Worcester Polytechnic Institute - Peddler Yearbook (Worcester, MA)

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Pepartnqent of Physics

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WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE Patience might be Bobby’s middle name, instead of Chauncey. If he has some¬ thing to explain he doesn’t mind going back to the multiplication table for a starting- point from which to lead up to the case in hand. Not that he likes long-winded talks,—in fact, words seem to pain him, especially the long ones. When Bobby is lec¬ turing, and hesitates, gulps, blinks, squirms and looks about for reinforcements, you know that some tongue-twister like “phenolphthalein” is coming. It takes a long time to get used to Bobby’s “pseeja” and “racshun,” but they get to be a part of him. His greatest fear is to put things too strongly. When he hesitates, says “that is,’’ gulps, blinks, squirms and looks around for a get-away, then he’s going to start all over again, so that there’ll be room for an argument at the end. Bobby is such a good scout doubtless because he is so much of a Tech man him¬ self. He swallowed up the Mechanical course as a sort of entree to the Chemistry course, the choicest morsels of which he is now dispensing to others. Bobby isn’t the kind that’ll get real familiar with anyone, but simply “to know him is to love him.’’ Cast no stones at Bobby with a chemist in sight. Not one but would defend him with his life. Long may he reign! PROFESSOR DANIEL F. CALHANE, Ph. D. Assistant Professor of Industrial and Electro-Chemistry. Here is a man with whom we did not come into very intimate contact until the Senior year. Then, as always, he was referred to as “Dinnie,” not in disrespect but merely because we considered him one of the boys. The first point about him that struck us was the impression that he did not feel as if he was dealing with a crowd of ten-year-olds confined in a reform school. This is somewhat different from the attitude which some professors take. “Dinnie says: I don t want to spend my time on police duty. Here is the work. When you get it done, come around and I’ll give you some more. There’s plenty of it.’’ H is lectures seldom have the hypnotic properties so often encountered. He is a disciple of the new dances and often exhibits some of the steps that made the Argen¬ tine” and “Maxixe” famous with a few from his own Calhane Tango, also. I he fact that he realizes his class, in toto, does not consist of the men who invented Electrochem and possess a priori all the knowledge to be had of the subject, makes the modus operandi of his explanations par excellence. But, for all these atrocities, we love him still. 4 ( 35 )

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Irpartmpnt of pjgaira {Im fraaora Alexander W. Duff, D. Sc. Arthur W. Ewell, Ph. D. Albert W. Hull, Ph. D ittalrartora Morton Masius, Ph. D. Herbert K. Cummings, B. S. PROFESSOR A. WILMER DUFF, M. A., D. Sc. Professor of Physics. After long years of struggle in mastering the science of Physics in both the University of New Brunswick and the University of Edinburgh, Dr. Duff began his work of making others struggle along the same paths. Before coming to us in 1899 as head of our Physics Department, he was professor of Physics at the Universities of Madras, New Brunswick, and Purdue. There was never any rowdyism or drowsy-ism in those Sophomore Physics lec¬ tures, for even when the matter was somewhat vague his quaint Scotch accent and characteristic gestures kept us entertained, while his all-absorbing interest in his sub¬ ject commanded our attention. We even tolerated his talking to himself, except in total darkness, when some of our curious ones woud break the stillness with a loud “Wazzat?” The course in Physics may be likened to a drama in which Prof. Duff takes the part of “Fizz Icks,” with “Red” furnishing all the comedy and scene-shifting. Those were long, awkward moments while “Red” was trying all the switches vainly attempting to “douse” the lights. Professor Duff is at present spending a well-earned year’s leave of absence abroad. Besides investigating the latest methods of teaching science in the Old World, we “hae no doots” that he will spend many a restful hour in some Scotch hamlet. We want to see him back at Tech refreshed and continuing as our great “small man.” PROFESSOR ARTHUR W. EWEFF, Ph. D. Professor of Physics. We first learned of “Punk” as one of those terrible “A. Ws.” This classifica¬ tion of him, together with his ominous nickname, made us dread the first meeting