| LifeSUNDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2012 HERALD DEMOCRAT WWW.HERALDDEMOCRAT.COM B1

| “Men love to wonder, and that is the seed of science.”

— Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Science and Mathematics1940-1975Science and Mathematics1940-1975In this courtesy photo, above, con-struction of Austin College’s new IDEA Center can be seen. Comple-tion of the building is expected to be in Summer, 2013.

Right, is a photo by Chris Jennings, Herald Democrat photographer, of a model of the completed IDEA Center on display in the Abell Library Lobby at Austin College.

Chris Jennings/Herald democrat

Students walk through the exhibit area in the Austin College library. In the foreground can be seen part of the exhibit currently on display that demon-strates the growth of AC’s math and science programs from 1940 to 1975. On the far right is a Baroscribe Barograph which provides a con-tinuous recording of atmospheric pressure. In the center is a Visual Choice Reaction Time Recorder which records the reaction time of subjects. On the left is an Electrosphygmo-graph which records arterial blood pressure. These instruments are from the 1940s to 1950s time periods.

See AC SCIENCE, Page B3

By John M. riChardsonSPecial to tHe Herald democrat

In anticipation of the completion in 2013 of the new IDEA Center for Sciences and Mathematics at Austin College, an exhibit opened Sept. 28 and will continue through Dec. 14 in the Abell Library lobby, demonstrating the department’s growth from 1940-1975.

In 1940 Austin College had 340 students and a vibrant curriculum. Facilities were crowded.

When the Moody Science Building was opened in 1965, the department of math and science at Austin College finally had a home. Forty-eight years later, in 2013, AC will open the IDEA Center, a three-story science building designed for interactive learning and interdisciplinary studies, continuing growth.

In 1940, the science and mathematics faculty included James B. Moorman, Dean and Professor of Biology, and Dr. Walter Steffey, Professor of Physics, both of whom joined the faculty in the 1920s. Joining the Chemistry faculty in the 1930s were two AC alums, Dr. George Landolt, Class of 1923, and Sherman native Park Street Wharton, Class of 1930. In the 1940s, two more AC alums joined the faculty: Biologists Dr. M. D. (Bud) Bryant, Class of 1927, and Forrest Bryant, Class of 1941. In the Mathematics department, Dr. Steffey, Rollin Rolfe, and Luther Petty taught courses.

Most of the science labs at that time were held in Thompson Hall, which was built in 1913.

A building boom started in the late 1940s with Coffin Hall and the Ad Building being completed, Hughey Gym opening in the spring of 1950, and the Student Union and Adams Health Center being finished in the early 1950s. By 1958 Wynne Chapel was under construction. In September 1953, Dr. John D. Moseley became the President of Austin College. With funding from the Ford Foundation and the Moody Foundation, Moseley began to move the college forward, culminating in the 1960s in a revised curriculum and the planning for the Moody Science Center.

In 1959, two newly minted Ph.D.s in phys-ics were hired: Dr. Lloyd Gourley in the Physics department and Dr. Mary Foulks Gourley, who held a joint appointment in Physics and Mathematics. She was the first woman in science and mathematics to enter a track to achieve tenure at Austin College.

The Gourleys took AC into a research program for the Navy. Through their grants from the Research Corporation and Bureau of Navy, their main research focus was to understand exactly what happens when a projectile strikes a metal

1920s: James B. Moorman, Dean and Pro-fessor of Biology and Dr. Walter Steffey, Professor of Physics

1930s: Dr. George Landolt, Class of 1923 and Sherman native Park Street Wharton, Class of 1930, both AC alums

1940s: Biologists Dr. M. D. (Bud) Bryant, Class of 1927 and Forrest Bryant, Class of 1941, both AC alums

1940s: Dr. Steffey, Rollin Rolfe, and Luther Petty taught courses in the Mathematics Department

1959: Dr. Lloyd Gourley, physics, and Dr. Mary Foulks Gourley, physics and math-ematics; Mathematican Ray Woodrow

1961: Dr. Frank Edwards, a chemist; Dr. Howard McCarley, Class of 1948

1962: Dr. Thomas Kimes

courteSy PHoto

Right, P.S. Wharton, class of 1930, is shown here working with one of his students. Whar-ton joined the Chemistry faculty in 1934 and taught until the early 1960s.

| Key staff arrive

surface. The Navy was funding this work to devel-op better armor for soldiers and sailors serving their country.

A new science and mathe-matics building was eagerly awaited by members of the faculty, including mathema-ticians Ray Woodrow and Dr. Thomas Kimes. Kimes said his first faculty office was in Sherman Hall, built in 1914, and later in Wynne Chapel, because of lack of space in Thompson Hall.

Dr. Frank Edwards, a chemist, joined the faculty in 1961, and, besides teach-ing chemistry, was also involved in the planning of the new Moody Science Building.

Innovative curriculum

Later Edwards was a key player developing and managing the Total Institu-tional Program ($552,500 in grant funds), which includ-ed an innovative restruc-turing of the calendar and curriculum, allowing the college to purchase media equipment, and to train and educate the faculty and stu-dents on new approaches of teaching which focuses on student-faculty interaction and co-operation among students while engaging in the learning process.

Moseley, the Ford Foun-dation, National Science Foundation, and National Endowment for the Human-ities were major players in this ground-breaking approach to the AC curric-ulum. An internal report between the NSF and NEH shared with the college stated:

“The proposal requests substantial financial sup-port for a different and perhaps a high risk under-taking. It is requiring of Austin College not only a commitment to major financial underwriting dur-ing and beyond the proj-ect but also a commitment of its very life and future. Austin College is staking its reputation and future on the fact that the College and its faculty and students can change and in so doing develop understanding of the necessary process of self-renewal. Our commit-ment extends beyond Aus-tin College, as the proposal calls for sharing insights learned with others and thereby benefiting higher education generally. There-fore, this cannot be a timid or half-way venture — it must be an all out effort.”

Prior to the construction of Moody Science, science classes were taught all over campus, and AC gradu-ates fondly remember this time. Robbi Arnett, Class of 1965, remembered the spring of her sophomore year (1963), Dr. Howard McCarley (known to his students as “Doc”) offered Vertebrate Zoology — an upper level field study course. “Lab was in the ramshackle maintenance building just west of Nurse Jane’s Clinic. We captured a variety of critters, made

study skins, learned about ecology, dichotomous keys and habitats.”

Moody Science construction, opening

The construction phase of Moody Science is remembered as being dis-ruptive. Dale Eichenberger, Class of 1968, recalls a phys-ics introductory class on “Light and Sound” which was held on the second floor of Thompson Hall. “Since Thompson Hall was not air conditioned, we had open windows letting us hear loud and continuous noise from the construction of Moody Science to comple-ment all of the lectures and lab activities. It was especially challenging for a physics lab experiment to collect audio frequency noise data needed to deter-mine the transmission pattern for a hi-fi speaker. Physics Professor James Hughes had a huge smile on his face as he explained that

he wanted our lab reports to describe accurately what the data said.”

The long-awaited and much-needed Moody Sci-ence Building was dedi-cated Oct. 11, 1965. The building was the largest on campus at that time and provided 22 laboratories and 11 classrooms cover-ing 54,000 square feet. Dr. Laurence M. Gould, senior scientist and second in com-mand of the 1928 Byrd Ant-arctic expedition, delivered a convocation address on “Science and the Culture of Our Times.” Honorary degrees were bestowed to AC alumni Dr. Royston Rob-erts, professor of Chem-istry at the University of Texas, and Dr. Joe Dennis, Chair of Chemistry at Tex-as Technological College.

The new science and mathematics facility also improved the scientific instrumentation on cam-pus from what John Travis, Class of 1962, recalled. “My first experience with oscil-loscopes was with World War II surplus DuMont units that had flown on bombers powered by 27 V DC (I think),” he said. “It led me to a great apprecia-tion for the modern instru-ments I encountered (in graduate school) at UT, but a respect for the AC physics faculty for making do with surplus equipment.”

Moving to the new sci-ence building was not with-out challenges. Dr. Howard McCarley, Class of 1948 and who joined the biology fac-ulty in 1961, talked about moving the biology depart-ment. He said he taught lectures and labs in four buildings (Cern, Ad Build-

ing, an Army Surplus build-ing, and Thompson Hall) and much planning needed to be done. The physical manpower was provided by the AC football team, members of which walked everything from the build-ings into the third floor of Moody Science.

Professors and education

Then, as today, students remember the transforma-tive elements of their edu-cation and the rigor of their professors. John Landolt, Class of 1965, recalls tak-ing Comparative Anatomy as a sophomore. “It was a two-semester course then. Many of the majors were interested in pre-med, but it was then, as it probably still is, a class that changed the minds of a lot of students as to pursuing a major in biology.”

Sandy Beach, Class of 1968, remembers Dr. Bud Bryant and his legendary rigorous academic stan-dards for Biology students in the late 1960s. “His Sys-tematic Botany final exam had two parts and it was given on a Saturday. Start-ing at 8 a.m., we carpooled all around Grayson County. Dr. Bryant would point to a plant and ask us a question about it. At 12 p.m., we end-ed up at his cabin on Lake Texoma. We ate our sack lunches. Then he handed out a four-hour, all-essay exam. After the class was finished at 5 p.m., he cooked hamburgers for everyone.”

Students also remember the unique times they had working with the faculty during this time. Claire Wilda, Class of 1971, served as a Teaching Assistant in Chemistry as well as graded tests for Dr. Frank C. Edwards. “Even though he was chairman of the department, he still enjoyed teaching freshman chem-istry. But he didn’t like to grade tests. So he would grade one test at my insis-tence. I would grade all the others that same night. One of my fondest memories is of Dr. Edwards sitting at his desk, grading a test, muttering, ‘Slave Driver,’ under his breath.”

One of the more unique student memories is that of Dale Eichenberger, class of 1968. “As a senior, I was a member of the first course in quantum mechanics taught at AC. It was taught by Timothy ling-Sung Nee, whom I think was in the process of getting, but had not yet received, his Ph.D. in physics,” Eichenberger said. “The course was excel-lent; but the strongest mem-ory is that his wife enrolled in an AC class scheduled for the same 8 a.m. MWF time for the entire fall semester. This created a family prob-lem for the Nees for taking care of their 6-month-old baby while both did what they had scheduled on

campus. Those of us taking the course helped resolve their worries. The Nee’s lived across Grand Avenue, no more than a couple of blocks away from campus, and for every class we stu-dents walked over, went into their kitchen and sat around the breakfast table listening to his quantum mechanics lectures while he fed his son breakfast. We also got a cup of cof-fee and at least an offer for toast or a bowl of cereal for ourselves. We didn’t pay any attention to time to end class and had a far more vibrant discussion than in a classroom. It was definitely a lot more fun going to class in a kitchen than doing the assigned homework.”

GrantsThis era (1940-1975) also

marked a significant effort to bring in funding from off-campus sources includ-ing the National Science Foundation (NSF). McCar-ley wrote several successful applications to study the behavior of ground squir-rels in Grayson County.

“As a junior or senior, I also spent some time one winter periodically check-ing on and weighing Dr. McCarley’s hibernating ground squirrels in an old frame building on campus,” said John Landolt, class of 1965. “I still have a scar or two on my fingers from bites delivered by awak-ened animals. I also spent some time on the local golf course “fishing” for ground squirrels to check for iden-tifying marks on animals and sometimes marking animals that had not been previously marked by dyes and/or toe clips.”

In other funding efforts,

the chemistry department under Edwards’ leadership submitted several success-ful proposals bringing in more than $30,000 to com-pletely reconstruct the cur-riculum at the introductory and advanced levels and fill the labs with modern instrumentation. In 1964, Dr. William “Barney” Guerrant, class of 1946 and son of a past president of the college, was awarded a $36,000 grant from the Welch Foundation for his research in Organic Chem-istry.

Also in 1964, Kimes and the college received word from the NSF that it was awarded a grant for $28,000 to cover half the cost for the purchase of an IBM 1620 digital computer, and AC entered the computer age. Although it was among the most advanced computers of its day, it should be noted that by today’s standards it was only as powerful as a child’s toy.

Stories of faculty and stu-dents will continue next fall with the college’s exhibit highlighting the 1975-2013 period as well as the cel-ebration of the opening of the new IDEA Center. Stories of faculty and staff who were hired in the mid 1960s-mid 1970s will be one section of the exhibit.

The current exhibit in the Abell Library Lobby is available during library hours. More information is available on the college’s website at http://www.aus-tincollege.edu/.

John M. Richardson, assistant professor of chem-istry at Austin College, pro-vided the information for this story.

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SUNDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2012 HERALD DEMOCRAT WWW.HERALDDEMOCRAT.COM B3

AC: Science and Mathematics 1940 - 1975from Page A1

CHRIS JENNINGS/HERALD DEMOCRAT

A dissolved Oxygen Monitor which could give immedi-ate blood oxygen measurements enabling open heart surgery is another display in the exhibit currently being shown at Austin College in the Abell Library lobby.

In 1940 Most of the science labs were held in Thompson

Hall, which was built in 1913.

The number of students at the college was approx-imately 340.

Late 1940sCoffin Hall and the Ad Building completed

1950Hughey Gym opened in the spring

Early 1950s Student Union and Adams Health Center opened

1958Wynne Chapel under construction

1953John D. Moseley became president of AC in Sep-

tember

1960sMoseley began to move the college forward

through a revised curriculum

1965Moody Science was dedicated on Oct. 11

| Building growth, key changes

COuRTEsy pHOTO

The Moody Science Building at Austin College as it was under construction in early 1965.

CHRIS JENNINGS/HERALD DEMOCRAT

A copy of the Austin College newspaper announcing the dedication of the Moody Science Center part of the display in the Abell Library lobby.