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Chapter 1
THE EARLY YEARS: 1919 - 1930*
*The historical information in this chapter is from “Emory University 1915-1965 - A Semicentennial History” by Thomas H. English, Higgins-McArthur Co., Atlanta, GA, 1966.
The Move from Oxford
In early June, 1919, Dr. J. Sam Guy loaded the back of his car with all the equipment and supplies belonging to the Chemistry Department of Emory University and headed from Oxford, Georgia to the new campus in Atlanta. Other professors of the College were also leaving for the Atlanta campus to prepare for the summer quarter, scheduled to start on July 25. The quarter system, in which the academic year is divided into four equal sessions, had been adopted in 1916 by the new officers of Emory College, but no regular summer quarter had been held during the three years the College operated at Oxford.
When the College first opened on the Atlanta campus six classroom buildings, three dormitories, and two temporary frame buildings (dining and assembly halls) had been completed. In the case of the Chemistry Building only the first two floors were complete in 1919. Fourteen houses suitable for faculty homes were ready for occupancy. The buildings for the Schools of Theology and Law had been completed in 1916 and these two schools were fully established by 1919. The Anatomy and Physiology Buildings and the first two floors of Chemistry were ready in 1917. In the fall of 1917 preclinical instruction in the School of Medicine was transferred to the campus from the downtown Butler Street location of the former Atlanta Medical College. It is interesting to note that the first two floors of the Chemistry Building were used for “the accommodation of the School of Medicine from 1917 to 1919.” (Actually, the Biochemistry Department of the School of Medicine occupied the second floor of the building until after World War II.) The Physics Building, which for many years served as the principal classroom building of the College, was first occupied in the fall quarter of 1919. Dobbs and Winship dormitories were completed in 1916 and Alabama was occupied in 1919. With the addition of the College, the University now had the traditional four units, College, Law, Theology and Medicine. These were quickly followed by the establishment of the School of Business Administration and the Graduate School.
When the Trustees of Emory College at Oxford approved the plan to join the new University that the Methodist Church was founding in Atlanta, they also approved as a replacement for the College at Oxford the Emory University Academy. This was started in September 1915, offering a standard college preparatory curriculum. The Trustees had planned to move the College to Atlanta as soon as facilities were ready, but World War I greatly slowed the completion of buildings on the Atlanta campus and prevented the move from occurring until 1919. Enrollment in the Academy at Oxford grew for a while, but eventually did not prove to be self-sustaining. Alumni of the College then led efforts to start a junior college to prevent closing of the Oxford campus, and in September 1929, classes were started. The Academy was gradually phased out and a four-year junior college was accredited in 1947. The curriculum included the last two years of high school and the first two years of college.
The College Faculty
Dr. Guy was appointed to the faculty as Professor of Chemistry in 1918 while the College was located at Oxford. The names of many of the other professors who made up the original faculty on the Atlanta campus may be familiar to older alumni. Ten of them were on the faculty at Oxford when it was transferred to the University in 1915. These were Clarence E. Boyd (Greek), Nolan A. Goodyear (French), Edgar H. Johnson (History and Political Economy), Wightman F. Melton (English), John B. Peebles (Applied Mathematics), Mansfield T. Peed (Mathematics), Douglas Rumble (Mathematics), John G. Stipe (Spanish), Edward T. Turner (Latin), and Goodrich C. White (Mental and Moral Science). Appointments made (in addition to Dr. Guy) while the College was at Oxford were: Christian Hamff (German), James Hinton (English), Theodore H. Jack (History), and Robert C. Rhodes (Biology). Six additional faculty members were named to join the fifteen from Oxford. These were Malcolm H. Dewey (Romance Languages), James G. Lester (Engineering), Ross H. McLean (History), J. Fred Messick (Mathematics), William S. Nelms (Physics), and J.M. Steadman (English).
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The Chemistry Faculty and Course Offerings
During the first few years on the Atlanta campus Dr. Guy faced a problem in staffing the courses needed for a full chemistry major. He normally taught the introductory courses in general chemistry, qualitative analysis and quantitative analysis. Before Dr. Quayle arrived in 1924 he had also taught courses in organic and physical chemistry, as well as courses he added in electrochemistry, colloids, organic qualitative analysis, and chemical concepts for non-science students. During the 1919-20 academic year there was an unusual arrangement. At that time the Medical School also had a Department of Chemistry that offered not only two courses in Physiological Chemistry but also a course in organic chemistry, presumably for students who had not previously taken this subject. When the University was founded in 1915 Dr. A. Moultrie Muckenfuss was appointed Professor of Chemistry in the Medical School to teach these courses. During the 1919-20 academic year he was listed as a professor in both the College and Medical School, and he taught the organic course for college students. He had a young associate, Mr. Wilbur H. York, who assisted him in the organic courses. Dr. Guy had a young instructor, Mr. Dana P. Weld, who helped him in the general chemistry courses as well as in quantitative and qualitative analysis courses.
The faculty members of the Chemistry Department in the 1919 College Catalogue are as follows:
J. Sam Guy, Professor of Chemistry B.S. Davidson College, 1905; A.M. Davidson, 1906; Professor of Mathematics, Fredericksburg College, 1906-1908; Ph.D., The John Hopkins University, 1911; Asst. in Physical Chemistry, John S. Hopkins, 1911-1913; Professor of Chemistry, Agnes Scott College, 1913-1916; Professor of Chemistry, University of Arkansas, 1916-1918; Professor of Chemistry, Emory College, 1918-1919; Professor of Chemistry, Emory University, 1919.
A. Moultrie Muckenfuss, Professor of Chemistry A.B. Wofford College, 1889; A.M. Wofford, 1890; Ph.D. The Johns Hopkins, 1895; Professor of Chemistry and Physics, Millsaps College, 1893-1902; Professor of Chemistry, University of Arkansas, l902-1905; Professor of Chemistry, University of Mississippi, 1905-1915; Professor of Chemistry, Emory University, 1915.
Dana Porter Weld, Instructor in Chemistry B.Sc., University of Arkansas, 1917; M.S., 1918; Assistant in Chemistry, University of Arkansas, 1917-1918; Professor of Chemistry, Tahlequah Normal School, 1918-1919; Instructor in Chemistry, Emory University, 1919.
Mr. Wilbur H. York is not in the College catalogue but he is listed as an associate in chemistry in the Medical School catalogue.
At this time full courses were called “majors” and carried five quarter-hours credit. A lecture course met five days a week, 50-minute classes. A major with laboratory, such as Chemistry 1, met three days a week for lectures, and two days a week for a two-hour laboratory. A double major continued for two quarters. Courses called “minors” carried two and one-half hours credit. Many laboratory courses were minors, having two labs per week plus a lecture or recitation every other week. Minors were indicated by the letter m in later years, such as Chemistry 111m, Organic Preparations, and Chemistry 113m, Quantitative Analysis for Pre-Meds. In 1933 the major-minor terminology was changed to courses and half-courses, Chemistry 111m becoming Chemistry 111h. The course offerings in 1919 were as follows:
1. Elementary General Chemistry. Guy and Weld. This course was designed for students who had not had either chemistry or physics. It was a double major, fall and winter quarter, with two-fifths of the value of the course given to laboratory work.
2. Advanced General Chemistry. Guy and Weld. This was also a double major, fall and winter terms. It was designed for students who had taken chemistry and physics in high school.
3. Advanced Qualitative Analysis. Guy and Weld. A major, fall and spring terms. This was the standard qualitative analysis course of that time and could be taken by students who had taken the equivalent of Chemistry 1 or 2.
4. Elementary Organic Chemistry. Muckenfuss and York. A major, fall term. This course was apparently for both college and medical students. The course description states that “one-half of the topics are especially for medical students and the other half for special chemistry students.
5. Quantitative Analysis. Weld. A minor, winter term. This course covered the most important methods of gravimetric analysis.
10. Quantitative Analysis. Guy. A double minor, winter and spring terms. This was a more advanced course than Chemistry 5, dealing chiefly with technical and commercial problems.
11.Physical Chemistry. Guy. A major with laboratory, spring term. Mathematics through calculus required.
12. Organic Preparations. York. A minor, winter term. A laboratory course illustrating the most important synthetic methods.
13. Advanced Organic Chemistry. Muckenfuss. A minor, spring term. A course covering selected topics and readings from the literature
14. Sanitary Chemistry. Weld. A major, fall term. A laboratory course covering the qualitative and quantitative determination of impurities on natural waters, the analysis of foods, and the chemistry of food adulterants
15. Physiological Chemistry. Muckenfuss and York. A double major, winter and spring terms. Chemistry of carbohydrates, proteins, foods, vitamins, digestion and absorption, composition of blood and urine.
16. Industrial Chemistry. Muckenfuss. A major, winter term. Lecture and laboratory work on such topics as fats, soaps, protective coatings, paper, fuels and ceramics.
Graduate courses listed were;
100. Chemical Seminar. Muckenfuss and Guy. A major, fall. winter and spring terms. Students present reports on research or current topics in the literature.
101. Research. Guy. Research in physical chemistry.
102. Research. Muckenfuss. Research in industrial chemistry.
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The College in the Early 20's
Several things about the College in these early days may be of interest to alumni.
Requirements for Bachelor's Degrees
Four degrees were offered by the College in 1919: Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Philosophy, Bachelor of Science, and Bachelor of Science in Medicine. Thirty-eight majors (courses), including Bible, one hour per week throughout the four years, were required for graduation. By 1922 the requirement in Bible had been changed to one hour per week during the first year plus one full course. In later years the requirement became simply the one introductory course in Bible.
In 1918, following the United States' entrance into World War I, an Army R.O.T.C. unit had been installed at Oxford. On the Atlanta campus participation was required of freshmen and sophomores in the College and Business Schools who passed the physical examination. The exercises and drills performed by the students were considered a useful adjunct to the program of physical education. In 1930 the program was discontinued. An Air Force R.O.T.C. unit was installed some years later with participation on a voluntary basis.
In the field of concentration each student was required to take twelve majors in two departments and not less than four majors in either. The Chemistry Department required at least nine majors in chemistry. For the Bachelor of Science in Medicine the freshman and sophomore work was taken in the College, and the junior and senior years were the first and second years in the School of Medicine. By 1922 the B.S. in Medicine became simply the BS degree and required three years of college work rather than two, plus one year in the Medical School. A student could still be admitted to the Medical School with only two years of college but could not receive a BS degree from the College.
Grading
Grading in 1919 was as follows: A+, excellent; A, definitely above average; B, satisfactory work of the average student; C, below average, conditionally acceptable; D, no credit, but the instructor may allow reexamination; E, complete failure. Credit points, later called quality points, were assigned as follows: A+, 6 points; A, 4; B, 2; and C, 0. Two points were deducted for every ten absences, excused or unexcused. An average of 2.0 quality points was required for graduation. By 1922 letter grades had been changed to: A, excellent, 6 quality points; B, above average, 4 points; C, average, 2 points; D, inferior, 0 points; E, conditional, entitled to re-exam; and F, failure. A C average was required for graduation.
Tuition, Fees and Living Expenses
In 1919 tuition per quarter was $25. This was increased to $35 in 1920. Everyone paid a general fee of $5.00 per quarter and laboratory courses had variable fees. The lab fee for general chemistry was $2.00 in 1919 and $5.00 in 1920. A breakage deposit was required and was refundable if no apparatus was broken.
Examples of living expenses were: Alabama Hall, $54.00 per year for a double room with three occupants. A double room with two occupants in Winship and Dobbs was $58.50 and a single room could be had for $81.00 per year.
Meals were $25.00 per month in the Dining Hall and total expenses for the year were estimated as $450 to $695, with $500 being the average.
Calendar
On the quarter system, used until the early 80's, the fall term normally began in late September and commencement took place in early June. In 1919, for example, classes started September 30 and commencement was on June 5. The fall and spring quarters were approximately twelve weeks long and the winter quarter, often referred to as the “short” quarter, was eleven weeks long. The only holidays celebrated in the early years were Thanksgiving (Thursday only), Washington's birthday (February 22), the Friday before Easter, and Confederate Memorial Day (April 26). Three days were devoted to final exams each quarter. The normal load was three courses and the lucky student had only one exam per day. There was usually a two-week break at Christmas, but no Spring holidays. The Spring quarter started on Monday after the Winter quarter ended on Friday. Occasionally the Winter quarter actually started on New Year's Day*.
*The writer can well recall attending Dr. Guy's 8 o'clock chemistry class when the winter quarter opened on January 1, 1934.
Religious Exercises
The 1920 catalogue has this statement regarding religious exercises: “The authorities of this institution are unwilling to take the boys and young men away from the influences and restraints of home at a period of life when habits are forming without bringing to bear the most direct and intentional effort to secure their religious well-being. Accordingly, while in the exercises and instruction of the University there is nothing sectarian, a pronounced Christian life is urged upon all the students, and the Bible is systematically studied by every class in the School of Liberal Arts.
“Each college day morning prayers are held in the chapel at which all students resident on campus are required to be present. Each student in the School of Liberal Arts is required to attend one church service on each Sunday of the college year.”
Students
The 1919 catalogue lists the names of 198 students in the various classes. There were 19 seniors, 27 juniors, 32 sophomores, and 120 freshmen. Two names in the freshman class that may be familiar to later alumni were Lee Wesley Blitch, a future faculty member in chemistry, and Lewis Lamar Clegg, later to be registrar of the University. A student in the freshman class whom Dr. Guy mentioned several times, was Ulric Bannister Bray. Ulric Bray went on to get his Ph.D. degree in chemistry. He formed his own company, the Bray Oil Co., and held important patents on the purification of motor oil.
The 1920 catalogue contains the names of two men well known to later alumni: William Henry Jones, future professor of chemistry, and James Harris Purks, future professor of physics and Dean of the College. Both names appear in the freshman class.
The Two-Story Chemistry Building
It has been mentioned that in 1919 only the first two floors of the Chemistry Building were complete. The top two floors were added in 1927. In the 1921 catalogue the following description of this building is given: “The departments of chemistry of the College of Liberal Arts and of the School of Medicine occupy an entire building of two floors. The building is of concrete and is of fireproof construction, well heated, lighted, and provided with modern methods of ventilation. The desks are provided with the necessary water, gas and electrical connections. Hot and cold water, steam and compressed air and vacuum are available. Ample fume hoods are accessible throughout the laboratory. The first floor is occupied by the courses in inorganic chemistry and consists of a lecture room with a seating capacity of 175, a large general laboratory with 250 lockers for first year students, a store room, a balance room, two small laboratories with offices for instructors. The second floor is devoted to the subjects of organic and physiological chemistry. On this floor are a lecture room and a large general laboratory similar to those of the first floor. There are two private laboratories with offices for instructors, one preparation room, a store room, a balance room, a special apparatus room, and a small laboratory for advanced students.”
The catalogue also states that the Biology Department is located in the Physiology and Physics Buildings at this time. When the top two floors of the Chemistry Building were completed in 1927 and Chemistry moved into them, Biology moved to the first floor of the building. Biochemistry continued to occupy the second floor until after World War II.
The 1919 Medical School catalogue contains this description of the second floor of the Chemistry Building: “Physiological Chemistry occupies the entire second floor of the new Chemistry Building. For the present organic chemistry will occupy the same quarters. The students' laboratory on the second floor* is a room 41.5x46 feet with a capacity for 128 students working in two sections or 64 in one section. Under the latter arrangement each worker has a desk, a sink, four drawers, two cupboards, storage battery current, alternating and direct currents, gas, water and vacuum lines, and a hood to carry off fumes. Side tables have compressed air in addition and large hoods at convenient points have steam and steam baths available. Hot water is also on tap, and sufficient shelving for all needs is provided. Similar equipment is to be found in the research laboratory, 16.5 x 17 feet, the Associate's laboratory, 17 x 17 feet, the Professor's laboratory, 17 x 26.5 feet, the lecture preparation room, and on the lecture room table. The furniture is of birch, with alberene stone tops and table shelves, and is of the best cabinet construction. The lecture room** is 24.5 x 35 feet, and has all modern conveniences. Besides this, the building as at present completed, has two offices, a balance room, a cold room, an instrument room, a constant temperature room *** (on the first floor), an operating room, a stock room for chemicals and apparatus and the usual conveniences.”
*This is the laboratory used for quantitative analysis courses after Biochemistry moved out in 1946. It was very spacious since we limited the lab sections to 32 students. By this time there was no direct current, vacuum lines, hot water, compressed air, hoods at the desks, or useable steam baths. The large hoods at the end of the lab were essentially useless.
**This was Room 203, used for many years for medium-sized chemistry classes.
***This probably refers to the small underground concrete room located in the back of the storeroom on the first floor. During the 30's it was used to store a 50-gallon drum of 95% ethanol. In the 50's and 60's it was used to store radioisotopes.
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Growth in the Early 20's
When the second year began in 1920 Dr. Muckenfuss* was no longer listed as Professor of Chemistry in the Medical School or College. He was replaced by Dr. Joseph L. McGhee as Professor of Chemistry in the Medical School, but not in the College. The course in organic chemistry was no longer offered in the Medical School and Dr. Guy took over teaching organic in the College. The Chemistry Department faculty of the College consisted of Dr. Guy, Mr. Weld, and Mr. Vance M. Jenkins as instructor. Mr. Jenkins received his A.B. degree from Southwestern University in 1918 and worked as a research chemist at the Texas Company in 1919-20.
*Dr. Muckenfuss became a research chemist for the Roessler and Hasslacher Chemical Co. in Perth Amboy.
The course offerings were much the same as in the previous year but the numbering was changed. Chemistry 1, a double course, became Chemistry 1 a-b; Chemistry 2 was 2 a-b, etc. The elementary organic course became Chemistry 10 a-b, a double course, and Mr. Jenkins helped Dr. Guy in the teaching. Chemistry 5, the half-course in quantitative analysis, became two half-courses, 6 ma-b The single course in physical chemistry also became two courses, Chemistry 15 a-b, and was taught by Mr. Weld. Dr. Guy taught the advanced organic and organic preparations courses, in addition to the general introductory courses.
Enrollment in the College was steadily increasing. The total enrollment of 198 in 1919 increased to 359 in the second year. By 1924, the year Dr. Quayle arrived, it was up to 618, including 199 freshmen. In 1923 there were six graduate students in Chemistry, Fielding Dillard, Frank Henderson, Warren B. Matthews, James N. Platt, Augusta Skeen and Thomas A. Slaughter. In later years Augusta Skeen co-authored a Quantitative Analysis textbook with Dr. Guy, and for many years was in charge of the general chemistry laboratory. At that time she was married to Samuel Cooper, and alumni of those years will remember her fondly as Mrs. Cooper. In 1924 the number of graduate students was up to nineteen.
In 1921 Mr. Gordon Allison was added to the faculty as instructor. Mr. Allison had a BS degree from the University of Chicago in 1917, had been a research chemist in the Chemical Warfare Service in 1918-19, and an instructor in chemistry at Hobart College, 1919-20. He taught the organic courses as well as helping in general chemistry.
In 1922 the faculty consisted of Dr. Guy, Mr. Weld, and Mr. Allison, Mr. Jenkins having resigned. Several undergraduates were listed as assistants, including future faculty members, Lee Blitch and William (Bill) Jones. In 1923 Mr. Weld resigned and two new men were added to the staff, Ernest Lee Jackson, as assistant professor, and Herman Jesse Bankston, as instructor. Mr. Jackson received the AB degree from the University of Georgia in 1913, the M.S. from Vanderbilt in 1917, and the A.M. from Harvard in 1920. He taught in high schools in Georgia from 1913 to 1915, and was an instructor at the University of Georgia, 1917-18. Mr. Bankston received the BS degree from the University of Mississippi in 1917, the M.Sc. from Ohio State University in 1921, and was instructor at Georgia Tech in 1921-22.
Chemistry students receiving the BS degree in 1924 included Joseph M. Almand, Robert Freeman Deese, Jr., William Henry Jones (cum laude), and Thomas Swindall Logan (cum laude). Augusta Skeen was awarded the Master of Science degree with highest honors. Bill Jones would be off to graduate school at Princeton, while Lee Blitch, who had graduated in 1922, was working on his Ph.D. at Hopkins.
The Arrival of Dr. Quayle
The appointment of Dr. Quayle to the faculty in 1924 marked a milepost in the development of the department. Dr. Thomas English, in his history of the University, said, “With the appointment in 1924 of Osborne R. Quayle to join Professor Guy the Department of Chemistry began a development that was to bring it early academic leadership” (p. 117). Dr. Quayle was the first addition to the faculty who held the Ph.D. degree, and his field of specialization was in organic, a major area in any chemistry curriculum. He had been trained at two of the most prestigious universities in the country, Harvard and Hopkins, as well as having his undergraduate work at Swarthmore. At Harvard he had worked with James B. Conant, an outstanding organic chemist who later became president of Harvard. At Hopkins he did his doctoral research with E. Emmet Reid, another prominent organic chemist, who in the late 30's and early 40's toured a number of Southern Colleges, including Emory, helping faculty members initiate research programs. Dr. Quayle would be instrumental in leading the department to the development of the doctoral program in the late 40's.
Dr. Quayle's background is recorded in the college catalogue as follows: Osborne Robinson Quayle, AB, Swarthmore College, 1919; A.M. Harvard, 1921; Ph.D., The John Hopkins, 1924; E.I. DuPont de Nemours and Co., Summers, 1918-19-20; Assistant in Chemistry, Harvard, 1920-21; Assistant in Chemistry, John Hopkins, 1922-24; Assistant Professor, Emory University, 1924.
There were only three regular faculty members listed in the 1924 catalogue, Dr. Guy, Dr. Quayle, and Mr. Allison. However, Dr. Guy started a practice he used for many years, the liberal use of graduate students and advanced undergraduates as teaching assistants. Four graduate students, J.M. Almand, J.F. Blalock, R.F. Deese, and T.S. Logan were listed as assisting in the large general chemistry course and qualitative analysis. (The advanced course in general chemistry, Chemistry 2 a-b, was dropped in 1925.) Mr. Logan taught the course in chemical calculations. For some reason Dr. Guy still taught the introductory organic courses and had Dr. Quayle teach the physical chemistry courses. Dr. Quayle offered an advanced course in organic reactions, and special topic courses in aliphatic and aromatic chemistry for graduate and advanced undergraduate students.
There were eighteen graduate students in chemistry in 1924. These were Joseph M. Almand, John F. Blalock, Howard T. Coggin, Robert F. Deese, Mrs. Jane C. Glenn, Franklin Henderson, W. Julian Kennerly, Frank Kopf, Thomas S. Logan, Lena Martin, Earl Moseley, James R. Simms, George H. Slappey, Thomas A. Slaughter, Warren B. Wade, John H. Walker, Mrs. Katherine Walton, and Rhodes M. Whitley. By this time a number of high school chemistry teachers were attending summer school, working on their master of arts degrees in chemistry.
The Addition of Dr. Blitch
With Dr. Guy devoting most of his time to the large general chemistry and qualitative analysis classes, physical chemistry was the area in most need of a recently trained faculty member. In the fall of 1925 this position was filled with the return of Lee Wesley Blitch who had received his BS degree from Emory in 1922 and completed his Ph.D. at Hopkins in physical chemistry in 1925. He was named instructor, joining Drs. Guy and Quayle as a full-time faculty member. Eleven assistants were also appointed in 1925: G.L. Bottom, L.A. Broun, G.L. Dorough, L.M. Ellis, J.H. Garner, P.M. Goodelock, E.F. Hale, G.B. Malone, R.D. Norton, J.D. Pollard, and O.C. Turner. In addition to helping Dr. Guy in freshman chemistry, Dr. Blitch took over the physical courses including a new course in advanced physical for graduate students. Dr. Quayle taught all the organic courses, including the introductory ones.
Dr. Blitch as graduate student at Hopkins, 1922-25: Upper, seated second from left; Lower, on right.
The total enrollment in the College was down slightly to 569 in 1925, but the number of freshmen was up to 242. There were 145 graduate students including 13 in chemistry. These were: Leroy A. Broun, Jr., Howard T. Coggin, George L. Dorough, Linus M. Ellis, Joseph H. Gardner, Mrs. Jane C. Glenn, Leona E. Letson, Lena Martin, Earl Moseley, Vernon Sammons, and John H. Hicks.
In 1926 the faculty consisted of Drs. Guy, Quayle and Blitch plus eleven assistants: S.M. Christian, F.M. Cross, P.M. Goodelock, E.F. Hale, J.W. Holding, J.N. LeConte, F.R. Lowdermilk, F.D. Pilgrim, J.D. Pollard, E.N. Osborne and J.A. Wise.
Tuition was now $65 per quarter, including a general fee, incidental fee, and student activities fee. Laboratory fees were still separate.
Course offerings were much the same as in the previous year. Dr. Blitch offered a new course called “Oxidation and Reduction” and one in inorganic preparations.
The College enrollment was 587 including 291 freshmen. There were 102 graduate students including ten in chemistry: Franklin M. Cross, Lyda S. Bowen, Howard T. Coggin, Jesse E. Davis, Randolph H. Guthrie, Franklin L. Henderson, Ford R. Loudermilk, Claude L. Lynn, John D. Pollard, and Samuel M. Stark, Jr.
The 1926 catalogue contains this statement concerning the building: “The Chemistry Building contains two stories and is occupied by the Department of Chemistry of both the Schools of Medicine and Liberal Arts. During 1927 two stories will be added to this building and laboratory space and equipment will be increased accordingly.”
The Completed Chemistry Building.
The big news at the start of the 1927-28 academic year was the completion of the Chemistry Building. This is described in the catalogue as follows: “In the fall of 1927 the Chemistry Building, the two lower floors of which have been in use since 1919, was completed and occupied. It is a five-story concrete building of modern fireproof construction. The external appearance of the building, with its finish of Georgia marble, is in harmony with the other University buildings. The total cost of the building was approximately $200,000.
“The Department of Chemistry occupies the three upper floors of the building. The permanent equipment of the department, such as desks, hoods, and bins, represents an investment of approximately $30,000, while the stock of chemicals, glassware, etc. maintained averages about $10,000. On the fifth or top floor are ten small rooms designed as research rooms, each to accommodate two students. At the present time several of these are used by the Department of Biology. On this floor is also a small open-air sunlight laboratory equipped with gas and water, for any experimental work requiring direct sunlight. On the fourth floor are two laboratories of general chemistry, accommodating 280 students working individually, a large lecture room, a stock room, an office-laboratory, a physical chemistry laboratory, a balance room, and two offices for instructors. On the third floor is an elementary organic laboratory with 112 desks, an advanced organic laboratory suitable for 25 students, an analytical laboratory for 50 students, a small advanced analytical laboratory, two balance rooms, two office-laboratories for professors, a stock room and two small lecture rooms.
“The second floor of the building is devoted to the needs of the Department of Physiological Chemistry of the School of Medicine. On this floor are a large lecture room, a laboratory designed for 64 students, two private laboratories with offices for professors, a preparation room, a store room, a constant temperature room, a balance room, a special apparatus room and a small laboratory for advanced students.
“The Department of Biology occupies the lower floor of the building. There are on this floor four laboratories, a stock room, a store room, and two private office-laboratories for professors. The department is equipped with the needed accessories for instruction in biology. The value of this equipment is approximately $9,000.”
The Addition of Dr. Jones.
In the second year of Dr. Lee Blitch's tenure he developed tuberculosis, and at that time the only treatment for this disease was hospitalization. He was sent to the State Hospital at Alto, Georgia, where he spent the next four and a half years. When he was released in 1932 the depression had started and there was no position available for him in the Chemistry Department. Emory Junior College in Valdosta, which had opened in 1928, had a vacancy and Dr. Blitch started teaching there. He remained at Valdosta, teaching both Chemistry and Biology, until 1942 when the school was closed because of World War II. He then returned to the Atlanta campus where he taught general chemistry and qualitative analysis until his retirement in 1970.
To fill the vacancy in physical chemistry Dr. Guy turned to another recent Emory graduate, William H. (Bill) Jones, who had received the BS degree from Emory in 1924 and the MS from Princeton in 1926. He would later finish his research and thesis and receive the Ph.D. from Princeton. In the fall of 1927 the faculty then consisted of Dr. Guy, Dr. Quayle (now Associate Professor), Mr. Jones as instructor and Mr. Schuyler M. Christian as instructor. Mr. Christian received the BS from Emory in the spring of 1927, and would work toward his master's degree during the year. Dr. Quayle would again teach introductory physical chemistry in addition to his courses in organic and would have the assistance of Mr. Christian. Mr. Jones helped Dr. Guy in freshman chemistry and also taught courses in advanced qualitative analysis, colloids, metallography (phase rule), oxidation-reduction, and thermodynamics. There were two student assistants: Jesse E. Davis, who had his MS from Emory in 1927 and Joe Frierson, who had his B.A. from Arkansas College in 1927.
An addition to the Chemistry Department in the Medical School in 1927 will be of interest to many alumni. Dr. George T. Lewis was named Assistant Professor of Bio-Chemistry. (The word was hyphenated, and the courses were still listed as Physiological Chemistry, and the department was still called Chemistry, not Biochemistry.) Dr. Lewis received the BS from Middlebury College in 1922 and the Ph.D. from the University of Michigan in 1927.
Enrollment in the College was up to 622 with 259 freshmen. There were 163 graduate students, including 15 in chemistry. These were: Hugh M. Boggs, Lyda Sue Bower, Schuyler M. Christian, Howard T. Coggin, Frank M. Cross, Jesse E. Davis, Joseph N. LeConte, Ford R. Lowdermilk, Aristus J. Phillips, Forrest D. Pilgrim, John D. Pollard, Ruby Mae Sherard, Benjamin Sherman, Samuel M. Stark, and Frank Vinson.
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The 1928-29 Academic Year
Beginning in the fall of 1928 and lasting well into the 30's the permanent faculty of the Chemistry Department would consist of Drs. Guy, Quayle and Jones, usually with a temporary instructor plus teaching assistants. This year the new instructor was Robert M. Bond, who received his AB from Princeton in 1923 and his MS from Columbia in 1925. Teaching assistants were Grover M. Ford, Foreman M. Hawes, Edwin N. Osborne and G. Wyatte H. Powell.
There were two changes made that will make the requirements and course numbering more familiar to alumni of later years. The College adopted the Junior College-Senior College system and the course numbers were made to reflect this change. The Junior College was essentially the first two years, but one had to meet certain requirements for graduation before being admitted to the Senior College, the last two years. To graduate from the Junior College one had to complete 18 courses (still called majors), and attain a C average. The program of specified courses were as follows:
(a) Freshman sequence: English100, History 100, Math 100.
(b) Sophomore sequence: English 101, Bible 101, Economics 101.
(c) Laboratory science: 4 courses, two in each of two sciences, Biology, Chemistry and Physics.
(d) Foreign languages: Two courses in French, German, Greek or Latin in the freshman year
(e) One course in English, French, German, Greek or Latin
(f) Two courses in Economics, History, Philosophy, Psychology, Sociology.
(g) Three elective courses.
In the Senior College the courses were mostly elective. A reading knowledge of one foreign language, French, German, Greek, or Latin, was required. One needed to complete 18 courses, maintaining a C average, and have a minimum residence of 6 quarters as a Senior College student. At first students also had to pass a general examination near the end of the period of residence. However, this requirement was found to be impracticable and was later dropped. The course numbering system was as follows:
100-199. Courses open and intended for Junior College students.
200-299. Courses primarily for students in the Senior College.
300-399. Courses primarily for graduate students.
400-499. Research courses.
In the Chemistry Department introductory inorganic chemistry was numbered 101, 102 and 103. The first numeral indicated the Junior College, the third the quarter (Fall l; Winter 2, Spring 3), and the second numeral gradually came to indicate the area: 0 and 5, inorganic; 1 and 6, analytical; 2 and 7, organic; 3 and 8, physical; 4 and 9, research, reading courses, etc. This system was not completely implemented in 1928, but was gradually adopted over the years. Physical Chemistry, 281 and 282, was taught by Dr. Jones, and Dr. Quayle offered an introductory organic course for students who had taken high school chemistry.
Graduate courses in 1928-29 included Thermodynamics, taught by Jones, and Advanced Organic and Organic Theories, taught by Quayle. Dr. Quayle also offered a course in organic research numbered 450.
Enrollment in the College was 597 with 247 freshmen. There were 160 in the Graduate School including 21 in Chemistry. These were Lyda Sue Bower, Sara W. Branch, Schuyler M. Christian, Grover M. Ford, Thomas L. Gresham, Ellis F. Hale, Foreman M. Hawes, Frank L. Henderson, William H. James, Joseph E. Johnson, John M. Kulling, Joseph N. LeConte, Wiley J. Moody, Edwin N. Osborne, Aristus J. Phillips, Forrest D. Pilgrim, Gamaliel W.H. Powell, Benjamin Sherman, Hugh D. Sims, E. Earl Stokes, and Mrs. Katherine Walton.
The 1929-30 Academic Year
This year began with the same faculty, Guy, Quayle, Jones and Bond. Dr. Jones was now listed as having obtained his Ph.D. degree from Princeton in 1929. Teaching assistants were Robert C. Boulware, Bertram 0. Cosby, William Frank Gresham, Arthur M. Hale, William E. Robinson, Frank N. Wilder, and Winfrey I. Wynn. Course offerings were largely unchanged. Dr. Jones did offer a graduate course in catalysis. For the first time the catalogue listed course offerings in the Graduate School separate from those in the College. Included in the departments offering graduate courses and degrees was Bio-Chemistry. (The word was hyphenated and the Medical School still maintained its Chemistry Department.) The course offerings included such topics as the chemistry of fats, carbohydrates, proteins and amino acids. Other topics were digestion, metabolism, nutrition and the physical chemistry of protoplasm. The staff included Evangeline Papageorge, who started a distinguished career of teaching Biochemistry and later was an Associate Dean in the Medical School.
Enrollment in the College was slightly lower than in the previous year, 551 in the College with 196 freshmen. The Graduate School increased to 181 with 16 enrolled in Chemistry. These were Bertram 0. Cosby, Thomas L. Gresham, W. Frank Gresham, Arthur H. Hale, Elizabeth G. Guinn, Walker L. Loving, Catherine Mims, James L. Nease, Edwin N. Osborne, G. Wyatt H. Powell, William E. Robinson, Ruby Mae Sherard, Hugh D. Sims, Ann E. Stanley, Mabel E. Tucker and Mrs. Katherine S. Walton. Frank Gresham and Arthur Hale were University Fellows. Thomas Gresham, Osborne, Greene, Powell, Robinson, Sherard, Stanley, Tucker and Walton attended only the summer quarter. Augusta Skeen was included as a graduate student in the Medical Sciences.
The number of chemistry majors in the 20's who went on to get doctoral degrees at other institutions is quite impressive. This continued through the 30's and 40's until the end of World War II. The Trytten Report, published at that time, said that Emory, while not granting the degree itself, ranked in the upper 5% of nationally accredited universities in the fraction of its chemistry majors who went on to obtain Ph.D.'s at other schools. This report covered the period 1936-45, but from the following list it can be seen that the trend had already started in the 20's.
The students below obtained a bachelor's or masters' degree (or both) from Emory and went to other institutions for the Ph.D. The principal place of their subsequent employment is given where known. The list should probably be longer since it is difficult to trace all alumni of this period.
Norton, Robert D., BS Emory, `20; MS, `26; Ph.D., North Carolina, '29
Bray, Ulric B., BS Emory, `21, Honorary Sc.D., `66; Ph.D. Yale, `25; Union Oil Co.; Bray Oil Co.
Blitch, Lee W., BS, Emory, `22; Ph.D. Hopkins, `25; Emory
Harned, Ben K., BS Emory, `22; Lederle Laboratories; Mead Johnson Company
Mathews, Warren B., AB Emory, `23, M.S.'24; M.D. Rush Chicago, `29; Ph.D. Chicago, `34; Emory (pathology).
Almand, Joseph M., BS Emory, `24, M.A. `25; Ph.D. Hopkins, `35; Wesleyan College.
Jones, William H., BS Emory, `24; MS Princeton, `26, Ph.D. `29; Emory.
Deese, Robert Freeman, BS Emory, `24, MS `25; Ph.D. Hopkins, `29; DuPont.
Ford, Grover M., BS Davidson, `24; MS Emory, `29; Ph.D. Iowa State, `37; Berry College.
Dorough, George L., BS Emory, `25, MS `26; Ph.D. Hopkins, `29; DuPont; Roessler and Haaslacher Chemicals.
Ellis, Linus M., BS Emory, `25, MS `26; Ph.D. Hopkins, `29; DuPont.
Malone, George B., BS Emory, `26; Ph.D. Hopkins, `29; DuPont.
Pollard, John D., BS Emory, `26, MS `27; Ph.D. Hopkins, `34; U.S. Industrial Chemicals, Inc.
Christian, Schuyler M., BS Emory, `27, MS `28; Ph.D. Harvard, `32; Agnes Scott (Physics).
Coggin, Howard T., AB Wofford, `23; MS Emory, `27; Ph.D. Colorado, `34; University of Georgia.
LeConte, Joseph N., BS Emory, `27, MS `29; Ph.D. North Carolina, `34; East Carolina University.
Pilgrim, Forrest D., BS Emory, `27, MS `28; Ph.D. Northwestern, `32; Tennessee Eastman Co.
Frierson, William Joseph, AB Arkansas, `27; MS Emory, `28; Ph.D. Cornell, `36; Agnes Scott.
Gresham, Thomas L., BS Emory, `28, MS `29, Honorary Sc.D., `61; Ph.D. Hopkins, `32; B.F. Goodrich; Houdry Process and Chemical Co.
Sims, Hugh D., BS Georgia Tech, `28; MS Emory, `29; Sc.D. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, `33; Magnolia Petroleum Co.
Gresham, William Frank, BS Emory, `29, MS `30, Honorary Sc.D., `74; DuPont.
Wilder, Frank, AB Emory, `29, MS `30; Ph.D. '34
Clary, Joe D., BS Emory, `30, MS `31; Ph.D. Ohio State, `38; Georgia Tech.
Foster, Harlan, BS Emory, `30, MS `31; Ph.D. Washington University St. Louis, `35; DuPont.
Hale, Arthur H., AB Arkansas, `29; MS Emory, `30; Ph.D. Harvard, `36; DuPont.
Thompson, William Donald, BS Emory, `30, M.A. `31; MS Harvard, `33, Ph.D. `36; DuPont; Hercules Powder Co.
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ENDNOTES TO CHAPTER 1
Some Memories of the Completed Building
The occupation of the two upper floors plus the “fifth” floor of the building completed in 1927 gave the Chemistry Department a much needed boost. The large laboratories for general and organic chemistry were modern and adequate for the enrollments in these areas for many years. Modern laboratories for the analytical and physical area were also provided. The large classroom on the fourth floor (Chemistry 401) seated approximately 160 students and could take care of the lectures in general and organic chemistry in four or five sections. The fifth floor laboratories, though primitive by today's standards, did provide space for most types of research done at that time.
Over the years, of course, these facilities became more and more inadequate. The following comments of the writer on a few aspects of the building may be of interest to alumni who had classes and laboratories there.
The Fifth Floor. Actually the building had (and still has) only four floors. The “fifth” floor laboratories were located in the attic of the building. Light and ventilation were obtained by leaving in the roof two slots running the length of the building.
The 10 small laboratories ran between the slots, the slot on the north side (front of the building) serving as the hallway off of which a door opened into each lab. At the other end of each room was a window, opening into the slot on the south side of the building. Thus light and ventilation were provided. There were no hoods in the labs. If a reaction such as a Friedel-Crafts was to be run, the student simply moved his equipment to the open-air “sunlight” laboratory and released the HCl fumes into the air (if it was not raining). The walls separating the labs were made of a material we called “Beaverboard.” It was easily broken and anything said in one room was easily heard in the next. At each end of the hall there was a fairly large room with no windows or lab benches. The room on the side occupied by Biology was for many years used by Dr. Bill Redmond to house the pigeons he used in his research. Frequently you could hear them cooing when you reached the landing at the top of the stairs*.
*In the basement of the building there was a small janitor's closet on each side of the stairs. At one time the Biology Department stored dead cats used by students in the Comparative Anatomy class each spring in one of the closets. The odor of formaldehyde was very strong as one passed this room starting up the stairs. Students had to furnish their own cats at one time, but after neighbors complained bitterly about their pet cats disappearing each spring, the department began buying specimens for the students.
On the Chemistry side this room was used for storage of chemicals and equipment, and at one time Pi Alpha held its meetings there. After more research space became available with the construction of Annex C in 1947 and the occupation of the first two floors in 1951, the fifth floor labs were not as widely used. In later years a few faculty members used them as offices.
The Marble Stairs. There was a single marble stairwell in the center of the building, going from the basement, or first floor, to the fifth floor*.
*The Physics Building is also four stories and has a single stairwell. This building is scheduled for remodeling and will probably have stairs at each end of the building.
(When the building was remodeled for use by the Humanities,stairs were added at each end of the building. The center stairs now stop at the third floor.) The stairs from the fourth to the fifth floor were much steeper than those from the first floor to the fourth. Since the large freshman laboratory and the large lecture room were on the fourth floor there was concern about evacuating the building in case of fire. However, as the catalogue said, the building was fireproof and luckily no emergency ever occurred that required rapid evacuation.
Marble, of course, is a rather soft material and over the years the steps gradually wore down, more in the center than on the sides, from constant traffic. The lower steps in the Physics Building were worn even more than those in Chemistry, and eventually had to be covered after several students tripped on them.
In the 30's and 40's pieces of marble of all sizes could still be found scattered about the campus. In a freshman chemistry experiment studying carbon dioxide the gas was generated by treating marble chips (CaCO3) with hydrochloric acid:
CaCO3 + 2HCl = CaC12 + H2O + CO2
When the supply of marble chips ran low a student assistant would go out, find a piece of marble and break it into small pieces with a hammer.
The Elevator The elevator was designed for freight, not passengers. It was operated by a rope that was pulled by hand* until 1950, when a motor was installed after Dr. Guy had a heart attack. The elevator went from the basement to the fourth floor**. There were doors on each floor as well as doors to the stockrooms on the third and fourth floors. In order to reach the elevator from either entrance to the building it was necessary to go up or down one flight of stairs. From the front of the building one needed to go up a flight to the second floor or down a flight to the basement. In later years this posed an inconvenience for the delivery of heavy equipment and items such as tank gases.
*The first time the writer used the elevator he was surprised to find that he had to pull harder to go down than to go up. He later realized that he was pulling up the counterweight so that the elevator would go down.
**It is now a passenger elevator and goes to the fifth floor.
Before leaving the subject of the elevator, a story told by Dr. Charles Lester may be of interest. Sometimes in the 50's he came back to the building late in the evening from a committee meeting and tried to use the elevator to get to the third floor. He found it stalled between the second and third floors. When he walked to the third floor, opened the door, and looked down, he saw a student sitting at a desk chair in the elevator. When Charlie asked him what was going on, he replied, “I'm studying for an exam. The library is closed and this was the only quiet place I could find.”
Restrooms. In the two-story building there was a large restroom for students on the first floor and a small one for faculty on the second. For some unknown reason no additional restrooms were built on the third, fourth or fifth floors. For many years there was no restroom in the building for women. Later, probably at the insistence of Mrs. Cooper, the room on the second floor was made into a restroom for the ladies.
In his office-laboratory on the fourth floor Dr. Bill Jones had a sign over the sink saying, “No micturition, directly or by transference.”
What's in a Name
When I first knew Dr. Guy in the 30's his name in print was always J. Samuel Guy, or James Samuel Guy. For example, in his textbook with Augusta Skeen, “A Course in Quantitative Analysis,” published in 1932, his name is given as J. Samuel Guy. However, I heard him say several times that as a young boy the only name he had was Sam Guy. He said his parents told him his name was simply Sam, not Samuel. As he got older, probably when he was in high school or college, he decided his name was too short, and he started adding the initial J. to make it longer. From then on he signed his name as J. Sam Guy. Since Sam is short for Samuel people assumed his name was really J. Samuel Guy. The 1919 College catalogue has his name as J. Sam Guy, Professor of Chemistry, and continues this for several years. However, under the officers of instruction in the University Register he was always listed as James Samuel Guy. People assumed the J stood for James and James Samuel stuck through the years. In the Chemistry Department everyone referred to him as the “Skipper.”
One day Dr. Guy answered the phone in his office and a woman asked to speak to Sam. Dr. Guy immediately said, “This is Sam.” Well, the woman proceeded to give him a tongue lashing for standing her up on a date the night before. She thought she was talking to Sam Brown, the janitor in the Chemistry Building. It took Dr. Guy a while to convince her she had the wrong Sam!
Alumni may recall that Dr. Guy had a slightly high-pitched voice. I heard a story about Dr. Guy's calling some place and asking if a friend of his was there. The person replied, “Yes ma'am, he's here.” To which Dr. Guy immediately said, “Yes ma'am hell! This is J. Sam Guy!”
Items from the Emory Wheel
Dr. Quayle's Arrival
On Page 1 of the September 25, 1924 issue of the Emory Wheel Dr. Quayle's appointment to the faculty was reported as follows: “Dr. R.O. Quale, Ph.D. Johns Hopkins, comes to Emory as Assistant Professor of Chemistry.” On page 5 there is an article about him entitled “Dr. D.O. Quale, New Assistant Professor of Chemistry.” In the article it says, “He is to take the place of Dr. Jackson and part of that of Professor Bankston. He is well qualified for his position and will strengthen the department very much with his services.”
In the October 2, 1924 issue there is an article on nicknames for new professors. It states that “Dr. R.C. Quale received the moniker of `Partridge' as soon as he arrived, but whether this name will stick or not cannot be foretold.” Nicknames of the older faculty were also included. Dr. Guy's was “Flossie.”
Chemistry Graduates Succeed
An article entitled “Emory Graduates in Chemistry Hold Important Positions” appeared in the November 6, 1924 issue of the Wheel. It said, “It is recognized throughout the South that Emory offers one of the best courses in chemistry to be found.” Graduates of Emory listed were:
Miss Mary Atkinson, MS `21, is now head of the Chemistry Department in Columbia College for Women, Columbia, S.C.
Mr. Julian Kennerly, MS June `24, heads the Chemistry Department of Montevallo Normal in Alabama.
Miss Augusta Skeen, MS `24, is assistant professor at Agnes Scott.
L.W. Blitch is an assistant in chemistry at Johns Hopkins.
Thomas Collier is an assistant in chemistry at Georgia Tech.
Ulric Bray, `20, will receive the Ph.D. in June from Yale.
B. K. Harned, `21, is now at the University of Tennessee.
Jimmy Simms will receive his master's degree from “Ole Miss” this year.
W.H. Jones, `24, has a fellowship at Princeton.
Tom Walker, `24, has a fellowship at the University of North Carolina.
D.P. Weld, former instructor, received the Ph.D. at Hopkins in June, `24, and is now a chemist with Standard Oil in New York City.
Completing the Building
The November 18, 1926 Wheel carried an article headlined, “Chemistry Building Goes Up Soon.” It pointed out that the architects were Ivey and Crook and that the building was to have 6952 square feet per floor. The comments on the “fifth” floor were interesting: “The top floor will be partially concealed by the red tile roof so as to make the building conform in appearance to the adjoining structures.” It added, “The fifth floor will be devoted to individual offices and special laboratories for research work. On this floor there will also be fitted out an open-air promenade and laboratory for sunlight experiments.” Presumably, the “promenade” referred to the landing at the top of the stairs and the open-air hallways to the laboratories.
In the March 31, 1927 issue a headline read, “Chemistry Plant to be Complete by October 1.”
The September 29, 1927 issue had a front-page headline reading, “New Science Plant opens Next Month.” It said “An exterior of colored Georgia marble, with a tiled roof and a stuccoed basement, all in classic Italian Renaissance style, are the architectural features of the new fireproof Chemistry Building, the latest unit in Emory's ten-million dollar building program.” This same issue of the Wheel reported that Emory student Bobby Jones, a Junior in the Law School, retained the British Open title that he won in 1926.
Pi Alpha
According to the 1930 Campus, the Pi Alpha Chemical Fraternity was founded in 1926. No report of this appeared in the Wheel at that time. The first reference to the fraternity came in the September 29, 1927 issue where there is a report concerning the election of Forest Pilgrim, graduate fellow in the Department of Chemistry, as president of the Graduate School student body. It said that Pilgrim was a member of the “Alpha Pi” Chemical Fraternity, apparently reversing the name Pi Alpha.
The February 23, 1928 Wheel reported that Pi Alpha initiated three new members. “Drinking some suspicious looking red liquid between every verse of a song which they were supposed to be singing, three neophytes of Pi Alpha Chemical Fraternity carried out part of their public initiation before the student body as it turned out of chapel last Tuesday.
“The initiates are B.O. Cosby, Frank Wilder and R.C. Boulware. They were required to carry a graduated cylinder carrying a powerful liquid all day.
“Later initiations will follow next week when a banquet will be given in honor of the new members.”
Bill Jones in the News
The February 16, 1928 issue of the Wheel reported on a paper delivered by Dr. Jones before the Georgia Academy of Sciences. It was headlined, “Emory Professor Finds Substitute Product for Gas,” and “Dr. Jones Produces Synthetic Oil From Ethylene.” The work Dr. Jones was reporting was the use of lead tetraethyl as a catalyst to add hydrogen atoms to ethylene to form ethane, which the article said was “synthetic gasoline.”
The November 1, 1928 column called “Campus” quotes had this item: “Freshman addresses `Chemistry' Bill Jones as `Doctor.' Freshman receives an A.”
ACS Meets in Atlanta
The Spring meeting of the American Chemical was held in Atlanta April 7-11, 1930. The March 29 issue of the Wheel reported that Frank Gresham and B.O. Cosby were to read papers at the meeting and that Dr. Guy was in charge of all of the entertainment. The meeting was held at the Biltmore Hotel.
Professor Saves Eyesight of Boys After Explosion
This was the headline of a newspaper article found by Lee Blitch in some mementos after his father's death. There was no date on the clipping but from the fact that the hospital mentioned was “Wesley Memorial” and that one could still see “The Journal Covers Dixie Like the Dew” it seems probable that the event occurred during Dr. Blitch's brief stint on the faculty in 1925 and 1926. The article reads:
“The presence of mind of Dr. Lee Wesley Blitch, assistant professor of chemistry at Emory University, probably saved the eyesight of two boys and the arms of another from being severely burned Friday afternoon in the chemistry laboratory when the apparatus that was being used to make oxalic acid exploded and scattered the contents of test tubes over three students.
“Crawford Barnett, of Madison, Ga., a member of the Chi Phi fraternity, together with his lab partner, B.A. Belcher, of Emory University, was conducting two experiments, one in making ethylene bromide, the other in making oxalic acid. Barnett was supervising the oxalic acid apparatus, and, when he turned away for a few minutes, something went wrong.
“As he turned back to his experiment an explosion occurred and the contents of the test tubes were thrown into his face and into the face of David Medieros, a Brazilian student, who was working next to him in the laboratory. Both were severely burned about the face and on the eyelids, and for a time it was thought on the ball of the eye itself. Dr. Blitch rushed them out of the laboratory and had their faces bathed in sodium bicarbonate. They were then carried to Wesley Memorial where thorough examinations were made, but no serious injury to their eye could be detected, due to the quick work of Dr. Blitch. Both were reported rapidly recuperating Saturday, and will be out of the hospital Monday.
“Belcher was seriously burned about the arms, but the prompt application of sodium bicarbonate prevented serious injury."
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