Worcester Polytechnic Institute - Peddler Yearbook (Worcester, MA)

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Ullllllllllllllllllllllllllllll WILLIAM WARREN BIRD “Piggy” A Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Director of the Washburn Shops B. S., W. P. I., 1887; Instructor in Mechanical En¬ gineering, W. P. I., 1887-91; Assistant Professor of Steam Engineering, 1894-96; Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Director of the Washburn Shops, 1903- . Prof. Bird graduated from the Institute in the Class of 1887. He remained here as an instructor and grad¬ uate student for the next three years. After completing this work he took charge of his father’s foundry in Cambridge for the next few years. He returned to the Institute in 1903 as head of the Mechanical Engineering Department and director of the Washburn Shops. It was not until our Senior year that we met this rather stout gentleman. (We have heard of his walks around Worcester to keep him thin, but we failed to see the results.) There is not a better-liked man on the Hill than “Piggy,” and we will miss his advice about how the Institute is only to teach us to reason for ourselves. PERCY ROBERT CARPENTER “Percy” “Carp” 2AE Professor of Physical Education. (Leave of absence for Y. M. C. A. sendee in France.) A. B., Harvard, 1907; Hitchcock, Fellow, Amherst, 1906-09; Assistant Dean, 1908-10; Instructor in Phys¬ ical Education, 19C9-10; Assistant Professor, 1910-11; Associate Professor, 1911-16; Professor of Physical Education W. P. I., 1916- . It was not till our Sophomore year that we met “Percy,” but we soon found out that, though he was small, he was full of “pep.” “If it hurts, it shows that you need it,” was a common saying of his. Although “Carp” kept us busy it was a pleasure to work with him. Professor Carpenter has done more to bring the fellows together and to better Tech Spirit than most of us realize. His course has filled a large gap at Tech, and his efforts in strengthening our athletics will be more and more appreciated. The past year has seen Prof. Carpenter in France supervising the athletic games of the French and American Armies. We hope that next fall will see him back at Tech with his same old “pep.”

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ALEXANDER WILMER DUFF “A. Wtimer” 4 2K SS Professor of Physics. (Leave of absence for Aviation Service.) B. A., Univ. of New Brunswick, 1884, and Univ. of London, 1887; M. A., University of Edinburgh, 1888, B. Sc., 1892, and D. Sc., 1901; Professor of Physics, Univ. of Madras, 1889-90; Univ. of New Brunswick, 1890-93; Purdue, 1893-99; W. P. I„ 1899- . Our appreciation of Professor Duff’s genius dates back to the time when we first sat in the Physics lecture room and watched the curtains descend un¬ touched by human hands. Since that day, we have seen him perform complex integrations mentally, compute percentage of error by knowing intuitionally just what terms to neglect, and in fact we have become so accus¬ tomed to witnessing the extraordinary that we look upon the one or two days when Professor Duff was just ordinarily good as startling events. Professor Duff served as an expert in aviation during the war, thus adding further to a scientific reputation already national in extent. ARTHUR WILLARD FRENCH “Pa” 2S Professor of Civil Engineering C. E., Dartmouth, 1892; Associate Professor of Civil Engineering, Dartmouth, 1895-98; Professor, W. P. I., 1899- . “You can fool some of the people all the time, and all of the people some of the time,” et cetera; also “exception proves the rule,” so that Professor French must be the exception, if the first quaint old maxim be true. The first two premises may lead to- some very amusing logic; but it is true philosophy that no civil ever faked a recitation on “Pa” and “got away with it.” However, Professor French does not rely on the baseball scorer’s art to keep tabs on his embryo engineers; thorough, frank and careful in his teaching; ready with good advice on school or other matters; friendly and companionable in his relations with his students; he has no superiors and few equals as a teacher. Page 16 1Q1Q Aftermath 1Q1Q

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Hiiinf iinmiiiin w I ALTON LINCOLN “Dingtoe” SMITH Professor of Drawing and Machine Design B. S., W. P. I., 1890, and M. S., 1899; Assistant in Mechanical Engineering Laboratory, W. P. I., 1890- 91; Instructor in Mechanical Drawing, 1891-1900; Assistant Professor of Drawing and Machine Design, 1900-06; Professor, 1906- . “Dingtoe” first met us in private sessions and at that time tried to either encourage or discourage us, we don’t know which. We do know, however, that he encouraged us whether he entirely meant to or not. Since that time we have met him in various classes and we have found him a hard worker. It is sometimes difficult to keep up with him in his explanation of a sketch, which he completely hides from our view, but we usually have plenty of time afterward to puzzle it out ourselves, or at least to ask questions about it. Much time is also allowed when he says, “Pass in your result on a piece of paper.” Then he acts as teller, and when someone votes the wrong way “Ding” makes that person give the explanation. How often he has caught us. JOSEPH OLIVER PHELON Joe ATP TBII Professor of Electrical Engineering B. S., W. P. I., 1887, and B. S. (Electrical Engineering), 1890; M. M. E., Cornell, 1901; Instructor in Physics, W. P. I., 1887-96; Electrical Engineering, 1896-1900; Fellow, Cornell Univ., 1900-01; Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering, W. P. I., 1901-07; Professor, 1907- . In “Joe” we have the rare combination of a farmer and an electrical engineer. Our first acquaintance with him was in the Junior year, when under his dignified guidance we were introduced to the elements of elec¬ trical enginering. E. E. 1 was a course well suited to those who were weary in mind and in need of rest, for “Joe” did not blow a circuit breaker very often, SO ' for the most part our slumbers were uninterrupted. Beware, however, of the “yellow tickets” which “Joe” issues without warning, and which have been the downfall of many a would-be Mechanical engineer! As the G. O. P. is to the Country, so is J. O. P. to the Institute. We leave behind us a faithful friend, and can we not say the father of all knowledge of electrical engineering, for was it not “Joe” who first taught us the various combinations of E—IR? Page 18