Worcester Polytechnic Institute - Peddler Yearbook (Worcester, MA)

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when the problem of mid-year exams again presented itself, but for the last time it was during this mid-year recess that the Worcester Sunday paper carried head¬ lines announcing the addition of the new mechanical engineering building, auditor¬ ium, quadrangle plans, and other changes to our familiar campus. The enthusiasm which these plans aroused in faculty and students alike, was however, short lived. On the afternoon of Monday, February 13, an invisible and subduing pall settled over the campus when it was learned that our good friend and guiding hand, President Ralph Earle, had unexpectedly passed away that noon. His sailing from the port of life meant to each of us the loss of an always true and sympathetic friend. To Tech it meant the loss of a great and progressive man at the helm who had done much for the wel¬ fare of young men interested in engineer¬ ing. Even the last act of President Earle was in the interests of the students, this last act being a chapel talk on the merits of the quality of persistence which talk will be an indelible inspiration to the men of the class of ’39. Soon, graduation with its attendant activities claimed its share of our inter¬ est and time forcibly reminding us the class of 39, that four years of lasting memories and associations were fast draw¬ ing to a close. On the morning of Friday, June 16, 1939, at commencement, the voluminous curtain of time was drawn with Worcester Tech on the stage side even then improving and adding to the “props” needed to prepare young men for a future in engineering. On the auditorium side of the curtain was a group of eager and expectant young men passing through the exits of commencement and out into the world to use and apply the knowledge gained from the play just completed on the stage of Worcester Tech. William R. Ahern Class Historian — 1, 2, 3, 4. 25 ]

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found that our classmates thus honored were Rushton, Korolyshun, Hollick, Chand¬ ler, Lewin, Ljunggren, McEwan and Ras- lavsky. On March 15 the Tech News carried the first Junior Prom publicity, remind¬ ing us of that event of events for a third- year man, namely Junior weekend. The prom held in the Bancroft’s main ball¬ room with the scintillating music of “Tommy” Reynold’s Orchestra was an event to be long remembered. The “Show-Off” excellently presented by the Masque continued the festivities on Saturday night while the Round-Robin dances topped the joyous weekend. The last important event of this year came on May 24 at government lecture when class elections were held. The crew selected to guide the class on its trip down the home stretch were: Raslavsky, pres¬ ident; Hollick, vice-president; Amidon, secretary; Keyser, treasurer. The ordeal of finals then came and went and we broke up for the last time at which we could look forward to coming back in the fall. Some events are spoken of as having a “whirlwind beginning”. That phrase can be admirably applied to the Senior year of the class of ’39, the whirlwind being the now famous New England hur¬ ricane. All of us vividly remember the readily apparent change in appearance of the campus on return for the last year of our formal education. Later in the year the Worcester papers carried an official appraisal of the system of athletic scholarships, a practice begun with our class. The results were highly successful as evidenced by the now famous undefeated season successes of the ’38 football and soccer teams, both of which numbered many ’39 men among their players. Not so well known, however, was the also phenomenal success of these men MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING of ’39 as students with most of them on honor rolls time after time. At the first two assemblies of the year, eight men of the class were pledged to Sigma Xi and ten to Tau Peta Pi. On November 19 the Tech Carnival again “rolled around” with a tradition falling with presentation of a fine Junior-Senior skit in place of the justly famed faculty act. Just before Christmas recess many of us attended the interfraternity Ball which was an innovation in Tech history in having a “name” band, that of Glenn Miller, supply the rhythms for the evening. The Christmas recess was not long over 124 ]

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SAMUEL ALFRED AUGUSTUS AARON Chemistry Webster, Mass. Skeptical Chymists 2, 3, 4. Sammy doesn’t talk much but has quite a sense of humor . . . seems to favor 7 o’clocks despite the trip from Webster . . . “Slow but sure” is the motto. WALTER LEWIS ABEL Mechanical Engineering Waterbury, Conn. 4YA, TBn Cross Country 1; Soccer 2, 3, 4, “W” 2, 3, 4; Relay 4; Track 4; Senior Prom Committee. Definitely the quiet and retiring type . . . when asleep (12 to 4 and during classes) . . . rare com¬ bination of brain and brawn trust . . . Class Jitter¬ bug . . . fast man (at least on his feet) ... a mean line with the women but absolutely harmless . . . one of the “Transmission Boys” so it’s United Shoe. WILLIAM REGAN AHEARN Electrical Engineering Worcester, Mass. 2AE Yankee Ingenuity Scholarship; Historian 1, 2, 3, 4; A. I. E. E. 2, 3, 4, Chairman 4; Newman Club 1, 2, 3, 4; President 3; Masque 1, 2, 3, 4; Treasurer 3, 4; Carnival Committee 1, 2, 3, 4; Interfraternity Council 3; Tech Council 4; Chairman of Ivy Com¬ mittee; At-Home Day Committee 4. Wizard of electricity . . . witness Tech Carnival acts . . . always drags to the Fuller Lectures . . . Definitely not to be mistaken for the head of Worcester’s Socialist Party . . . always borrowing something from the Fire Department . . . willing to help anybody in anything. JOHN POWELL ALCOCK Chemical Engineering South Dartmouth, Mass. ATfi, TBn, 2E Cross Country 1; Soccer 2; Peddler 2, 3, 4; S. C .A. Cabinet 3, 4, Chairman of Carnival 3, 4, Chairman of Freshman Week, 3, 4; Swimming 1. Scotchman with a “Portygee” accent . . . comes from South Dartmouth where there are more cows than people . . . sleeps continually, both day and night . . . commutes to Wheaton . . . proud of the fact that he doesn’t open a book six nights out of seven. [261