Worcester Polytechnic Institute - Peddler Yearbook (Worcester, MA)

Page 32 text:

CIVIL ENGINEERING This all right? Welcome to the Civil Engineering Department. You’ve just about finished your four years at Tech, and in one last burst of energy, you’ve decided to come down from the “Hill” to see if the civil engineers are really as “simple” as is popularly believed. Well, we hard-working “Civils” welcome this chance and as your unofficial guide, I would like to show you around. Before we go any farther, I’d like to point out that that man with the distinguished-looking mustache, com¬ ing out the side door, is Prof. Sage, who teaches us geol¬ ogy. He’s probably most famous around here for his Army fatigues, which he wears faithfully on all field trips. We might as well go inside now. Oh, there’s Prof. Koontz, the new head of the department. You probably think that he’s too young for that sort of job, but that’s what we like about him. Because of his age, he really understands what the students need and want; he’s a ready listener to all our complaints and problems. Over here is the office and there’s Mrs. Anderson, the department secretary. She’s been here quite a while and really knows her job, so she keeps the department in step, and handles veterans’ affairs for the “vets” at Tech. The office down in the corner belongs to Prof. John¬ ston. There is one man who knows how to keep a class awake! He comes up with so many jokes and spontane¬ ous comments during class that the boys stay awake so they won’t miss anything (in the way of comedy, of course). I imagine that he is down in the materials testing lab right now, as it is rumored that it is by far his favorite course and he likes to keep in practice. There goes another group out on a field trip where they can ponder over the situation and decide what the “working” men are doing wrong. Prof. Lamothe, another of the new instructors, will probably be showing the boys where the theory we learn is put into practice on this one. He’s best known among the “Civils” for his codes—building, fire sprinkler, or any other code within sight of his courses. These damn outdoor Labs. 28

Page 31 text:

Five . . . Four . . . Three . . . Two . . . One . . . Reading. ENGINEERING At the second stage of this rough training, the M.E. boys are about ready for machine operation as taught by Professors Dows, Bjork, Hall and Mister Morgan. This part of the course can be dangerous, if you’re careless that is. Now we’re ready for the third stage. Shall we proceed? Professors Scott and Webster teach the boys a little thermodynamics. This can be a hot course if you’re not used to taking fast notes. These two gentlemen are abo ut the fastest men with the chalk that you’ll ever see. Speaking of hot courses, the M.E.’s get some physical metallurgy thrown in on the side by Professors Bour- gault and Krashes. Professor Merriam still tries to shape up these “young rebels” with some dynamics all at the same time. For the fourth and final stage there occurs a little split. The M.E.’s either pursue Aeromechanics, Power, Engineering, Design, or Industrial options along with the compulsory, Mechanical Engineering Laboratory and Fluid Mechanics. Average 50 — Styled by Kistler. Martensite, Sehinartensite — I see Jayne Mansfield. Flush.

Page 33 text:

You’ve heard of our “Cement Making and Breaking 1 and 2” courses. Well, the man in the room on your left, speaking with the English accent, is Prof. Wildt, who teaches these two courses. He’s one of the new profes¬ sors this year, but he graduated from Tech a few years back so he knows the score. The department library is on your left and you ' ll no¬ tice that, besides all the informative books, it’s the only library on the campus with upholstered chairs. Well, here comes the last man on the list, Prof. Meyer. He has a reputation for out-of-the-ordinary comments in corrections on exams and he usually lives up to his reputation. I guess that’s all the professors and the theory so let’s go down to the basement and I’ll show you where we conduct some of the practical exercises. This first room on your right is the lecture hall where many an hour’s sleep has been snatched. The door on your left leads into this end of the Materials Testing and Cement Lab. The lab runs the whole length of the build¬ ing, and in past years has been the scene of several memorable cement-type snowball fights. Since the new group of faculty took over, however, the students have been forced to limit their activities to the testing of the structural capabilities of cement and other construction materials. Down at the other end of the hall is the Soils Lab, where we study different types of rocks and rock structures. That just about covers everything but the courses themselves so let’s get going on them. We could start by learning how to use an aledade or a theodolite, or maybe a quick study of solar ephemerus will help get us started. Then again we could start with a short explana¬ tion of the processes used to obtain one half of one tenth of one percent accuracy. Just pick the one you want and we’ll get going. You say that you’re snowed and going back up on the “Hill”. Oh well, we’ve been telling you for years that that’s what would happen. Just fine, steady now. Left to Right: Mr. R. H. Wildt, Prof. E. R. Johnston, Prof. C. F. Meyer, Prof. C. H. Koontz, Prof. A. J. Knight, Mr. J. D. Sage, Mr. R. W. Lamothe. .- ■ ■ L . 1 ■