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Chapter 4
THE WAR AND POST-WAR YEARS:
START OF THE DOCTORAL PROGRAM, 1940-50
In the fall of 1940 the University Center plan for consolidating educational resources in the Atlanta-Athens area was well under way. In January 1939 the General Education Board had made a grant of $2,000,000 to Emory for which the University had to raise $4,000,000. It also gave $500,000 to Agnes Scott for which this college was required to raise $1,000,000. The campaign to raise matching funds was off to a strong start. Mr. Samuel C. Dobbs had made a $1,000,000 unrestricted gift to the College in January, 1939, and by May 15, 1940 the Atlanta campaign had secured $1,300,000 in pledges. By Charter Day, 1942, the University was able to claim approximately $8,500,000 for endowment funds.
In September, 1940 Dr. Cox was still President and Dr. Goodrich C. White was now Vice-president as well as Dean of the Graduate School. Dr. J. Harris Purks, `23, Professor of Physics, was Dean of Emory College and Ellis H. Rece, Professor of Bible, had been Dean of Men since 1937.
Dr. Harvey W. Cox retired as President in 1942. Dr. White was elevated to the presidency and Dr. Cox was named Chancellor. Dr. White then assumed the task of developing the doctoral program but progress was delayed because of the start of World War II. It was not until October, 1945 that the Board of Trustees authorized the extension of graduate work to the doctoral level and the conferring of the Ph.D. degree.
The 1940-41 Academic Year
As the fall quarter opened in 1940 the Germans had already overrun Europe and the Battle of Britain was underway. In September the United States passed the Selective Service Act and gave Britain 50 destroyers. On October 17 six hundred students were registered for the draft on the Emory campus. Enrollment in the College was up sharply to 1216, although the number of freshmen was steady at 240. The Graduate School had 112 students in the regular session and 172 additional in the summer.
Faculty, Courses and Graduate Students
The faculty of the chemistry department consisted on Drs. Guy, Quayle, Jones, Cross, Day* and Miss Owen. Dr. Reid continued as research consultant.
*The writer joined the staff in 1940 as instructor, after completing his graduate work at Princeton. He would help Dr. Jones in the physical area and supervise the general chemistry lab.
Graduate fellows, scholars and assistants were: Morris Carter, Mack Fuller, Vernon Grizzard, Davenport Guerry, Arthur Hicks, Thomas Johnston, Beachley Morehead, Earl Royals, Harry Stump, Thurman Williams and Joseph D.C. Wilson, II.
Graduate course offerings were strengthened in the organic and physical areas. Dr. Cross added Chemistry 366, Quantitative Organic Microanalysis, and Drs. Quayle, Cross and Miss Owen offered two courses, Chemistry 422 and 423, Advanced Theoretical Organic Chemistry. These courses were based on the recent book edited by Henry Gilman, “Organic Chemistry, An Advanced Treatise.”
In the physical area the three half-courses were made full courses and were taught by Drs. Jones and Day. In Chemistry 331, Thermodynamics, the first half covered the first and second laws; the second half covered the third law, quantum theory, origin of spectra, and quantum statistical calculations of thermodynamic quantities.
Chemistry 332, Physical Organic Chemistry, covered such topics as valence, resonance, molecular structure, dipole moments, equilibrium, energy of reaction, chemical reactivity, acidity, conjugation, and physical properties and structure. The text was “Physical Aspects of Organic Chemistry,” by Waters and Lowry.
Chemistry 333, Special Topics in Physical Chemistry, covered such topics as kinetics, catalysis, photochemistry, atomic structure and atomic spectra.
Dr. Quayle's Tour
On March 20, 1941, at the end of the winter quarter, Dr. Quayle left on a three-month tour of several universities in the east and middle-west. The purpose of the tour, financed by a grant-in-aid from the General Education Board, was to study various systems of graduate work in organic chemistry at other universities. Most of Dr. Quayle's time would be spent in the departments of chemistry at the Universities of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Harvard. He also would visit smaller colleges where the facilities better compared with those at Emory. Dr. Quayle told the Wheel that the research was directed toward the day when the proposed University Center plan is completed and Emory's chemistry department is adequately staffed and equipped to offer the Ph.D. degree.
Department Heads
A story in the May 8, 1941 issue of the Wheel was headlined, “New Policy Creates 21 Department Heads.” Heretofore the College had had no established policy concerning department heads. Traditionally the professor who held seniority was recognized as head of the department. The new policy referred to “chairmen” rather than “heads.” They would be appointed for one year and could be reappointed, although this was not automatic. Dr. Guy was, of course, named chairman of the chemistry department, and would continue in this capacity until 1950.
Degrees
Students receiving the B.A. degree with honors in June, 1941 were Wiley Branan, John Codington, Jones Hogsed, and Harold Johnston. Harold went to Cal Tech for his graduate work and would receive an honorary D.Sc. degree from Emory in 1965.
Students receiving M.A. and M.S. degrees in 1941 were: Morris Carter, Harry Stump, Kathryn Greene, Earl Royals, Antoinette Sledd, Thurman Williams, Carl Fox, Robert Bowman, Davenport Guerry, Arthur Hicks, Tommy Johnston* and Mack Fuller.
*Thomas P. Johnston `40, `41G would receive the first Ph.D. degree awarded by Emory at the June commencement of 1948.
Return to Beginning of Chapter 3
The 1941-42 Academic Year
As the fall quarter opened in 1941 Dr. William H. Jones was in Pasadena at the California Institute of Technology. He had been awarded a research fellowship to work with Professor Linus Pauling on the determination of the structure of synthetic vitamins using electron diffraction. However, this work was interrupted by the start of World War II when Professor Pauling started war-related research. Dr. Jones had left Emory on September 1, accompanied by Mrs. Jones and Harold Johnston, `41, for the drive to California. Harold would work toward his Ph.D. at Cal Tech. Reidus Estes, `38G, was named acting instructor to supervise the General Chemistry labs and the writer took over the undergraduate and graduate courses in physical chemistry. The faculty members, including Dr. Reid, remained the same.
Graduate fellows, scholars and assistants were: James Alexander, John Boyle, Wiley Branan, Walter Carter, John Codington, Hoyt Cragg, Rufus Hill, Beachley Morehead, Mary K. Reiser, George Truchelut and Joseph D.C. Wilson, II.
The October 9 issue of the Emory Wheel had an article giving the locations of students who had received masters degrees in chemistry in 1941. Students in graduate schools were: Earl Royals, University of Wisconsin; Harry Stump, Penn State; Arthur Hicks, Brown University; Carl Fox and Davenport Guerry, Vanderbilt. Antoinette Sledd was teaching at Rabun Gap School. All the following were working at DuPont: Morris Carter, Mack Fuller, Tommy Johnston, Robert Bowman, Thurman Williams, and Ralph Macon.
The ACS Meeting
In October, 1941 the writer accompanied Dr. Guy to the fall meeting of the American Chemical Society in Atlantic City. Dr. Guy was a counselor for the Georgia Section and was able to take me with him to the council meeting as a non-voter. It was at this meeting that Charles Parson, the longtime Executive Secretary of the Society, reported on the accreditation program the Society was initiating. To be accredited, college chemistry departments had to meet certain standards, such as number of faculty and staff, course offerings, equipment, budget, library holdings, etc. Mr. Parsons announced that the committee was recommending to industrial chemical companies that they pay higher salaries to graduates of departments which were accredited than to those of departments which were not. There was little comment from council members until Dr. Guy arose and attacked the salary differential in his usual vigorous manner. Councilors from other schools then began speaking out, agreeing with Dr. Guy, until the meeting was thrown into somewhat of a turmoil. At that time Emory's department was not accredited although it soon would be. After the meeting broke up several members from large industrial companies came up to Dr. Guy, commending him on his stand, and telling him that they certainly would not discriminate against graduates of Emory's chemistry department.
ACS Meeting, Atlantic City, 1941:
Gene Roberts and Dr. Guy
R.A. Day and Dr. Guy
Pearl Harbor
On December 7, 1941 the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. The writer recalls standing in Room 401 of the Chemistry Building that Sunday morning with a group of students listening to the radio accounts of the attack. There was no immediate effect on the Chemistry Department, but there was action by the University. Dr. English* reported the following: “A University Council on the War Emergency was formed with Dr. Cox as Chairman, and its numerous subcommittees sought to anticipate every need of the critical moment. All schools now began to operate around the calendar.
*Emory University 1925-1965 - A Semicentennial History”, by Thomas H. English, Higgins-McArthur Co., Atlanta, GA, 1966.
“Emory refused to be stampeded, but determined to continue its regular academic program until a call for special services should be made. Provision was made for a class of entering freshmen in the summer quarter.”
It was not until early 1943 that Emory was listed for “basic” and premedical training in the Navy College Training Program (V-12) and also for medical training in both the Army and Navy. The program would start on July 1, 1943.
The Emory Wheel reported in February, 1942 that the faculty had registered 327 additional students in the Selective Service Program.
The Death of Dr. Cross
On Wednesday, April 23, 1942, Dr. Loy B. Cross died in Memphis, TN where he was attending the spring meeting of the American Chemical Society. During one of the sessions on Tuesday evening he collapsed and his head struck the auditorium floor. He was taken to the Baptist Hospital in Memphis where he died Wednesday afternoon. It was reported that his death was due to concussion.
Dr. Cross was survived by his wife, twin daughters, Shirley Sue and Laura Lee, a brother, Dr. Holley Cross, and his mother, Mrs. Mercer B. Cross. He was buried Saturday, April 26, in Lubbock, Texas, his former home.
Dr. Quayle's Research
In June, 1942 another paper of Dr. Quayle's on the parachors of organic compounds was published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, 64, 1294 (1942). The title was, “A Study of Organic Parachors V. Constitutive Variations of the Parachors of a Series of Normal Ketones.” It was co-authored by Katherine Owen and Josiah Clegg.
Dr. Quayle had another paper published in 1942, co-authored by Earl Royals. It was titled “Kinetic Study of the Reactions of n-Butyl Bromide with the Sodium Salts of Phenol, Thiophenol and n-Butyl Mercaptan,” J. Am. Chem. Soc., 64, 226 (1942)
In November, 1941 the University Center awarded Dr. Quayle $240 for parachor measurements of a series of solids in solution.
Degrees and Enrollment
Students receiving B.A. degrees in 1942 included George Brown, Ian Bell, Zach Cowan, Fletcher Daley, Harvey Parry, Tony Segura, John Wethington and Pelham Wilder. Brown, Segura, and Wilder graduated with honors.
Students receiving MS degrees in 1942 were James Alexander, Wiley Branan, John Codington, Beachley Morehead, Hoyt Cragg, Mary K. Reiser, Joseph Wilson, Rufus Hill and George Truchelot.
Enrollment for the year in the College was 1120 with 202 freshmen. The Graduate School had 107 regular students with 122 additional in the summer of 1941.
Graduation Exercises, summer, 1942
Left to right, front row:
Dr. Guy, R.A. Day, Dr. Quayle, Dean Gordon Stipe, Dean Hebe Rece.
Dr. Dewey and Dr. Rhodes in the second row.
Return to Beginning of Chapter 3
The 1942-43 Academic Year
There were several changes in the faculty of the Chemistry Department at the start of the fall quarter in September, 1942. The staff consisted of Professors Guy and Quayle, Associate Professors Blitch and Jones, Assistant Professors Day and Lester, and Dr. Reid, research consultant. Katherine Owen had left Emory. She and Charles Smart were married in 1942 and were now at the University of Texas where Charlie would work on his doctorate in chemistry. Charlie Lester had returned to take the vacancy in organic left by the death of Dr. Cross. He had completed his Ph.D. at Penn State in 1941 and had worked a year at the Calco Chemical Co. in New Jersey. In 1942 the University had decided to close the Junior College at Valdosta for the duration of the war, and the faculty and students were transferred to the Atlanta campus. Dr. Blitch then joined the staff and would help Dr. Guy in the General Chemistry courses. Dr. Jones returned from Cal Tech and resumed teaching the undergraduate physical courses. Dr. Guy gave the writer the choice of supervising the general chemistry labs again, or taking over the quant courses which had been taught by Miss Owen, plus continuing teaching the graduate physical courses. The writer chose to take the quant courses. Mrs. Augusta Cooper was recruited to supervise the beginning laboratories and was listed in the catalogue as a graduate assistant. In the 1943 catalogue she was listed as an instructor.
Graduate Students
Graduate fellows, scholars and assistants were Ian Bell, George Brown, Decatur Campbell, Harvey Parry, Tony Segura, John Wethington, and Pelham Wilder. Marjorie Gates, `40, returned as a graduate assistant in Biochemistry to work on her MS degree.
Dr. White Inaugurated
The inauguration of Dr. White as Emory's second president took place at a convocation on October 16, 1942. Dr. Guy, as University Marshall, lead the academic procession, helped by Drs. Quayle and Jones.
Dr. Guy
Also in October, Dr. Guy was the host to Dr. Harry Holmes, who at that time was president of the American Chemical Society. The Wheel reported that Dr. Holmes was quite impressed with Emory's chemistry department. By this time the department had been fully accredited and was the only department in the state to have been so certified by the ACS committee.
In November Dr. Guy was named chairman of a special committee of the ACS whose purpose was to reclaim idle scientific ability and direct it into channels pertaining to war research problems. It also tried to encourage research in smaller American colleges.
In December Dr. Guy announced that three Emory chemistry majors had been awarded positions with the Shell Development Co. of Emeryville, California. They were George Brown, `42, Harvey Parry, `42, and Ben Willeford, `43. They were awarded jobs as a result of interviews held earlier in the fall.
The Manhattan Project
In February, 1943, the writer received a call from Dr. Milton Burton offering him a position at the Metallurgical Laboratory at the University of Chicago. Dr. Burton could not tell me anything specific about the work except that it was war-related and was sponsored by the Office of Scientific Research and Development. It was part of an effort called the Manhattan Project. After consulting with Drs. Guy and Quayle, I decided to accept the offer and was given a leave of absence by the University. In March, at the end of the Winter quarter, I left for Chicago where I learned that the work concerned the production of plutonium for use in atomic bombs. The first self-sustaining nuclear reactor, called a pile in those days, had been achieved on December 2, 1942 at the University of Chicago and the project was rapidly recruiting chemists, physicists and engineers for the work ahead.
Degrees
Students receiving MS degrees in 1943 were Walter Carter, Pelham Wilder, John Wethington, John Boyle, Ian Bell, George Brown, Harvey Parry and Tony Segura. Marjorie Gates received her MS degree in Biochemistry.
Return to Beginning of Chapter 3
The Navy Years, 1943-45
The Navy V-12 program officially started July 1, 1943 and was terminated November 1, 1945. The July 8, 1943 issue of the Wheel said, “Emory's war-geared program swung into action this week with the opening of the College, Business Administration School and Graduate School to swell to nearly 1400 civilian, Navy, Marine and Army students.” It said that the “barracks” came alive with swarms of seamen and Marines. The four campus dormitories and the cafeteria were assigned to the Navy for its exclusive use. There were 200 Marines in the original contingent, but they were soon replaced by Navy trainees. Besides the V-12 unit, there were Army and Navy students in the Medical School and a few pre-chaplain students in the Theology School. In addition 165 nurses were in training in the Hospital Nursing School.
The requirements for a degree from the College had been altered to fit the trimester system. The Lower Division requirements were:
I. Language and Literature: English 1 and 2, 6 hours; English 3 or 6, 3 hours; Foreign languages, 9 hours.
II. Social Science and Bible: History 1 and 2, 4 hours; History 5 or 6, 3 hours; Bible 101, 3 hours; At least 6 hours from Economics 1, Sociology 2, Psychology 1 and Philosophy 101, each 3 hours.
III. Natural Science: 17 hours, (a) Math 1 or 3, 5 hours; (b) 12 hours from Chemistry, Biology, Engineering, Geology or Physics, chosen so as to include at least two fields and at least 8 hours in one field.
The Upper Division required completion of at least 60 hours. The normal full work load per trimester was 17 hours.
In the Chemistry Department the only change in numbering was in lower division courses. These were:
Chemistry I. General Chemistry, 3 lectures, 2 labs per week.
Chemistry II. General Chemistry and Qualitative Analysis, 2 lectures, 2 labs per week.
Chemistry III. Quantitative Analysis, 2 lectures, 2 labs per week.
Organic Chemistry I, 2 lectures, 2 labs per week.
Organic Chemistry II, 2 lectures, 2 labs per week.
Upper Division courses offered were: Organic, 225, 226, 227, 275 and 277; Physical, 282, 283, and Supervised Reading, 290. Only one graduate course was listed, Special Topics in Organic, 321.
The chemistry faculty consisted of Professors Guy and Quayle, Associate Professors Blitch and Jones, Assistant Professor Lester, Mrs. Cooper, Instructor, and Dr. Almand, Acting Instructor in Chemistry and Physics. Mrs. Cooper's degrees were A.B. Agnes Scott, `17; MS Emory, `24. Dr. Joseph M. Almand's degrees AB Emory, `24, MA `25; Ph.D. Hopkins, `35.
At Oxford W. Fay Durham replaced Marion Clark as instructor in chemistry. Marion was at the University of Virginia working on his doctorate in chemistry.
Graduate fellows, scholars and assistants were Leon Lamar Harrell, Jr., James N. Platt, Stanley M. Rapoport, Thomas H. Strickland and Benjamin H. Smith, Jr.
Voluntary Chapel
Chapel could not be made compulsory for men in the service so it was held weekly on a voluntary basis. The August 12, 1943 issue of the Wheel stated that attendance at chapel was disappointing.
Sigma XI Chapter
It was announced in December, 1943, that the Sigma XI Research Fraternity had granted a charter to Emory for a chapter of the organization. The official installation, along with a formal University convocation, took place on April 14, 1944. Dr. George A. Baitsell of Yale University officiated and Dr. Ernest C. Faust of the Tulane School of Medicine gave the installation address. At this time the chapter had twenty eight members representing nineteen chapters of Sigma XI
Dr. Quayle
In June, 1944 Dr. Quayle published another paper on the parachors of organic compounds. It was titled, “A Study of Organic Parachors VII. A Series of Saturated Hydrocarbons,” J.Am.Chem.Soc. 66, 938 (1944). It was co-authored by R.A Day and George M. Brown. The samples of hydrocarbons were furnished by the American Petroleum Institute.
In May, 1944, Dr. Quayle was elected president of the Georgia Academy of Sciences at a meeting in Augusta. Dr. Quayle gave an address in which he stated that the development of the South into a great industrial area had already begun.
“This will not be an overnight change, but a slow process which once begun will increase in scope and momentum. The result will be a lifting of the economic level of this section, and of the nation, to a height heretofore undreamed of,” said Dr. Quayle.
Death of Dr. Cox
On July 27, 1944 Dr. Harvey W. Cox died at the age of 69. He was Emory's first president and had been retired for about two years. Dr. Cox was buried in the Decatur cemetery.
ACS Meeting
Dr. Charles T. Lester attended the fall meeting of the American Chemical Society in New York City September 11-15. He presented a paper entitled “The Addition of 4-Mercaptobiphenyl to a Series of 1-Olefins.” The work was taken from the thesis of George F. Rodgers for the MS degree and was done in collaboration with Dr. E. Emmet Reid. Dr. Lester said that the research dealt with the cracking of large complex hydrocarbon molecules into smaller simple molecules of petroleum. This type of work has led to the development of many of the new materials which are giving the American military superiority. He added that the research offers possibilities of giving an easy method of identifying certain hydrocarbons found in mixtures resulting from the cracking of petroleum.
Biochemistry to Move
In September, 1944 President Goodrich C. White announced that a series of changes were underway which would result in the Chemistry Building being devoted entirely to College work, and all campus classes in the Medical School being concentrated in the Anatomy and Physiology Buildings.
Under the plan approved by the executive committee, the department of Biochemistry will move to the space now occupied by the department of Bacteriology in the Anatomy Building. Bacteriology will move to the space formerly held by Pharmacology in the Physiology Building and Pharmacology will share the second and third floors of the building with the department of Physiology. “The Chemistry and Biology departments of the College have been badly cramped for space,” explained Dr. White.
Return to the Quarter System
In early November Dean Harris Purks announced that in January the semester system would end in the College except for Navy students. Dean Purks said “The trimester plan, which has served well for the present emergency, can hardly be condoned as the best system for normal times. Without denying some apparent advantages in this system, one faces the fact that it is more intensified and probably less conducive to thorough studying.”
Activities at Oak Ridge
In September, 1943 the writer was transferred to Oak Ridge where a reactor of intermediate size was being built. The plant, called Clinton Laboratories (also X-10), was needed as a pilot plant for the large-scale reactors being built at Hanford, Washington, and to produce a few grams of plutonium for experimental purposes. The reactor was air-cooled and had a projected power level of 1000 kW. The plans for the Hanford reactors were changed from helium to water cooling so that the X-10 reactor was not a true pilot plant. It did, however, serve as a pilot plant for the separation process, and successfully produced some badly needed plutonium.
In the fall of 1944 the writer received a letter from Dean Harris Purks suggesting that I return to the campus as soon as feasible. Dean Purks pointed out the need to get started on plans for the doctoral program that would probably be authorized at the end of the war.
At Oak Ridge the work was less urgent than earlier. The reactor had performed well and reached a power level of 1800 kW in May, 1944. The separation process, designed on the basis of experiments with only microgram quantities of plutonium, was also successful. By March 1, 1944 several grams of the metal had been isolated.
At Hanford the first water-cooled reactor and separation plant began operation in September, 1944. The second and third reactors and separation plants were in operation during late 1944 and early 1945. The separation process was working successfully and producing plutonium in relatively large amounts.
Return to Beginning of Chapter 3
Fall, 1944
I returned to the campus at the start of the fall semester in November and taught for the first time in the Navy V-12 program. I had a section of Chemistry 3, the introductory quant course with 43 V-12 students. There were only a few civilian students at that time. Chemistry 212, the gravimetric analysis course, had three civilians, Carroll Bailey, Dan Bynum, and Robert Lyle. I also taught Chemistry 282, the second course in physical chemistry, which had seven civilians.
Drs. Guy, Quayle, Blitch, Lester and Mrs. Cooper were still on hand and Dr. Reid was still visiting as research consultant. Dr. Jones had taken a leave of absence (below). The department was now accredited by the American Chemical Society, the first department in Georgia to receive accreditation. Course offerings at the undergraduate level were still the same, but at the graduate level offerings in the organic area were being increased in anticipation of the start of the doctoral program.
Degrees
In 1944 BA degrees were received by Carroll Bailey (June) and Daniel Anderson and John R. (Jack) Proffitt (October). In the College a total of 47 BA degrees were awarded in 1944 as well as four B.S. degrees in engineering.
Enrollment
Enrollment for March 1 to December 31, 1944 was 1409 in the College, 159 civilians and 147 in the Graduate School.
Dr. Jones to Oak Ridge
Dr. William H. Jones took a leave of absence in November to become director of the chemistry laboratory at a new plant in Oak Ridge that was finished in the late summer of 1944. The purpose of this plant was to increase the concentration of U-235 in the feed material used in the electromagnetic separation process. The electromagnetic plant, called Y-12, was the only source of bomb-grade U-235 at that time. (The gaseous diffusion plant, called K-25, was not yet in operation.) The separation process in the new plant was based on thermal diffusion and was successful in increasing the production rate of U-235 by the Y-12 plant.
Dr. Jones was joined at Oak Ridge by Jacob H. Goldstein, AB Emory, `43, MS, `45, future Professor of Chemistry at Emory. At the end of the war Goldstein worked for a year at X-10 with Charles Coryell before entering Harvard for his doctoral work in physical chemistry.
Return to Beginning of Chapter 3
1945
This was a year of change and progress for the University. The war ended both in Europe and the Pacific. The V-12 program was terminated on November 1. The College returned to the quarter system and prepared for the influx of returning veterans. The Ph.D. program was authorized in a few departments including chemistry. The Chemistry and Biology Departments received some badly needed space as Biochemistry moved out of the first floor of the Chemistry Building.
The Parachor Series
In January of the new year Dr. Quayle published another paper in the parachor series. It was titled, “A Study of Organic Parachors VIII. A Supplementary Series of Tertiary Alcohols,” J.Am.Chem.Soc. 67, 21 (1945). It was co-authored by Katherine Owen Smart.
Biochemistry Moves
The move of Biochemistry from the second floor of the Chemistry Building was completed by early spring. The Chemistry Department moved into the space west of the stairwell, Biology occupying the rooms to the east. The large laboratory at the west end of the building was taken over for use in the undergraduate quantitative analysis courses. As previously mentioned, laboratory sections in these courses were limited to 32 students, or 64 in two sections. Students had ample space to work in this lab. There were two balance rooms, an office adjacent to the lab, and a medium-sized laboratory suitable for two students doing research. The space created by putting a floor across the archway was already used by Mrs. Cooper as an office. The department also shared with Biology the lecture room, Chemistry 203, at the east end of the building. In the laboratories utilities such as direct current, vacuum, hot water, compressed air and steam were no longer in working order. The hoods in the large laboratory would run, but were essentially useless. There were no hoods in the small laboratories.
The laboratory that had been used for quantitative analysis on the third floor was taken over by organic for much-needed research space. The two balance rooms were converted into offices for faculty members.
The Library
In the latter part of the year the administration authorized the creation of a departmental library for the Chemistry Department. This was a big boost for the starting doctoral program. By December more than 100 former students and other friends of Dr. Guy had given over $1,000 for the purchase of books to be placed in the library and to be known as the Guy Collection. At this time they were placed in the Pi Alpha library (the former small balance room on the fourth floor) until 1951 when a larger space was provided for the library on the third floor.
Dr. Guy was also honored in the spring of 1945 by the award of an honorary D.Sc. degree from Davidson College. Dr. Guy was an alumnus of Davidson, receiving his BS degree in 1905 and A.M. in 1906.
End of World War II
By the time a regular summer quarter opened in June, the war in Europe had ended and in early August the war in the Pacific was over. The August 9 issue of the Emory Wheel carried a story about Emory participants in the atomic bomb projects. Four professors and eighteen students were involved in various aspects of the Manhattan Project. Professors Jones and Day were at Oak Ridge and Physics Professor Robert Lagemann was at Columbia University working on the gaseous diffusion project. Dr. Claude Craven, Assistant Professor of Mathematics, had resigned to work on the project at Columbia.
Former students involved were Oscar Blackwell, John Boyle, Otto Briscoe, James E. Corry, Jr., Hoyt Cragg, Fletcher Daley, Marjorie Gates Day, Jacob H. Goldstein, Lamar Harrell, Paul Hartsfield, Charles B. Hudson, Jr., Thomas R. Paxton, Sam Reynolds, George F. Rodgers, Tony Segura, Tom Strickland, Harry Stump, and John Wethington.
End of the V-12 Program
The Navy V-12 program was officially ended on November 1, 1945. By that time over 2000 men had received training at Emory in the College, Medical School and Theology School. In the Hospital Nursing School 165 women had received training.
The Malone Report
In early 1945 the University had called in Dr. Dumas Malone `10, `36H, Professor of History at Columbia, as a special adviser on planning for the doctoral programs of the Graduate School. On October 1, 1945, in his “Report to the President on the Development of the Graduate School,” Dr. Malone wrote, “As soon as feasible, doctoral work should be begun on a restricted basis. The best available information at this moment points to the desirability of beginning in chemistry and biology. Both of these departments have been maintained at considerable strength and, though their laboratory facilities are not extensive enough to justify their acceptance of all comers, they can take a limited number of candidates for the doctorate. The process which is recommended would be highly selective. It is that the first candidates be hand-picked; that there be, let us say, two in chemistry and one in biology during the first year; that they be granted generous fellowships; and that they work in the particular areas which these departments believe can be cultivated here to the best advantage. Specifically, my thought is that the first candidates would work in organic chemistry and cytogenetics. Besides a few hand-picked men who would be regarded from the first as suitable candidates for the doctorate, others who may demonstrate unusual capacity as candidates for the master's degree can be carried on to higher levels.”
On October 16 the Board of Trustees authorized the offering of a program leading to the Doctor of Philosophy degree by those departments found to be adequately staffed and equipped. In 1946 Dean Leroy Loemker appointed a committee to determine which departments were ready and the Chemistry Department was the first to be granted permission to proceed with its program.
Return to Beginning of Chapter 3
Start of the Doctoral Program: 1946-48
As the winter quarter opened in 1946 the College was gearing up for the influx of returning servicemen. Courses in general chemistry and introductory organic were now offered more than once a year with the summer quarter becoming like a regular term. Veterans wished to finish as quickly as possible and were eager to attend classes the year round. Chemistry 101 was offered in the fall, winter and summer, 102 in the fall, winter and spring, and 113 every quarter. Organic now offered Chemistry 141 and 142 for premeds, five-hour courses with four lectures and one three-hour lab. Chemistry 171 and 172 were for chemistry majors with four lectures and two three-hour labs. Chemistry 141 and 171 were given in the fall and spring, 142 and 172 in the winter and summer. Chemistry 211, which was now required for medical school, was offered in the fall, spring and summer.
Science faculty discussion group, 1947
Standing left to right: Jon Venable, Howard Phillips, Bob Rohrer, R.A. Day, Jim Lester, Bob Lagemann, Art,Munyon, Charlie Lester. Kneeling: D.R. McMillan, Sam Meyer
Faculty
Two faculty members were added during 1946, E. Earl Royals, as assistant professor, and Bruce McDuffie, as instructor. Royals was an Emory graduate, AB `40, MS `41, who obtained his Ph.D. at Wisconsin in 1944. He had been an instructor at Georgia Tech since that time. McDuffie received all his degrees from Princeton, AB `42, MA `46, and Ph.D. `47. Royals would give much needed help to the organic area which was the first to accept doctoral students. McDuffie taught the sections in Qualitative Analysis and in 1948 added a graduate course, Chemistry 352, called “Modern Aspects of Inorganic Chemistry.” Carroll Bailey, AB `44, MS `45, served as instructor in the spring of 1946.
In the fall of 1947 the staff included as instructors two students working on their doctorates, Raymond E. Donaldson and J. Harvey Hobson. Hobson received his BS from the University of South Carolina in 1939 and his A.M. from Emory in 1947. Donaldson received his BS from Berry College in 1942 and his MS from Emory in 1947. Hobson helped out in the general chemistry and qualitative analysis courses, while Donaldson assisted in the introductory organic courses.
Faculty, 1948: Left to right, Drs. Lester, Clark, Jones, Quayle, Royals, McDuffie, Day, Blitch, Guy, and Mrs. Cooper
Courses
Doctoral level courses were added in the organic area for the first Ph.D. candidates. Lester and Royals offered two courses in theoretical organic, 422 and 423. Chemistry 471, Heterocyclic Compounds, was given by Lester and Chemistry 472, Natural Products, was offered by Royals. Dr. Quayle gave a course on polymerization, Chemistry 473. Second year research courses were also added.
Students
Graduate students enrolled from September 1946 to August 1947 were: John W. Bellis, Dan Bynum, Decatur Campbell, Egbert H. Clower, Mary Jean Craft, Thomas Fisher Craft, William B. Dickinson, Mary L. Dixon, Raymond E. Donaldson, Lillian Douglas, Sydney Fleming, Gloria Gilbert, Hiram S. Hanson, James Harvey Hobson, Donald E. Horner, Thomas P. Johnston, Jack Proffitt, Ben Smith, Jr., Murray Strier, Charles Stringer, Edgar Surratt, William L. Truett, Charles B. Vail, and E. Willan Wilson.
Degrees
In December, 1946 MS degrees were awarded to Dan Bynum, Gloria Gilbert, Charles Stringer, William Dickinson, Ben Smith and William Truett. In June, 1947 John W. Bellis and Harvey Hobson received MA degrees.
Enrollment
In January, 1946 Registrar J. Gordon Stipe reported an enrollment in the University of 2045 students, including 550 veterans. This was well above the 1811 in January, 1945 when the Navy V-12 unit was part of the student body. There were 815 in the College and 73 in the Graduate School. At the beginning of the spring quarter the College enrollment was up to 1020, and 350 additional students were added in the summer of 1946. In the fall of 1946 the University enrollment was 3583 with over 1700 in the College, three-fourths of them veterans. 1947 was the peak year and the number of veterans in residence numbered 2200. In the fall of 1947 the College had 1740 students and the Graduate School 189. By the winter of 1948 enrollment had peaked and the number of veterans was beginning to drop. The College had 1708 and the Graduate School 191 students.
Dr. Quayle
In March, 1946 Dr. Quayle was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. The article in the Wheel reported that Dr. Quayle was a member of Sigma XI, American Chemical Society, New York Academy of Sciences, American Association for the Advancement of Science, Southern Association of Science and Industry, Gamma Alpha, Alpha Chi Sigma, Delta Upsilon and Pi Alpha. His writings included contributions to Organic Syntheses.
Dr. Guy
In April, 1946, Dr. Guy spoke to the Atlanta Textile Club on the potentialities of atomic energy. The time will come,” he said, “when the burning of coal will be as obsolete as wearing a `Mother Hubbard.' “He pointed out that the new force is a benefit to mankind, not a “killer,” and that it is “the ultimate, the greatest power pack we know.”
Surplus Property
At the end of World War II the government declared a number of munitions plants surplus property. The contents would be given away to nonprofit institutions on a first-come first-serve basis. Universities were high on the priority list of eligible institutions, and University Treasurer, George Mew, had representatives from Emory on hand when the materials could be claimed.
In addition to the O.D. paint (see EndNotes) the University received large quantities of laboratory equipment and supplies which could be used by the science departments of the University. One of the most useful items to the Chemistry Department was approximately twenty chainomatic analytical balances. At this time the department had only four such balances, far too few to take care of the large enrollments in Chemistry 211. Students had been using “rider” type balances in which weights smaller than 10 milligrams were added by placing a small piece of wire, the rider, in different positions on the beam. After each addition of a weight, the operator had to determine the “rest point” of the balance by observation of the swings of the pointer. It was a long and tedious process. With chainomatic balances weights below 10 milligrams could be added using a gold chain attached to the right-hand side of the beam. Such a balance eliminated the handling of small weights and permitted final weight adjustments to be made while the beam was in motion. Weighing was much more rapid than with a rider balance.
From surplus property the department also received its first pH meter. It was one of the old reliable Beckman Model G meters. Other equipment useful in the organic and physical laboratories was also obtained, as well as many useful chemicals for the stockroom.
Research Grants
In November, 1946 the Research Corporation announced two grants to faculty members of the department. A grant of $1700 went to W.H. Jones for “The Determination of Heats of Vaporization of Liquids by Direct Measurement Using an Apparatus of Original Design.” One of $2000 went to R.A.Day for “Ultraviolet Absorption Studies of Several Series Of Organic Compounds.” The department bought its first Beckman Model DU spectrophotometer from this grant.
Annex C
In January, 1947 it was announced that arrangements were being made for the construction of three temporary classroom buildings. One of these, later known as Annex C, would contain a large lecture room and two large laboratories to be used by the Chemistry Department. Construction began in late February on the 131x62 foot building. It was made with material removed from Camp Forrest, Tennessee.
The building was occupied in the summer of 1947 by Professor Charlie Lester and the group of graduate students working for him. When Leon Mandell first joined the staff in 1958 his office and labs were located in Annex C. The building was used by the Chemistry Department until 1960 when the Basic Health Science Building was vacated by the Dental School. The space in that building which had been used by the Biochemistry Department of the Dental School was taken over by the Chemistry Department and the rest of the building was occupied by Psychology.
It was said that for years after the move one of the laboratories in Annex C smelled of butyric acid which had been spilled on the wooden floor. The building is still in use as of this writing.
Oak Ridge Institute
In September, 1947 the formation of the Oak Ridge Institute for Nuclear Studies was announced. The Institute would be one of three national laboratories given over to advanced research by students and faculty members of outstanding American universities. Fourteen schools in the southeast, including Emory, were members of the Oak Ridge Institute, each having one representative on the governing body. Dean J. Harris Purks was Emory's representative on the board.
Georgia Section Meeting
In November, 1947 the Georgia Section of the American Chemical Society sponsored a “Meeting in Miniature” in Atlanta. Three papers were given by faculty and students from Emory: “Isomeric aldehydes derived from p-cymene” by C.T. Lester, R.E. Donaldson and J.S. Oswald; “Some new measurements of heats of vaporization” by W.H. Jones and J.H. Hobson; and “Oxidation Potentials of Ketones” by R.A. Day, A.E. Robinson and J.W. Bellis.
Sigma XI
Chemistry graduate students elected to Sigma XI in December were John W. Bellis, William Dickinson, Raymond E. Donaldson, J. Harvey Hobson, Jack R. Proffitt, Benjamin H. Smith, Murray P. Strier and William L. Truett. In May, 1948 Thomas P. Johnston, J. Frank Cogdell, Mary J. Craft, Samuel E. Horne, A.E. Robinson, Edgar R. Suratt and E. Willan Wilson were also elected.
Commencement, 1948
The highlight of the June commencement was the awarding of the first Ph.D. degree to Thomas P. Johnston. He was hooded by Dr. Osborne R. Quayle, his research adviser. Tommy had worked with Dr. Quayle on the measurement of parachors, and his work, entitled “Organic Parachors IX. Additive Nature of Structural Units in the Parachors of Ditertiary Glycols and Chlorides,” was published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, 70, 479 (1948). Tommy was a research chemist for the Tennessee Corporation from 1948 to 1957. He then joined the staff of the Southern Research Institute in Birmingham where he became section head in 1958. His work was in the area of organic sulfur chemistry and the synthesis of potential anticancer and antiradiation drugs. In 1953 he married Mary Jean Craft who also obtained her MS and Ph.D. degrees in chemistry from Emory.
First Ph.D., 1948: Dr. Quayle hoods Tommy Johnston; Dean Loemker, and President White look on.
Master's Degrees
In December, 1947 MS degrees were awarded to Decatur Campbell, Donald E, Horner, Murray P. Strier and Charles B. Vail. Receiving MS degrees in August, 1948 were E.H. (Tony) Clower, J. Frank Cogdell, Mary Jean Craft, Donald M Davidson, Douglas O. Dean, Lillian M Douglas, Charles M. (Mel) Hendry, A.E. (Gene) Robinson and Edgar C. Surratt.
Return to Beginning of Chapter 3
The 1948-49 Academic Year
As the fall quarter opened in 1948 there was a new addition to the staff in the organic area. Marion Clark, who had received his AB and A.M. degrees from Emory in 1938 and 1939, was named assistant professor of chemistry. Marion had served as instructor in chemistry at Oxford from 1939 to 1943. He then did graduate work at the University of Virginia and received his Ph.D. in 1946. He taught at Birmingham-Southern College from 1946 to 1948. He would provide much needed help in teaching the large introductory organic courses. The remainder of the staff consisted of Drs. Guy, Quayle, Jones, Blitch, Day, Lester, Royals, McDuffie, and Mrs. Cooper. Dr. Reid continued as research consultant. Dr. Day spent the summer and fall quarters in Oak Ridge as a research participant at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
The College enrollment in the fall was 1865 with 360 freshmen. There were only 44 veterans in the Lower division. At the beginning of the winter quarter the number of veterans in the entire University was down to 1906 from 2034 the previous year.
In February, 1949 Dr. Bruce McDuffie left on a one-month tour of eastern and Midwestern colleges and universities to study analytical and inorganic chemistry programs at MIT, Princeton, University of Michigan and the University of Minnesota. He also visited the National Bureau of Standards in Washington.
In March, 1949 Larry Prucino, Robert C. Mizell, John Prigmore and Leven Hazelgrove were initiated into Pi Alpha.
Pi Alpha Group, 1949:
Back row: Dr. Quayle, Earl Whipple, Bruce McDuffie
Fourth row: Sam Horne, C. Chung, Mal Hendry, Brooke Hoey, Jack Proffitt, A.G. Robinson, Bob Mizell, Dr. Jones
Third row: Ben Smith, Gene Robinson, Art Neal, Ed Surratt, Harry Watson, W.G. Horstman
Second row: Arthur Jordan, George Mell, Charlie Vail, Ed Covington, (unknown), Mitchell Baker
Front row, Dr. Guy, Charles McKibben, Frank Cogdell, Larry Prucino, Doug Dean, R.A. Day, Jake Goldstein, Charlie Lester
Dr. Quayle Receives Herty Award
In April, 1949 the Georgia Section of the American Chemical Society announced that Dr. O. R. Quayle had been chosen to receive the annual Herty award for outstanding contributions to the field of chemistry in the Southeast. The announcement said that “Dr. Quayle's selection was for `parachor research,' which attempts to show how the volume of molecules changes with structure.” He was also chosen for his general contribution to the development of chemical studies in the Southeast.
“The award was the result of special work Dr. Quayle has done with graduate students of the chemistry department. Emory's department is now ranked in the upper 10 per cent of the nation. It was one of the first in the Southeast and the first in Georgia to meet the standards for awarding the Ph.D. degree.”
Formal presentation of the award was made on May 7 at the Georgia State College for Women in Milledgeville. Dr. Quayle's acceptance speech was titled “We're Taking Our Place,” and reported on progress being made in chemical education and research in the Southeast.
Southeastern A.C.S. Meeting
In June, 1949 a meeting of Southeastern A.C.S. sections was held in Oak Ridge. Dr. Quayle made an address concerning the number of chemists being graduated from Southern colleges. He said, “In spite of advances in chemical education the South needs twice as many bachelor degree chemists as are being graduated each year. In proportion to our population, we are also producing only slightly more than one-fourth of our proportion of doctorates.”
Dr. Quayle pointed out, however, that in proportion to our population more Ph.D.'s in chemistry have their origin at Emory than at Princeton or Harvard, more in Florida than in Michigan, and more in the College of Charleston than in Amherst.
Other Emory professors who attended the meeting were Drs. Bruce McDuffie and R.A. Day, who presented papers, and Dr. W.H. Jones.
Enrollment
From September 1, 1948 to August 31, 1949 the number of students in the College on the Atlanta campus was 2045. The number in the Graduate School was 713.
Degrees
MS degrees awarded in the 1948-49 academic year were as follows:
December: William Fay Durham, Sydney Fleming
March: Billy F. Landrum
June: Joseph Jack Kirkland
Jack would receive an honorary D.Sc. from Emory at the dedication of the new Chemistry Building in 1974.
August: Lamar Harrell, Harrison Watson
The second Ph.D. was given in June, 1949 to Eva Cunningham McGhee. This was the first Ph.D. awarded to a woman and the first in Biochemistry. At this time students in Biochemistry took courses and exams in the Chemistry Department, while doing their research with faculty of the Biochemistry Department.
Return to Beginning of Chapter 3
The 1949-50 Academic Year
In the fall of 1949 the Ph.D. program in organic chemistry was in full swing. Two more degrees would be awarded in December, two in June and six in August, 1950. Research space was so limited that some students had to wait until someone completed his research before he or she could get started.
In the physical area two students, Harvey Hobson and Charles Vail, had started the program, working with Dr. Jones on the measurement of heats of vaporization. Doctoral level courses were needed and in the fall the department added Jacob H. Goldstein as instructor in chemistry. Jake was an Emory alumnus, A.B.'43, MS `45, who after a year at Oak Ridge received a National Research Council Fellowship for graduate work at Harvard. He completed his Ph.D. in 1949, working with E. Bright Wilson in microwave spectroscopy. Jake added courses in Quantum Mechanics, Chemistry 431, 432 and 433, and Statistical Mechanics, 435 and 436, given in alternate years. He also taught Chemistry 333, Molecular Structure, Chemistry 330, Survey of Physical Chemistry, and supervised the undergraduate physical chemistry laboratory. He began setting up a microwave spectroscopy laboratory in the Physics Building in collaboration with Physics professor, Jim Simmons. Graduate student, Bill Wilcox, who entered in the fall of 1949, began his research with Goldstein in this area.
Doctoral Degrees
In December, 1949 Raymond E. (Ray) Donaldson and E. Willan Wilson completed their work for the doctoral degree. In June Charles Malcolm (Mal) Hendry and John R. (Jack) Proffitt received degrees, and in August six more degrees were awarded: J. Franklin (Frank) Cogdell, Mary Jean Craft, Douglas O. ( Doug) Dean, Samuel E. (Sam) Horne*, Anderson Eugene (Gene) Robinson and Edgar C. (Ed) Surratt. William Fay Durham completed his degree in Biochemistry.
*Sam would receive an honorary D.Sc. from Emory in 1982.
Gene Robinson distilling an organic compound
Master's Degrees
Master of Science degrees during the year were as follows:
December: Leven S. Hazelgrove, John R. Prigmore
March: Herman S. Pridgen
June: Charles R. McKibben, Tsung-Men Shen
August: Emily Sue Bretz, Robert C. Mizell, Hubert L. Youmans
Enrollment
Enrollment in the College on the Atlanta campus for the period September 1, 1949 to August 31, 1950 was off slightly to 1644. There were 875 students in the Graduate School.
Odds and Ends from the Wheel
At the opening convocation in the fall of 1949 Dr. Guy delivered an address entitled, “What will tomorrow expect of you?” On October 6 the Russians exploded their first atomic bomb. In November chemistry student Gene Robinson was elected President of the Graduate School student body. Also in November alumnus Gould H. Cloud, AB Emory, `31, MS `32; Ph.D. Buffalo, `35, spoke to the Sigma XI fraternity on “The Chemistry and Engineering of Petroleum Production.”
In February, 1950 ground was broken for the new Biology and Geology buildings as well as for two student apartments.
Dr. Guy's Heart Attack
On April 7, 1950 the Wheel reported that Dr. J. Sam Guy was reported “resting comfortably at his home after spending three weeks at the University hospital. The veteran chemist suffered a heart attack at his home several weeks ago.” Dr. Guy returned to teaching in the fall but turned the chairmanship of the department over to Dr. Quayle.
Summer, 1950
By the summer of 1950 the Korean War was underway. Summer School enrollment dropped to 514 from 760 the previous summer. Marion Clark and Jake Goldstein spent the summer at Oak Ridge as research participants. In July Bruce McDuffie won a scholarship award to attend a workshop on “Science in General Education” at Harvard. The workshop lasted four days and gave teachers opportunities to examine the methods, aims and practices applied to introductory science courses in Harvard's general education program.
Doctoral Degrees at Other Universities
The following is a list of students who received degrees from Emory in the 40's and went on to get their Ph.D.'s from other institutions. The principal place of subsequent employment is also given where known.
Hicks, Arthur, AB Emory `40, MS `41; Ph.D. Auburn `65; LaGrange College.
Carter, Walter, AB Emory `41, MS `43; Ph.D. Princeton; Georgia Tech.
Codington, John, AB Emory `41, MS `42; Ph.D. University of Virginia `45; Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research; Cornell Medical College.
Guerry, Davenport, BS Duke `40; MS Emory `41; Ph.D. Vanderbilt `44; Monsanto Chemical Company.
Hogsed, Jones, AB Emory `41; Ph.D. Ohio State `48; Tennessee Eastman; DuPont.
Johnston, Harold, AB Emory `41, Honorary Sc.D. `65; Ph.D. California Institute of Technology `48; Cal Tech; University of California, Berkeley.
Brown, George M., AB Emory `42, MS `43; Ph.D. Princeton `49; University of Maryland; Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Wethington, John, AB Emory `42, MS `43; Ph.D. Northwestern; University of Florida School of Nuclear Engineering.
Wilder, Pelham, AB Emory `42, MS `43; Ph.D. Harvard; Duke University.
Goldstein, Jacob H., AB Emory `43, MS `45; Ph.D. Harvard `49; Emory University.
Willeford, Benjamin, AB Emory `42; Ph.D. University of Wisconsin ; Bucknell University.
Lyle, Robert, AB Emory `45, MS `46; Ph.D. University of Wisconsin `49; University of New Hampshire.
Lyle, Gloria Gilbert, BA Vanderbilt `44; MS Emory `46; Ph.D. University of New Hampshire `58; University of New Hampshire.
Dickinson, William B., AB Emory `46, MS `47; Ph.D. University of Wisconsin `50; Sterling-Winthrop Research Institute.
Kirkland, Joseph Jack, AB Emory `48, MS `49, Honorary Sc.D. `74; Ph.D. University of Virginia `53 ; DuPont.
Hazelgrove, Leven S., MS Emory `49; Ph.D. University of Alabama; Samford University.
Youmans, Hubert L., AB Emory `49, MS `50; Ph.D. Louisiana State University `61; Western Carolina University.
Doctoral Degrees at Emory
The following is a list of students who received Ph.D. degrees from Emory through August, 1950.
Johnston, Thomas P., AB Emory `40, MS `41, Ph.D. `48 (Quayle); DuPont; Tennessee Eastman Company; Southern Research Institute.
Donaldson, Raymond E., BS Berry College `42; MS Emory `47, Ph.D. `49 (Quayle): Tennessee Eastman Company.
Wilson, E. Willan, AB Emory `44, Ph.D. `49; Tennessee Eastman Company.
Hendry, Charles M., AB DePauw University `47; MS Emory `48, Ph.D. `50 (Royals). Celanese Fiber Co.
Proffitt, John R., AB Emory `45, MA `48, Ph.D. `50 (Lester); DuPont; Proffitt Textile Company.
Cogdell, J. Frank, BS Birmingham-Southern `48; MS Emory `48, Ph.D. `50 (Quayle). DuPont
Craft, Mary Jean, BS University of Georgia ; MS Emory `48, Ph.D. `50 (Lester).
Dean, Douglas O., AB Emory `47, MS `48, Ph.D. `50 (Lester)
Horne, Samuel E., AB Emory `47, MS `48, Ph.D. `50, Honorary Sc.D. `82 (Royals).
Robinson, A. Eugene, AB Emory `46, MS `48, Ph.D. `50 (Quayle).
Suratt, Edgar C., AB Emory `47, MS `48, Ph.D. `50 (Lester)
Landrum, Billy Frank, AB Emory `47, MS `49, Ph.D. `50 (Lester); Kellogg Co.; Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Co.; FMC; Whitaker Corp.
Return to Beginning of Chapter 3
End Notes to Chapter 3
Faculty group at Lakemont, Fall, 1941
Seated, back, Norman Mathews: standing, back: Ray Estes, R.A. Day;
middle, Ed Martin, Wayne Denny, Harris Purks;
seated, front, Harvey Young, Bill Strozier.
Lakemont, 1941, Dr. Guy at Boathouse
Mr. Woodruff's Dogs
One Monday morning in the spring of 1941 Dr. Guy came in carrying a large jug of water. He told us that it came from Mr. Robert Woodruff's plantation in South Georgia. Mr. Woodruff enjoyed bird hunting on his plantation and had several prized bird dogs. Apparently his dogs were having considerable tooth decay and Mr. Woodruff was trying to find the reason. At that time there was considerable publicity about the relation between fluoride in water and tooth decay, and, according to Dr. Guy, Mr. Woodruff thought the water might contain too much fluoride. He had asked Dr. Guy to analyze the water for him.
Being the newcomer on the staff, the task naturally fell to me. I had never done an analysis for fluoride, but looked it up and carried out the procedure. It was a colorimetric test and in those days one used long, slender tubes, called Nessler tubes, for a series of standards, and held them up to the light to compare colors to the unknown.
As it turned out the water contained practically no fluoride. The rule of thumb was that about one part per million was needed to prevent tooth decay. I told this to Dr. Guy who told Mr. Woodruff, and I never heard anymore about it. In 1974 Mr. Woodruff gave the University $8,000,000 to build a new chemistry building. I doubt that there was any connection, but if there were, it was a magnificent payment!
Ammonium Nitrate
Sometime in the fall of 1942 Dr. Guy was contacted by a friend of his who was in charge of a war-related research project for the government. It involved the well-known compound, ammonium nitrate, which is an explosive as well as a fertilizer. In making bombs at that time the compound was melted and poured into shells. The manufacturers of the shells were interested in lowering the melting point of the compound. As all chemists will recall, the melting point of a pure compound can be lowered by adding a second compound. Incidentally, a common experiment in freshman chemistry in those days involved heating ammonium nitrate to produce nitrous oxide:
NH4NO3 -> 2H2O + N2
The project consisted of running phase diagrams on mixtures of ammonium nitrate and various organic compounds containing nitrogen. The compounds were furnished by the committee in charge, and were obviously selected so as not to decrease the explosive property of the ammonium nitrate. The phase diagrams gave, of course, the composition of the eutectic mixture, the mixture with the lowest melting point.
The writer, still being the newcomer on the staff, was elected to do the measurements. As I recall, the only safety precautions used were wearing goggles, and working behind a shield made from a piece of safety glass from an automobile window. I ran phase diagrams with several compounds which were sent us before I left for Chicago. I never did learn whether or not the results were of any practical value.
The Lead Bridge
One day in the early 40's a doctor from Emory Hospital came to the Chemistry Building with some metal fragments that had been scraped from a bridge in a patient's mouth. The patient, from somewhere in Alabama, had been referred to Emory for diagnosis after a long debilitating illness. Emory doctors suspected lead poisoning and wanted to check the bridge as a possible source of the metal.
Older alumni may remember that the qualitative test for lead is fairly simple. The metal shavings were easily soluble in nitric acid, and lead occurs in Group I, the acid chloride group. Addition of hydrochloric acid precipitates the chlorides of silver, lead and mercurous mercury. When we added HCl to the solution a copious white crystalline precipitate was formed. There was really no reason to confirm that it was PbCl2. The doctor was satisfied that he had found the source of the trouble.
I presume that the patient got a new lead-free bridge and recovered, but we never did hear the final outcome.
Items from the Emory Wheel
Return to Beginning of Chapter 3
The Address System.
October 31, 1940. A headline read “Student Proves Dumb, Not Deaf.” The article said that the ear was quicker than the mind of a freshman in Dr. J. Sam Guy's Chemistry 101.
“Are there any of you back there who can't hear what I'm saying,?” Dr. Guy asked a large class.
From the last seat came the quick response, “Yes sir, I can't.”
November 14, 1940. A headline read, “Dr. Guy Installs Address System.” The article said that after 35 years of shouting at the back row of some of Emory's largest freshman classes, Dr. J. Sam Guy installed in his classroom the first public address system on the campus.
“With a public address system I can talk to as many as 10,000 students with half the effort required to lecture to 50 students without the amplifier.”
Equipment in the broadcasting system includes a lapel microphone with two amplifiers. There are approximately 160 seats in the classroom.
The Twins
January 16, 1941. A headline read, “Twin Girls Bring Chemistry Instructor Happiness, Insomnia.” This article reported the birth of twin girls to Dr. and Mrs. Loy Cross on December 13, 1940. It said that members of the chemistry department had suggested the names Dextro and Laevo for them, but the parents named them Shirley Sue and Laura Leigh. Pi Alpha gave them a twin baby carriage.
The Brewery
Thirteen members of Pi Alpha plus Drs. Quayle, Jones and Miss Owen, attended the spring meeting of the American Chemical Society in St. Louis. The members were Davenport Guerry, Mac Fuller, Harry Stump, Antoinette Sledd, Kathryn Greene, Joe Wilson, Arthur Hicks, Thurman Williams, Carl Fox, John Boyle, John Brown, John Codington and Morris Carter. The highlight of their trip was a visit to the Anheuser Busch brewery to inspect plant processes.
Harold Johnston Speaks Out
Headline, January 23, 1941: “Johnston Lashes Activities System.” The article reported that Harold Johnston, `41, last week embarked on a one-man crusade against the campus' extracurricular system. On Monday night, before the University Debate Forum, he advocated abolition of honor societies and those activities which exist merely as stepping stones to honor societies.
Return to Beginning of Chapter 3
Pi Alpha Initiation
Headline, October 15, 1942: “Pi Alpha Initiates Proclaim Greatness of Chemistry.” The article read: “If you were in the vicinity of the chemistry building Monday night around 9 o'clock, you were startled, no doubt, and amazed by peals of laughter interspersed with bloodcurdling howls coming from the 4th floor.
“And if you were in the building, you saw four blindfolded students, each carrying 25 pound stones with them.
“And if you were one of the approximately 18 members of Pi Alpha, honorary chemical fraternity, you knew what happened to the four hapless initiates when they entered the meeting room behind closed doors.
“Sporting placards bearing the inscription `Chemistry is the savior of mankind, follow me for a demonstration,' the new members, Lamar Harrell, `43, Tom Strickland, `43, Ben Smith, `44, and Decatur Campbell, `43, were led around the campus and then to the chemistry building for secret initiation ceremonies Monday night.
“Tony Segura, graduate student, is president of Pi Alpha which sponsors the science open house in the spring.”
The Swing
April 27, 1944: An article stated that Ben Smith and Lamar Harrell have constructed a cable-swing in their backyard (the gully north of the building where the Geology and Biology buildings were later built). They had attached a large steel cable to the limb of a tree and would swing way out over the gully. The article stated that it was comparable only to the Tarzanic vines in motion pictures, and that “the chemists invite you to their only vice, `Weismullering.'“
The Benzine Ring
May 11, 1944. A headline read “Benzine Ring Newest Club.” Announcement came this week of the formation of the latest campus society, the Benzine Ring, by six chemistry students representing the carbon atoms. The six members will be joined by newly elected members to complete the chain.
Dr. Charles Lester is the sponsor, called catalyst by members of the club. Officers are Dan Anderson, President, Robert Lyle, Vice-president, Sydney Fleming, Secretary, David Davison, Treasurer, Sam Horne and David Heinz.
According to the charter granted the club by Dean Rece, the purpose of the club is to “further the cause of education by inviting members of the faculty to address the members on chemical subjects.”
Return to Beginning of Chapter 3
Pi Alpha
August 17, 1944. An announcement in the Wheel said that Pi Alpha had initiated two new members, Dan Bynum and Bobby Shingler. Newly elected officers were: Jack Proffitt, President; Carroll Bailey, Vice President; Robert Lyle, Secretary-Treasurer; Bobby Shingler, Keeper of the Scroll; and Dan Bynum, Keeper of the Portals.
November 16, 1944. Carroll Bailey, President of Pi Alpha, announced the election of Jerry Garrett and William Dickinson.
Dr. Guy
January 25, 1945. Headline in Wheel, “Guy Raps New Deal, Doubts Sanity of Leftist Beyond 50,” by Ed Sherman.
“If a man is conservative before he is 25, he ought to have his head examined; if he is not conservative after he is 50, he also ought to have his head examined.”
Thus spoke Dr. J. Sam (“Flossie”) Guy, chief magistrate of the Chemistry Department, as he expanded on politics in an interview this week and set himself “against the President and his cohorts including Mr. Wallace and Madam Perkins.”
Said Dr. Guy, “They have swung too far to the left.” Of Sidney Hillman and his PAC, he added defiantly, “The PAC is the most undemocratic organization in the United States today, and Sidney Hillman is more powerful that the President.”
Conservative, versatile, Phi Beta Kappa Guy, jumping from politics to hobbies, designated reading his chief pastime. To recent comments on Lillian Smith's best-selling novel, he replied with puritan taste, “`Strange Fruit' is an abortion, and I am ashamed to have read it.”
As for college students he dubbed them too materialistic, thought they came to college too immature and just to make a living. He opposed accelerated programs and believed college men took too many courses and went to too many classes. “It has gotten to the point,” he drawled, “where students swallow too many undigested pills.”
Dr. Guy, dapper, Packard-driving chemist, was more optimistic about the future of his profession. “The future of chemistry is great,” he was convinced. “It finds new uses for old substances, and in this there is no limitation.”
“The only good thing sure to come out of this war,” he thought, “is that science will make more progress in five years than it would have in fifty years.”
Though not opposing the social sciences, the venerable educator said, “They are neither social nor scientific. It's a great mistake to try to handle human beings like a molecule.”
J. Sam Guy was almost mute on Georgia politics, declining to express an opinion about the suspendered demagogue, “Gene” Talmadge. “Arnall is probably a better governor,” he mused. Dr. Guy favored the poll tax, called it a good moral lesson to make people pay for the right to vote.
In a philosophical mood he labeled Pasteur as the man who made the greatest contribution to history.
Born in Chester, S.C. in 1884, the gray-haired chemist attended Davidson College in North Carolina and did his graduate work at Johns Hopkins University.
He married Miss Allie Candler in 1917. He was awarded the Leon P. Smith medal by the Crucible Club of Wesleyan College in 1939, an annual award to teachers and of chemistry and biology in the Southeast. In 1940 he received the Herty medal for a “notable contribution to the field of chemistry in the South.”
Commencement: Dr. Guy leads, followed by Drs. Blitch and Quayle.
Return to Beginning of Chapter 3
Atomic Energy
After the end of World War II there was much discussion and debate about the future of atomic energy. A headline in the October 18, 1945 issue of the Wheel said “Atomic Bomb Cannot be Kept Secret, Emory Scientists Declare.” The article, written by Ed Sherman, quoted Dean Harris Purks, Professor of Physics, as saying, “The atomic bomb cannot be kept a secret, and we are playing with something far worse than dynamite and don't appear to know it.” Drs. Jones and Day, who worked on the projects at Oak Ridge, shared this view.
The December 13 issue of the Wheel reported that four faculty members would speak at a symposium on atomic energy the next evening in the Church School Building auditorium. Dean Harris Purks would speak on “The Fundamental Concepts of Atomic Energy,” Dr. W.H. Jones on “The Separation of Uranium-235,” Dr. R.A. Day on “The Production of Plutonium and its Separation from Uranium and the Fission Products,” and Dr. Robert Lagemann on “The Possibilities of Harnessing Atomic Energy for Peacetime Uses.” The symposium was sponsored by the Emory Chapter of Sigma XI
The symposium was repeated in April, 1946 in Macon, Ga., sponsored by the Macon Executives' Club. President Goodrich C. White served as the moderator.
The Peacetime Draft
The subject of having a compulsory draft law during peacetime was much in debate after the war. The November 1, 1945 issue of the Wheel carried a statement by Dr. O.R. Quayle against the draft. He was quoted as saying, “In my opinion the type of peacetime conscription program desired by the military authorities, judging by the information in newspapers, would not accomplish the purpose for which it is intended. Even if the argument were true that another devastating war would cause immediate destruction, I can't see how universal training would help.”
The Fourth-Term Button
I heard Drs. Guy and Quayle discuss political issues quite frequently. Dr. Quayle was a Republican and always voted for the Republican candidate in national elections. In local elections, of course, there were few, if any, Republican candidates in the 20's and 30's. Dr. Guy was a “Southern Democrat” who became disillusioned in the 30's over Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal policies. He was not happy when Roosevelt ran for a third term in 1940.
In the fall of 1944 I visited Dr. Guy during a weekend trip home from Oak Ridge. The presidential campaign was underway and Roosevelt was running again. I asked Dr. Guy if he would like to have a sample of the product they were making at Oak Ridge. He looked rather suspicious, but agreed, and I dropped a Roosevelt fourth-term button in his hand. He looked disgusted, but said nothing as he quickly gave it back to me.
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O.D. Paint
At the end of World War II the government closed a number of munitions plants and declared the contents surplus property. Universities were high on the priority list of institutions that could receive materials free of charge, and claims were honored on a first come-first serve basis. University treasurer, George Mew, was well informed on the timing of the shut downs and had representatives of the University on hand to file claims.
Mr. Mew sent Charlie Hayes, the University purchasing agent, and Charlie Lester, Chemistry Professor, to one of these plants in Alabama. According to Charlie Lester they were given a long list of items which could be claimed, and one had to take all or none of each individual item. One item was 2000 gallons of O.D. paint. The two Charlies were not sure what O.D. stood for, but after discussing it they decided it must mean outdoor paint and decided to claim it. Emory was awarded the items they asked for, and when they arrived on campus, imagine the two Charlies' surprise that O.D. stood for “olive drab.” This accounted for the fact that most of the temporary buildings, including 100 trailers erected to take care of the flood of returning veterans, were painted olive drab.
Later some of the walls in the Chemistry Building were painted olive drab.
The Exploding Brick
One day in the winter of 1946 a man appeared in my office and asked me if I could analyze a piece of brick for uranium. He said he was a Methodist minister who had recently moved to a new assignment and a new house. The house had a fireplace and he built a fire in it, using some bricks he had found near the foundation of the house. Well it seems that when the fire got hot, one of the bricks suddenly exploded, sending fragments all over his living room. He decided that the brick might contain uranium and wanted me to find out.
I explained to him that the bricks were probably waterlogged from being outside. As they were heated up the water trapped in the brick was converted to steam and the sudden expansion could have caused the explosion. He seemed incredulous, not seeing how water could cause such an explosion. When I suggested that he consult Geology Professor Jim Lester for his opinion, he replied, “I've already talked to him and he told me the same thing.” He seemed somewhat disappointed and disgusted as he left the office.
The Chlorine Tank
Annex C was used by graduate students working in the organic area and they frequently used chlorine gas in syntheses. A tank of chlorine was used for this purpose, and since the building was so poorly ventilated, the tank was simply put outside in the back of the building near the edge of the woods. Students would take their reaction vessels outside to the tank to carry out the chlorinations. Annex C was located behind the Fishburne Building and there were only woods between it and the Church School Building.
Eventually, the tank developed a leak that was not noticed for several days. By the time it was detected and a plumber called, the gas, which is heavier than air, had slowly drifted down the hill toward the Church School Building, bleaching the leaves on bushes and the lower limbs of trees. The track the gas had taken could be easily traced by following the bleached vegetation.
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A Mid-century Convocation at M.I.T.
(Contributed by Cherry Logan Emerson)
I was sitting in my office at 126 Massachusetts Ave., Boston, one morning on a beautiful spring-like day in early 1949 (planning no harm to anyone) when the phone rang and there was Goodrich C. White, President of Emory. He and I had been good friends since the days of his Deanship at the College. He related to me how he had been invited to the Mid-century Convocation at M.I.T. on “The Social Implications of Scientific Progress” and he did not want to come, so was asking me to be the representative for Emory University. I, of course, accepted since it entailed only a walk across the “Harvard Bridge” and furthermore I was always ready to be of help to my friend, Goodrich White.
Selected pages from the convocation follow. It was a short, intensive and productive time (the only time when I had dinner with Winston Churchill and, on the next day, heard an address by the President of the United States!) Many is the time when I have thought that, had Goodrich White been there, the future of engineering at Emory might have been entirely different. Its last degree recipient was in 1949.
Today, however, engineering is being reestablished as a two course environmental engineering program, thereby placing Emory together with Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Stanford and other great liberal arts schools who are pressing forward with the teaching of engineering. Will Emory someday again offer the engineering degree obtainable from all those noted above? Let us hope so: engineering is concomitant of civilization. Here are some selected pages from the convocation.
The Social Implications of Scientific Progress
AN APPRAISAL AT MID-CENTURY
A Convocation at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, Massachusetts
March 31 and April 1, 1949
“...science, for fifty years, permitted, or encouraged, society to think that force would prove to be limited in supply. This mental inertia of science lasted through the eighties before showing signs of breaking up; and nothing short of radium fairly wakened men to the fact, long since evident, that force was inexhaustible....
“Nothing so revolutionary had happened since the year 300. Thought had more than once been upset, but never caught and whirled about in the vortex of infinite forces. Power leaped from every atom, and enough of it to supply the stellar universe showed itself running to waste at every pore of matter. Man could no longer hold it off.
“...in 1900, so far as history could learn, few men of science thought it a laughing matter. If a perplexed but laborious follower could venture to guess their drift, it seemed in their minds a toss-up between anarchy and order.... With the correctness of their science, history had no right to meddle, since their science now lay in a plane where scarcely one or two hundred minds in the world could follow its mathematical processes; but bombs educate vigorously, and even wireless telegraphy or airships might require the reconstruction of society....
“...The law of acceleration was definite, and did not require ten years more study except to show whether it held good. No scheme could be suggested to the new American, and no fault needed to be found, or complaint be made; but the next great influx of new forces seemed near at hand and its style of education promised to be violently coercive. The movement from unity into multiplicity, between 1200 and 1900, was unbroken in sequence, and rapid in acceleration. Prolonged one generation longer, it would require a new social mind. As though thought were common salt in indefinite solution it must enter a new phase subject to new laws. Thus far, since five or ten thousand years, the mind had successfully reacted, and nothing yet proved that it would fail to react - but is would need to jump.”
These selections from The Education of Henry Adams, written in 1905, are used by permission of the publishers, HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY.
SUMMARY PROGRAM
March 31, Thursday
3:30 p.m. FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY, Rockwell Cage
Address by Dr. KARL TAYLOR COMPTON
8:15 p.m. SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY, Boston Garden
Address by The Rt. Hon. WINSTON SPENCER CHURCHILL, M.P.
April 1, Friday
MORNING AND AFTERNOON PANEL DISCUSSIONS
GROUP I. Material Questions
10:00 a.m. Rockwell Cage, “Men Against Nature”
2:30 p.m. Rockwell Cage, “Men Against Men”
GROUP II. Spiritual Questions
10:00 a.m. Huntington Hall. “Science, Materialism and the Human Spirit”
2:30 p.m. Huntington Hall. “The Role of the Individual”
GROUP III. Intellectual Questions
10:00 a.m. Morss Hall, “Specialization in Twentieth Century Education”
2:30 p.m., Morss Hall, “The State, Industry and the University
8:15 p.m. FINAL GENERAL ASSEMBLY, Boston Garden
Address by THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
James Rhyne Killian, Jr. was inaugurated as president of M.T.T. on April 2, 1949.
The following is the program for the inauguration exercises.
PROGRAM FOR THE INAUGURATION EXERCISE MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
Eleven o’clock, Saturday, April 2, 1949
Rockwell Athletic Cage, Cambridge Massachusetts
INAUGURATION OF JAMES RHYNE KILLIAN, JR.
AS THE TENTH PRESIDENT OF THE MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
Program
Musical Prelude, at 10:15 a.m.
The Concert Band of the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, John Dean Corley, Jr., Leader
Academic Procession, at 10:40 a.m.
The Guests of Honor, the Delegates, the Corporation,the Faculty,
the Officers of the Graduate and Under-graduate Classes,
the Chairman of the Corporation,the President Designate and the Seniors
The National Anthem
Opening of the Exercises, at 11:00 a.m.
CHARLES GEORGE DANDROW, Chief Marshal,
President of the Alumni Association
Invocation
The Reverend William Brooks Rice, Minister of the Unitarian Society of Wellesley Hills
Introduction and Investiture of President Killian
KARL TAYLOR COMPTON, Chairman of the Corporation
Address JAMES RHYNE KILLIAN, JR.,President
Delegates
University of Padua: 1222 Bruno B. Rossi
University of Oxford: 1249 Sir Richard Livingston
University of Cambridge: 1350 John Fleetwood Baker, Professor
University of Dublin: 1591 Francis C. Coulter
Harvard University: 1636 James Bryant Conant, President
The Royal Society: 1660 Sir Henry Tizard
University of San Carlos: 1676 Dr. Horatio Figueroa
College of William and Mary: 1693 John E. Pomfret, President
Yale University: 1701 Charles Seymour, President
University of Pennsylvania: 1740 Harold E. Stassen, President
American Philosophical Society: 1743 Percy W. Bridgman
University of Delaware: 1743 William S. Carlson, President
Princeton University: 1746 J. Douglas Brown, Dean
Columbia University: 1754 George B. Pegram, Dean
Brown University: 1764 Henry Merritt Wriston, President
Kenyon College: 1824 Gordon Keith Chalmers, President
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute: 1824 Livingston W. Houston, President
Lafayette College: 1826 Frederick W. Slantz, Professor
Boston Society of Natural History: 1830 Ludlow Griscom, President
New York University: 1831 Thorndike Saville, Dean
Wesleyan University: 1831 Victor L. Butterfield, President
Haverford College: 1833 Archibald MacIntosh, Vice President
Tulane University of Louisiana: 1834 Godfrey Coate
Wheaton College: 1834 A. Howard Meneely, President
Alfred University: 1836 M. Ellis Drake, President
Emory University: 1836 Cherry L. Emerson, Jr
Mount Holyoke College: 1836 Roswell G. Ham, President
University of London: 1836 Sir George Thomson
Acadia University: 1838 Alden B. Dawson
Duke University: 1838 Herbert J. Herring, Vice President
Boston University: 1839 Daniel L. Marsh, President
University of Missouri: 1839 Frederick A. Middlebush, President
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