1897
Each new year o£ the college, as the campus becomes active after the summer o£ quiet, brings back to us older graduates many reflections of our college days. Our days in college were the start of a new era under the forceful leadership of Dr. Tucker. Dr. Bartlet, still vigorous and positive, wearing a high hat and frock coat, riding a bicycle on the new running track, was a sign of a change of pace. "Auntie" Jessup (flippantly called "Auntie" Jews Harp), coming back from a treasure hunt with a bunch of gentian weed, might be one of the quiet memories of our college days.
Or our teachers — Eddie Frost, teaching us to use the sextant to locate the college tower in latitude and longitude, was a start in our study of advanced calculation from the position of the sun or stars to tell us where we are. While, Bobby Fletcher, a short red-whiskered, quick-stepping man, was a teacher of subjects which day by day took on new elements with the rapid advance of the use of steel to replace the use of iron and wood. In those days Portland cement was just starting to be used in fire-proofing buildings. "Bobby" made a difficult subject easy to understand by pointing out the elements of design with clarity.
Sanitation, too, became a big program with the introduction of the bath tub and flush closet requiring sewers. The use of water jumped from a daily six to 60 gallons per person while we were in college. Thus the engineer must find water supply, build reservoirs, learn the sanitary way to dispose of sewage and also to filter water. Both of these needs brought about the discovery of the use of aerobic and non-aerobic bacteria to break down nitrogenous solids.
How have these continuing developments of new forces like the explosive engine (started after we entered college and now advanced to the startling use of atomic power) affected usolder graduates?
Let's look our classmates over; Rowe, ouronly book maker has seen the revolutionaryinvention of the linotype machine and theprinting press.
Balch, Hirman, Tuttle and your secretaryhave seen the building world advance fromslow hand work processes to a machine agemethod of handling materials in buildingsand other structures.
Our teachers, Bolser in chemistry has seennew chemicals change all elements of industrial activities and Johnson has seen thescholar of his day advance from half-taughtstudents to well informed ones. Some too wellinformed. Our preachers Henderson and Watson have moved from the conformist era to anage of liberal charities.
Our doctors, Ward, Smith and Kelley havemoved into a new world of vitamins, X-raysand the study of germs. Our lawyers, Halt,Noyes, Pender, Sibley and Temple have seenthe corporation take over almost all of theconduct of business.
The speed of life is accelerating for all of us and now, as we look forward to atomic power, we might well recall our song about the atom which - looking back - seems to have had prophetic information. "An atom is a little thing, as small as small can be, it's smaller than a needle point, it's smaller than a flea, I never saw one in my life, but when I went to school they told me it took two of them to make a molecule." Now the split atom is bombarding our intellects and our politics.
We have lived in a great age. The view ahead may have some blurs, but it is a wide view with opportunity widened to fit the new picture. And all of our own classmates have helped to paint this picture.
1897 Fund Contributors
31 Gifts (Participation Index 124) Total Gifts: 1,151.53 (106% of Objective) MORTON C. TUTTLE, Class Agent
Appleton, Fred S. Balch, William H. Bolser, Charles E. Brown, Jay D. Chase, Henry M.1 Drew, Frank E. Gibson, Hamilton2 Gibson, Harry A.3 Ham, William H. Henderson, John R. Holt, Hermon Johnson, Frank C. Kelly, Walter F. Lull, Henry M.4 McCornack, Walter E.5 Marshall, Benjamin T.6 Morse, Carroll W. Noyes, Frank H. Pender, Horace Rollins, Weld A.7 Rowe, Brainard A. Ryan, Joseph F. Sibley, J. Otis Smith, Erdix T. Temple, Winfield Tent, George E. Tuttle, Morton C. Ward, Roy J. Watson, Albert P. Woodworth, Edward K.8
MEMORIAL GIFTS FROM:
1Income from Henry M.Chase Fund.
2Son, David A. Gibson'40.
3Brother, HamiltonGibson '97.
4Airs. Lull.
5Mrs. McCornack.
6Son, Andrew Marshall'22.
7Mrs. Rollins.
8Daughter, Mrs. C. LaneGoss.
Secretary,. Treasurer and BequestChairman, 114 State St., Bridgeport 3, Conn.
Class Agent, 862 Park Square Building Boston 16, Mass.
