Worcester Polytechnic Institute - Peddler Yearbook (Worcester, MA)

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Corporation President HON. CHARLES G. WASHBURN, B.S., A.B. Secretary CHARLES BAKER, B.S. Treasurer HOMER GAGE, A.M., M.D. REV. EDWIN M. SLOCOMBE, S.T.B. HON. JAMES LOGAN, A.M. LINCOLN N. KINNICUTT, Esq. T. EDWARD WILDER, B.S. CHARLES G. STRATTON, B.S. REV. SHEPHERD KNAPP, D.D. IRA N. HOLLIS, D.Sc. GEORGE 1. ROCKWOOD, B.S. On the part of the Stale Board of Education GEORGE 1. ALDEN, M.M.E. Ex-officio HIS HONOR THE MAYOR, PEHR G. HOLMES

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3 lra i clson PRESIDENT OF THE INSTITUTE U. S. Naval Academy, 1878; A. M. (Honorary), Harvard, 1899; L. H. D., Union, 1899; D. Sc., University of Pittsburgh, 1912; Professor of Engineer¬ ing, Harvard, 1893-1913; President of Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 1913- The duties of the head of an institution of learning are manifold indeed. They require him to he at once an organizer, an executive, a business man, and an educator. But it is primarily as a man that one thinks of Ira Nelson Hollis. Despite the very great demand upon his time. Dr. Hollis is never too busy to see any student personally. Having himself risen by a dogged deter¬ mination to overcome obstacles, he is ever ready to help the man who shows the same fine spirit, and only one who has gone to Prexy to talk over some difficulty can fully appreciate the breadth of character of the man. In these times of war. Dr. Hollis is especially fitted for his position. His service of fifteen years in the United States Navy, his present position on the Committee of National Defense, and his ability to talk to students as man to man, well qualify him for the weighty task that the war brings upon his shoul¬ ders. It is no small responsibility to have several hundred young men looking up to one for counsel; but Dr. Hollis gladly gives unstintingly of his time to make as clear as possible the baffling questions arising in our minds. In many other ways has Dr. Hollis’ influence been felt at Tech. Thanks chiefly to him, we were the first class to have no fear of being thrown into Institute Pond by the Sophomores. For he has done more than anyone else to bring about a better feeling between the different classes. At the very first of our course at Tech, Dr. and Mrs. Hollis generously entertained us at their home on many Sunday afternoons. This early personal acquaintance with our Prexy and his wife revealed the direct interest they take in the students. And it is this interest that means so much to us. A man who has done things. Dr. Hollis surely is; but above all, a friend. In the years to come we shall hear many times of his unselfish service to the world and of his attainments. It is as a friend that we shall really remember him.