Thayer School
The twenty pages in the March 1967 ALUMNI MAGAZINE which described the "New" Thayer School through the eyes of Dean Myron Tribus, the faculty, and the students, certainly caught the spirit and eagerness to move ahead in the School. The activities and achievements of both faculty and students show best what the Thayer School of today is all about. We are very pleased with the fine job Charlie Widmayer, D'30, and his co-workers did to present our story so well to Dartmouth alumni and friends.
On March 15 the Thayer School Board of Overseers will meet at the home of the National Geographic Society in Washington, D. C. Dr. James Wakelin Jr., D' 32, chairman, has scheduled for the morning session a discussion of the "Potential Role of the Engineering School in a Liberal Arts College." Dean Tribus and several members of the Thayer School faculty will describe how Thayer is currently providing academic opportunities for the Dartmouth undergraduate, outside of the formal Engineering Science Major, and how this effort might be expanded through additional elective courses and projects. The Overseers will be joined by representatives of the Dartmouth administration and faculty and invited guests. Henry Beck '39 and Bob Barr '42, Alumni Overseers, will be present.
The faculty has received a card from Comrade Professor John Strohbehn who reports from Moscow that his Russian is completely inadequate for meaningful engineering discussions but has provided him with food (far below Thayer Hall standards) and lodging. John reports that the Institute of Atmospheric Physics, where he is officially working, is extremely impressive, as is the public transportation in Moscow. The answer to the latter, he says, is not to build cars. The people at the Institute are firstrate scientists, extremely helpful and stimulating.
Back in Hanover, Professor George Taylor's students have again presented an exciting moot court as the finale of their course in the "Legal and Ethical Aspects of Engineering." More on this will be reported next month. George also conducted a session at the Dartmouth Experimental College (a new undergraduate enterprise this year) on "The Creative Process." He was assisted by Ward Hindman '67, Jonathan Greene '66,Edward Keible '66, and Dean Spatz '67. Professor Taylor's approach to creativity stimulated a lively discussion, and new understanding, among the liberal arts students, particularly since they could contrast it to other class sessions conducted by Professors Eberhart (English), Sykes (Music), and Kemeny (Math).
Vic Macomber '52 visited Thayer recently while in Hanover for Freshman Fathers' Weekend. Vic is founder and partner of Macomber and Faber in Harrisburg, Pa. He reported that the oldest son of Dan Taggart '37 has been accepted at Dartmouth on early decision. Dan lives in Carlisle, Pa., which is home base for his consulting engineering work in Pennsylvania and nearby states. Jack Hanley '48 has also reported that his son John will be a member of Dartmouth '71, also early decision.
Joe Wattleworth '60 was the co-author of three papers at the January Highway Research Board meeting in Washington, D. C., on traffic monitoring and regulation. Joe presented one of the papers and participated in several committee meetings. He is on the faculty at Texas A & M and is also an active research engineer at the Texas Transportation Institute. John Minnich '29, Adjunct Professor of Engineering, lectured in February to the graduate course in Foundation Engineering at Thayer School.
Bill Pierce '56 continues to move ahead by joining the Center for Naval Analysis in Arlington, Va., to take charge of its Warfare Models Section in the Computer Division. Sounds like Bill is in the thick of things in relation to Vietnam. Along these same lines, Ken Little '53 writes that he is busily engaged in "my adventures with Management Systems and Electronic Data Processing as applied to business" for the Jamesbury Corporation, Worcester, Mass., which develops control devices. Since Ken is now involved with business structures and complex applications of data processing to engineering, manufacturing, and accounting, rather than highway design (he designed a section of IS 89 now in use), his impressions are timely. "What am I doing in this game? Well, being a good, Dartmouth-Thayer, well-rounded type, I seemed to be one of the rare ones who could communicate, or translate, the language of engineering to data collection and computers. The principles of traffic flow and structures are amazingly applicable to this endeavor."
Bill Dunphy '62, while still uncertain about his future military commitments, is optimistic enough to consider graduate study leading to the Ph.D. His letter indicates that he is a "much abused helo driver who could still become a nearly indispensable defender of the Constitution." Bill wrote from MCAS, Cherry Point, N. C., in January 1967, so may have by now better data on which to base decisions.
As a final word, let me again call to your attention the elementary computer course for problem-solving about which you recently received an announcement. This course will be held July 10 through 14, 1967, and Professor Carl Long and I, the faculty, hope you'll think seriously of coming. Those who attended last year were all pleased and satisfied customers (adv.).
