If anyone had told us last spring that the sum of a hundred thousand dollars could be raised for a Gymnasium from the Alumni in one year we would have called that person a—well, we should have doubted the veracity of his statement. Ecce! Out goes Arthur D. and in come the big orange pledge slips with all kinds of fabulous sums attached thereto. Why he even came around to one of our class meetings, the Class of 1912, mind you, and said, “ Sign up.” You should have seen the way we fell over one another to get into that Alumni Association office in Boynton Hall. Every third fellow was in tears because he hadn’t come a day earlier. That’s the kind of irresistible fellow he is, and that’s why the Gym is a tangible proposition at this time. We struck Butterfield in Sophomore Calc and there surely was no funny business or bluffing in that subject. We developed some of our now evident timidity when we saw him “ arbitrarily select a point ” or enlarge the dimensions of an equals sign, while waiting for an answer, until it cov¬ ered nearly the whole blackboard. The way he could draw those long snake¬ like integral signs and solve problems amid showers of chalk dust was a caution to us to fight shy of “ pure ” Mathematics. The best part of that course was the little journey to the home of this gentleman, where we toasted marshmallows, devoured “ shrimp wiggle ” and laboriously told fit stories. Butterfield is surely a fine, manly man, and when he comes around for those cold samoleons one class, at least, is going to pass them over partly for the love of “ Alma Mater,” and partly because of the respect that we have for one of the finest men from one of the finest classes ever graduated from one of the finest schools in the land. Here’s to the prosperity of “ the man who broke the Brown line in ’93.” Howard Chapin Ives, C.E., Assistant Professor of Railroad Engineering “ Reddy’s ” request that there be some originality in this, his annual short biography, is a hard one to fulfill owing to the self evident lack of that form of vegetable in our Hero’s make-up. Far be it from us, however, to describe in glowing terms his broad, delicately tinted brow, surmounted by sinuous masses of roseate glory! We repeat, far be it! Rather would we fondly dwell upon those little idiosyncrasies that have so endeared him to the men, who, under his able tutelage, have had so many “ little points cleared up.” 28

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Lab is to give the necessary information at the rate of sixty a minute, with more or less omissions, and then retire to his office. It has been suggested by some who have invaded those sacred precincts that a fitting label for the place would be that which Dante used over the entrance to a similar establishment. Advice to coming classes: If “ Davy ” forgets a lecture draw up a set of resolutions expressing sorrow and begging to make up the time. Also search the building and see if he can’t be found somewhere. Carl D. Knight, E.E., Assistant Professor of Experimental Electrical Engineering Professor Knight graduated from W. P. I. with the Class of 1903. After working one year in the Testing Department of the General Electric Co., at Schenectady, he returned to the Institute as Instructor in Electrical Engineering. In 1909 he was appointed Assistant Professor of Experimental Electrical Engineering. He is an Associate member of the A. I. E. E. It is fitting that Prof (K)night should teach Illumination. This is a mere sidelight, however, his real de-light being focused on puzzling the Mechanics in E. E. Lab. No one is more willing to give help, yet we are sure he would be disappointed if some one didn’t get balled up and need light on the subject. However, we are yet to hear of a man on the Hill who does not like him. Frederic Bonnet, Jr., Ph.D., Assistant Professor of General Chemistry “ Freddy ” was a bad one once, and he isn’t ashamed to acknowledge it now (or even bashful about doing so). He started out to be a Civil, but soon saw that their claim of being “ hard working men ” had no founda¬ tion in fact, and at once embraced the goddess of beakers and soup. We first meet him in Freshman year, when we realize his predilection for chatting and turning his Chem quizzes and Lab talks into digressions on (1) beer, (2) women and (3) song (especially “ 1 ”). When the fellows talk about him the general sentiment is, “ ‘Freddy’ is a good mixer. That man knows an awful lot. They say he does research work in Ceramics (whatever that is) ad infinitum.” We suspect that F. B., Jr., lost his taste for Ceramics after “ Red ” Cummings took it for thesis. It’s just as much pleasure for “ Freddy ” to talk to one fellow as to a class, only in the former case the conversation is apt to take on a more serious tone. He believes in waking up dormant industry by application of “ E’s,” and provides falls for the 30