THE GEAR - Theta Tau Archives

THE GEAR
C F THETA TAU
A. Dexter Hinckley
FALL
QXo h i m e
1E42
Iiiuber I
The
©EAR
T H E T A T A ll
FA LL, 1*42
VOLU ME
XXXII
N U M B E R
I
T heta 'I au F raternity
F ouncid at the U niversity o f Minnesota O ctober 15, 1904
FO U N D ERS
E rich J. Schrader
I saac B. H anks
W . M urray L ewis
E lw in L. V in al
EX ECU TIV E C O U N CIL
R ussell G. G lass, Sigma ’2 4 ..........................................................Grand Regent
Home address: 23401 Chardon Road, Euclid, Ohio (Serving in N avy)
R. W. N usser, Zeta ’2 8 ................................................... Grand Vice-Regent
3001 G ulf Bldg., H uston, Texas
E rich J. Schrader , Alpha ’0 5 ..........................................................Grand Scribe
Box 244, Reno, Nevada
P rof . J amison V awter , Zeta ’1 6
Grand Treasurer
307 Engineering H all, U niversity of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois
.
P rof . D onald D. C urtis, Omicron H on. ’19
Grand Marshal
Clemson, South Carolina
P a u l L. M ercer , O micron ’2 1 ............................................ Grand Inner Guard
704 Orleans Ave., Keokuk, Iowa
P rof . A. D. H i n c k l e y ..........................................................Grand O uter Guard
Columbia University, School o f Engineering, N ew Y ork City
DELEGATE A T LARGE
P rof . J. M. D aniels , N u Hon. ’2 2
Past Grand Regent
Carnegie Institute o f Technology, Pittsburgh, Pa.
A LUM NI ASSOCIATIONS
Central Ohio— R . J. Ebner, 1052 Parkway Drive, Columbus, Ohio
Chicago— J. B. Finch, 2 5th and Madison Street, Bellwood, III.
Cleveland—W . R. Uffelman, 1680 E. 117 St., Cleveland, Ohio
Intermountain— C. Milton Anderson, P. O. Box 403, Salt Lake C ity, U tah
Kansas C ity— R. S. Patterson, 4900 W yoming St., Kansas C ity , Mo.
National Capitol— William J. Ellenberger, 6524 Luzon Ave., N .W ., W ashing­
ton, D. C.
Southwestern— George B. Houston, C ity of Tucson, Tucson, Arizona.
St. Louis— M. H . Kapps, 8222 Madison, Vinita Park, Missouri
T w in C ity— Robt. B. Aslesen, 520 Second St. S.E., Minneapolis, Minn.
Louisville A lum ni Club— c /o Theta T au Fraternity, 2022 S. First St., LouisV i ^ Ky.
LosAngelesAlum niClub— T . J. Douglas, 15724 Sherman W ay, Van N uys, CaL
Northwestern A lum ni Club— Rayw orth F. Howe, 937 S. Dakota St., Butte,
Montana
MEMBERS OF T H E PROFESSIONAL
IN T E R FR A T E R N IT Y CO N FE R EN C E
ARCHITECTURE, Alpha Rho Chi, Scarab. CHEMISTRY, Alpha
Chi Sigma. COMMERCE. Alpha Kappa Psi. Delta Sigma Pi.
DENTISTRY, Delta Sigma Delta, Pii Omega, Xi Psi Phi. EDU­
CATION, Kappa Phi Kappa, Phi Delta Kappa, Phi Epsilon Kappa,
Phi Sigma Pi. ENGINEERING. Theta Tau1 Sigma Phi Delta.
LAW, Gamma Eta Gamma, Delta Theta Phi. Phi Beta Gamma,
Sigma Nu Phi, Sigma Delta Kappa. MEDICINE. Alpha Kappa
Kappa, Nu Sigma Nu, Phi Beta Pi, Phi Chi, Phi Della Epsilon,
Phi Rho Sigma, Theta Kappa Psi. PHARMACY, Kappa Psi.
C Iiapters
A lp h a , Founded O ctober 15, 1904 University o f Minnesota
(C hapter house) 324 W alnut St., S. E., Minneapolis, Minn.
B e ta , Established March 26, 1906 - Michigan College of Mining and Tech.
(C hapter house) 1405 College Avenue, H oughton, Mich.
G am m a , Established N ovem ber 8, 1907
- - Colorado School of Mines
c /o Prof. M. I. Signer, Colo. School of Mines, Golden, Colo.
D elta , Established May 23, 1911 - Case School of Applied Science
Theta T au Box, Case School o f Applied Science, Cleveland, Ohio
E p silo n , Established May 4, 1911 - - - University of California
Box, H earst Mining Bldg., University of California, Berkeley, Calif.
Z eta , Established A pril 17, 1912 - - - - University of Kansas
(C hapter house) 1602 Louisiana St., Lawrence, Kansas
T h e t a , Eslablisled M ay 26, 1914 - - .............................. Columbia University
c /o Prof. A. D. H inckley, Eng. Bldg., Columbia University, New York City
Iota , Established February I , 1916 - - - - Missouri School o f Mines
T heta T au Box, Missouri School o f Mines & Metallurgy, Rolla, Mo.
L ambda , Established January 3, 1922
University of U tah
T heta T au Fraternity, Union Bldg., University of U tah, Salt Lake C ity, U tah
M u, Established January 3, 1922 - - - - U niversity of Alabama
P. O . Box 1276, University, Alabama
N u 1 Established January I , 1922 - - Carnegie Institute of Technology
P. O. Box 114, Carnegie Institute o f Technology, Pittsburgh, Pa.
O m ic ro n , Established February 3, 192) - - - - University o f Iowa
(Chapter house) 804 N o rth Dubuque Street, Iowa C ity, Iowa
Pi, Established May 26, 1 9 2 )
University o f Virginia
(C hapter house) 1721 Jefferson Park Ave., Charlottesville, Virginia
R h o , Established February 16, 1924 - N . C. State College of Ag. and Eng.
P. O. Box 5 325, State College Station, Raleigh, N . C.
Sigma, Established N ovem ber 29, 1924 - - - - Ohio State University
(C hapter house) 1965 Indianola Ave., Columbus, Ohio
T a u , Established December 12, 192) - - - - - - Syracuse University
c /o Prof. E. F. Berry, College of Applied Science, Syracuse, N ew York
U p silo n , Established April 7 , 1928 - - - - U niversity of Arkansas
537 Leverett St., Fayetteville, Arkansas
P h i, Established A pril 21, 1928
Purdue University
(Chapter house) 416 N. Main St., W est Lafayette, Ind.
C h i, Established A pril 23, 1 9 ) 0 ..........................- University o f Arizona
Theta T au Box, Engineering Bldg., U niversity o f Arizona, Tucson, Ariz.
Psi, Established May 7, 19)2 - - - - - Montana School of Mines
Theta T au Fraternity, Care of M ontana School of Mines, Butte, Montana
O m ega, Established M arch 26, 19)2 - - - - S. Dakota School o f Mines
(Chapter house) 107 Kansas City St., Rapid C ity, South Dakota
G am m a B e ta , Established March 16, 19) 5 - George W ashington University
c /o Dean o f School o f Engineering, George W ashington University,
W ashington, D. C.
D e l t a B e ta , Established May 20, 19)9
University o f Louisville
(Chapter house) 2022 S. First St., Louisville, Ky.
AxIeeI
Crrartd G uter
G u a rd A- [dexter Mirtddey
T he newest addition to the Execu­
tive Council is A. D exter H inckley of
T heta Chapter. Theta Taus will be
gratified to discover, from the follow­
ing account, the dynamic personality
o f the man who was elected Grand
O uter G uard at the last convention.
Born in Brooklyn, now a New
Y orker, m any changes have occurred
in "D ex” H inckley, in the process of
getting across the East River. Public
schooling w ith a diploma in 1920
from Manual T raining High readied
him for an engineering career. In ­
spiration he had too from his father,
an M .I.T . '93 grad, and then a prac­
ticing industrial chemist in the metro­
politan area. Leaving high school,
church club dramatics, and his post
as an assistant Scout Master, Hinckley
was introduced to the business world.
Eight m onths o f attem pting to bro­
kerage dried fru it to wholesale grocers
all over the five buroughs (w ith prices
nose-diving) convinced him th at an
office job was a surer source of inH e therefore enrolled a t Columbia
in the combined College and Engi­
neering course of studies in January,
1922. There, w ith entire disregard
fo r normalcy (which he now recom­
mends to his students), he finished
the six year course in S 1'• years (AB
1925, EE 1927), rowed tw o seasons,
one on the varsity light weight, man­
aged a championship rifle team, and
worked on part-tim e and summer jobs
for m ost o f his college expenses. He
was married May 2 5, 192 5, and elected
a member of Theta chapter in 1926.
Because of all the indications of a busy
life ahead, the Hinckleys decided there
was no time like 1928 to make a trip
to Europe. They proceeded w ith this
general plan (not the easy way) and
pedalled some 800 miles on push bikes
in France, Ireland, and England. Find­
ing the continent n o t quite ready for
a budding electrical engineer, H inck­
ley decided to open up the backward
California coast, via a teaching assign­
ment at Santa Clara University. His
A. Dcxcer Hinckley
mind was set to rights in these m at­
ters when he spent the w inter of ’27-8
teaching some dozen subjects all the
w ay from calculus to A.C. theory.
T he climate and people were grand but
it was then th at Hinckley kn ew he
was a N ew Yorker and luckily found
an instructorship in electrical engi­
neering open a t his Alma Mater.
Assigned as assistant to the profes­
sor in charge o f communications,
Hinckley spent the next seven years
in work of increasing responsibility in
6
T H E G EA R OF T H E T A T A U
teaching, consulting, and testing work.
Various summer jobs and authorship
of tw o sections in the Pender Del Mar
and Pender McIlwain electrical hand­
books, filled up w hat free time he had.
In 1934, in anticipaticn of Profes­
sor T . H . H arrington’s retirement,
H inckley visited some dozen engineer­
ing schools throughout the country to
gain an insight into their general ad­
ministration, particularly as to their
personnel work. Returning, he served
w ith Professor H arrington for a year,
and was appointed assistant to the
Dean in 193 J.
Since 193 S his life has continued to
fulfill its promise of being fully oc­
cupied. In his normal duties a t Col­
umbia Brother Hinckley serves as ad­
viser to some 300 college pre-engi­
neering students and assists generally
w ith the registration, records, scholar­
ships, and student activities in the
School of Engineering. He serves as
secretary o f the School’s Committee
on Instruction and assists w ith the
sessions at the Summer School of Sur­
veying in Connecticut. H inckley is
also in charge of the program of
graduate evening instruction offered
for men in industry. Following in
"Pop” H arrington’s footsteps he serves
as Executive Secretary o f the Colum­
bia Engineering Alumni Association
and is always on hand to assist in the
work of its Board and many comFollowing a m onth as special assist­
a n t in the U. S. Office of Education
in W ashington where he assisted in
laying out the base-work for the Engi­
neering Defense T raining program,
H incklev was appointed to direct this
phase of the work at Columbia U ni­
versity. He has continued in the di­
rection of the W ar Training program
and points w ith pride to the service
which has been rendered to the war
effort by these special courses.
Brother H inckley has been active in
the New York sections of both the
A.I.E.E. and o f the Illum inating E n­
gineering Society, holding the national
office of General Secretary in the la t­
ter Society last year. He has been
active in the M anhattan Council of
the B.S.A.; a committee member of
the Engineer’s Council for Professional
Development (fo r which he prepared
a report in 1938 on Professional Rec­
ognition in accounting, architecture,
law and m edicine); has spoken at a
num ber o f conferences and profes­
sional meetings; has undertaken a pro­
gram o f study leading to the M.A.
degree in student personnel adminis­
tration; and has taken p art in the
University’s civilian defense program
as assistant director of the Student
A uxiliary Corps in charge of Fire
Control.
N o t to be outdone by her busy
spouse, Mrs. Betty Hinckley resumed
her college studies in 1928, headed for
medical school— took time out for the
appearance o f Alden D exter in 1931
— and received her M.D. from the
College o f Physicians and Surgeons in
1936. T w o years o f internship fol­
lowed by an active practice have
necessitated close attention by "D ex”
to the rearing o f his young son.
One might feel th a t Brother H inck­
ley’s tim e would be completely filled
by his numerous activities. However,
such is not the case. "D ex” has an
athletic side! Beginning w ith walking
(a pastime developed through scout­
ing and pushing a baby carriage) his
activities include swimming, rowing
and canoeing, handball, square dancine. and folk dancing. Theta T au has
indeed acquired an active, and capable
member on its Executive Council!
W a r CZomes to the
ngineering
Colleges
It is, as yet, impossible to sec the
full effect o f w ar upon the Engineer­
ing Colleges of America. T he possi­
bilities range from normal operation,
through accelerated programs, to vir­
tual elim ination of the colleges by the
drafting o f young men just o u t of
H igh School.
T he last possibility would be the
result o f a hasty and short-sighted
policy which ignored the drastic need
which still exists for trained engineers.
A sensible approach would be to per­
m it men to enter technical schools
rather than the arm y providing their
aptitudes and training were of the
proper calibre. Furthermore, the n um ­
ber thus temporarily excused from
m ilitary service should be regulated to
the need for engineers. If such a
course were followed, the enrollment
in engineering colleges would probably
increase for a time and then level off.
There is obviously much room for
speculation as to the fate o f the engi­
neering schools. Already some im ­
portant changes have occurred. Few
institutions are still operating on a
pre-w ar basis. T h e G ear recently
made a survey of the schools in which
the fraternity maintains chapters in
order to see just w hat changes have
already taken place. T he following
questions were asked:
1. Has your Engineering school ad­
opted an accelerated program?
2. How many calendar years are now
required to cover the work for a
Bachelor’s degree?
J. W hat are the beginning and end-
ing dates o f your regular academic
periods (semesters or quarters)?
4. H ave any subjects been added or
removed from your regular cur­
riculum?
5. W h at was the increase or decrease
in freshman enrollment this fall?
6. H ave the d raft boards inducted
m any engineering students?
7. H ave there been any losses o f fac­
u lty to industry or to the armed
T he answers received are tabulated
in the following table. A study of
this information reveals th at few of
the schools have maintained a normal
program. Practically all have adopted
an accelerated schedule which permits
the entering student to graduate three
years later. Curriculum modification
has begun but has not yet gone as far
as it eventually will. From the stand­
point o f personnel the reports are en­
couraging. Freshman enrollments are
definitely above par and the draft
boards have abstained from serious
raids. The teaching staffs, while be­
ing altered by withdrawals are still
adequate, replacements having been
found for those who w ent into service
or who accepted governmental posi­
tions. The entire picture is therefore
entirely favorable to the engineering
colleges and, if a little extrapolation
may be indulged in, the outlook may
be considered quite good unless a na­
tional policy is introduced which
would require all 18-year-olds to enter
the Army.
Three
added
Zeia
Kansas U.
Theta
Columbia U.
Lambda
requirements Same
reduced__________
No
Slight
No
U. of Utah
24%
With less
Upsilon
U. of Ark.
Omega
So. Dak.
Several
T H E G EA R O F T H E T A TA U
N o r to n , T k e ta
21, A c c e p t s C s o v e r n m e n t P o sitio n
J. E. N orton, T heta ’21, formerly
chief of the mining section, Recon­
struction Finance Corporation, has
been named consulting engineer for
the Metals Reserve Company, 1131
RFD Building, W ashington. Brother
N orton graduated from the Montana
School o f Mines in 1917. H e spent
the year following his graduation on
the staff of the School of Mines as
instructor in mineralogy and chem­
istry. In 1921 he received an E.M.
degree from the Columbia School of
Mines where he had gone upon receiv­
L-. C . t o p e n a , C s a m m a
ing the Marcus Daly scholarship in
1918. He then returned to Butte,
M ontana, and was employed by the
Anaconda Copper Mining Company
for the next ten years. In 1931 his
duties w ith the Ingersoll-Rand Com­
pany of South A frica took him to the
Belgian Congo and the Rhodesias
where he operated as a sales engineer.
W hen he returned to this country in
1934 he accepted the position as chief
of the mining division of the RFC
which he has just left.
21, B e c o m e , C u r a l o r
L. C. Fopeana, Gamma '21, the
Museum of Science and Industry at
Chicago recently announced, has been
selected to take over the duties of
curator of fuels and metals. Brother
Fopeana joined the Museum in 1933,
a short time before it was opened to
the public, to demonstrate coal clean­
ing and coal mining equipment. Later
he was transferred to the curatorial
staff as assistant curator o f the geology
and mineral industries department.
During this tim e he supervised the in­
stallation of a complete gray iron
foundry, a heat treating shop, welding
and gas c u ttin g shop, testing labora­
tory, and machine tool shop. In 1940
he was placed in charge o f the engi­
neering construction department, em­
bracing roads, bridges, dams, muni­
cipal engineering activities, and build­
ing materials. Prior to becoming as­
sociated w ith the Museum and follow­
ing his graduation from Mines in
1921, Brother Fopeana was employed
by the Chile Exploration Company for
eight years. H e served them as fore­
man in their leaching plant, plant
metallurgist in charge o f research, and
assistant engineer o f reduction, with
supervision of blast furnace, reverb
construction and operation. He was
w ith the Nichols Copper Company at
El Paso for one year following his
return to the States.
T. J- M M 3Unl Pi. In CoIUiate W L ', W k
Brother T . J. Milligan was chosen
to represent the Engineering School in
"W ho’s W ho in American Colleges
and Universities” this year.
Jim transferred from Georgia Tech
in 1939 and has been one o f the top
men in his class at the University of
Virginia. H e has been a "D ean’s List”
man during his entire time at the Uni­
versity. Jim has been a math instruc­
to r for the past two years and this
year is also an instructor in m ath­
T H E G EAR O F T H E T A T A U
ematics for the N avy Pre-Flight stu­
dents (class V -J).
Last Spring Jim won the election
for President o f the Engineering School
by a very wide margin. W ith the
winning o f the election for President
came many honors, among which were
bids from "The Raven Society” an
honorary society; O.D.K . a leadership
fraternity; the "1 3 ” society, and T au
Beta Pi.
Upon graduation Jim will enter the
Navy as an Ensign. He received his
commission last summer. A fter the
war is over and Jim has returned to
civilian life he w ants to work in the
test department o f some company that
J a m e s K . R ic h a r d s o n , I o t a '3 0 ,
James K. Richardson, Iota ’30, re­
cently appointed secretary of the T riState Zinc & Lead O re Producers As­
sociation, came to his present post
from Clim ax, Colorado, where he was
Safety Director for Climax Molybde­
num Co., w orld’s largest producer of
molybdenum. Brother Richardson is
a mining engineer, trained a t the Mis­
souri School o f Mines and Metallurgy.
His early employment was w ith the
U nited States Potash Company of
Carlsbad, N ew Mexico, where he was
ultimately placed in charge o f accident
prevention, and developed a successful
safety and public relations program.
Since 1936 he has been responsible for
accident prevention and industrial hy­
giene at Clim ax. In his new work
he will live w ith his family in Miami,
Oklahoma.
R r o ili o le d
J a m e s J a g ger, E t a
'2 4 , B e c o m e s F i e l d ’S e c r e ta r y
James Jagger, E ta ’24, is the new
Field Secretary o f the American So­
ciety of Civil Engineers. Among his
other activities Brother Jagger n um ­
bers that of being the alumni repre­
sentative of T au Beta Pi. In 1923 he
was the delegate selected by E ta
chapter to the Theta T au convention
held in Iowa C ity. He was born in
Holyoke, Massachusetts. A fter grad­
uation he joined the staff o f the Stone
and W ebster Co., and spent tw o years
in Georgia on a hydro-electric project.
From about 1928 u ntil 1941 he was
employed by the Alabama W ater Servive Co. in Birmingham and was VicePresident and Chief Engineer when he
accepted his new position.
T H E G EA R OF T H E T A TA U
U
L a r l t . C h u rc h B eco m es H o n o r a r y A Ie m h e r o f T a u C h a p te r
O n Novem ber 12, 1941, T au Chap­
ter o f Theta T au elected to honorary
membership Earl Frank Church, As­
sociate Professor of Aerial Photogramm etry a t Syracuse University.
Professor C hurch was born in Parish,
N ew York, on A ugust 11, 1890.
A fter his high school education, he
attended Syracuse University from
which he graduated in 1911 w ith a
C.E . degree. He was a Field Officer
w ith the U. S. Coast and Geodetic
Survey in the N orthw est States and
Alaskan Coast from 1911 to 1913;
was a mathem atician w ith the U. S.
Boundary Commission from 1913 to
1915; was a Geodetic Com puter w ith
the U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey
in 1916; was an instructor in A stron­
omy and Geodesy a t the Columbia
U niversity Summer Camps from 1913
to 1916; was a topographer and As­
tronom er on the Alexander H am ilton
Rice Expedition in Brazil in 1916-17;
became Associate Professor o f Civil
Engineering at the Pennsylvania Mili­
tary College in 1919 and Professor of
the same in 1920. D uring 1923-4,
Professor C hurch was in charge of the
Least-Squares A djustm ent and m ath­
ematical computations of the Geodetic
survey of the H awaiian Islands. This
work was done by the U. S. C. & G.
Survey. In 1927 he became Assistant
Professor o f Applied Mathematics at
Syracuse University, and in 1931 be­
came Associate Professor o f Aerial
Phutogrammetry.
In 1917, Professor C hurch was
commissioned as First Lieutenant, Enorder and served w ith the A.E.F. in
France until 1919. H e was in charge
o f Geodetic com putations and topo­
graphy in the Intelligence division at
Headquarters of the Second A rm y and
trained ;ill officers and enlisted men
for this work. H e was commended
by Gene:ral Bullaird, cited by General
Pershing for "tneritorious work in
Geodetic W ork iin France”. H e was
cited by the Freinch Government and
was awarded the O rder o f Silver Palm
and Officier d ’Academie.
Professor C hurch was the official
delegate for the United States at the
Congress o f International Federation
of Surveyors in London, England, in
1934. H e is a member of the Ameri­
can Mathematical Society, the M ath­
ematical Association o f America, the
Society o f American Military Engi­
neers, T au Beta Pi, Sigma Xi1 Pi Mu
Epsilon, an Associate Member o f the
American Society of Civil Engineers
and is a Mason (K.T. Shriner.)
Professor Church is the author of
"T riangulation in Rhode I s l a n d ”
,1 9 2 0 ), "Analytical Com putations in
Aerial Photogrammetry” (19 3 6 ), and
12 pamphlets on Aerial Photogram­
metry, (1930-41).
12
T H E GEAR OF T H E T A T A U
Louis Mitchell, Dean o f the College
of Applied Science says o f Professor
Church: "I take pleasure in warmly
recommending Professor Earl Church
for honorary membership in Theta
Tau. Professor Church is not only
D o n a l d F . P a n c o a st, D e l t a
one o f my form er students b u t has
been a valued facu lty associate for
many years. He has achieved a na­
tional reputation in connection with
his research and publications in photogram m etry.”
I? , B e c o m e s B r ig a d ie r G e n e r a l I n
N a tio n a l G u a r d
Donald F. Pancoast, Delta ’17, for
the past year has been an executive
officer w ith the Ohio State Guard and
a member o f the Ohio State Highway
Survey in Columbus. Brother Pan­
coast was recently promoted to Brig­
adier General and assigned to com­
mand the Ohio State Guard and Ohio
State Naval Militia. A review o f his
activities w ith the Ohio N ational
Guard shows th a t he enlisted in June,
1915. In July, 1916, he was mus­
tered into Federal Service, and in July,
1917, was awarded a first lieutenant’s
commission. During the succeeding
years he maintained his interest in the
National G uard and in 1930 he be­
came a Colonel. General Pancoast has
been awarded the Belgian w ar cross
for outstanding service.
P e n n e b a le r, E p s ilo n
2 4 , to W a s k i n g t o i
Edwin N . Pennebaker, Epsilon ’24,
since 1928 chief geologist for the C on­
solidated Coppermines Corporation at
Kimberly, Nevada, has been appointed
to the Metals and Minerals Division of
the Board of Economic W arfare in
W ashington, D. C. Brother Penne­
baker received his Bachelor of Science
degree in 1924 from the College of
Mining of the University of Califor­
nia. H e later did graduate work in
geology at the same institution.
For several years a fter graduation
he was assistant geologist for the Cia.
Real Del Monte y Pachuca at Pachuca,
Mexico. In 1928 he joined the Coppermines staff as chief geologist. Bro­
ther Pennebaker has specialized in the
relationship o f ore deposits to stru c ­
ture and layout o f exploration cam­
paigns.
T H E GEAR OF T H ETA TAU
D e l t a I n itia t e s P r o m in e n t P I o n o r a r ie s
D r. W illiam Elgin Wickenden,
President of Case School of Applied
Science was recently Initiated into
T heta T au Fraternity by Delta Chap­
te r.
Professor Wesley Pope Sykes
and Professor Paul Leslie Hoover re­
ceived honorary membership at the
same tim e. Present and participating
in the initiation were G rand Regent
Russell Glass and Past G rand Regent
Professor J. M. Daniels. This initia­
tion was held on A pril 30, 1942.
D elta is to be congratulated on its
Dr. W ickenden is considered the
top-ranking engineering educator in
S M J t o n . P si 37, R «
this country and has done much to
deserve th at reputation. N ot only has
he served in an educational capacity
but he has also been in charge of per­
sonnel work w ith Westinghouse and
has occupied a responsible position
w ith A. T. & T . H e has w ritten a
tex t on illumination and has served
on many a technical committee. Per­
haps his outstanding contribution to
educational work was his report on
engineering education to the S.P.E.E.
H is present connection w ith the En­
gineer’s Council fo r Professional De­
velopment reflects the prestige which
he has gained in the educational field.
i I I n i is ii a l P ro m o tio n
A lbert W. Schlechten, Psi ’37, who
was form erly on the faculty of the
University of Minnesota in the de­
partm ent of metallurgy has recently
been selected to head the department
of mining engineering at Oregon State
College. Much increased activity in
the State’s mining industry is the pri­
mary reason for reestablishing this de­
partm ent a t Oregon State and for the
first time in ten years degrees will be
granted in Mining Engineering next
spring. The capable D r. Schlechten
takes over the responsibility o f reju­
venating this course at a time when
there is great need of development.
Before joining the faculty at the Uni­
versity o f Minnesota, Brother Schlecharch ;
for the
Anaconda Copper Mining Company.
Regent Arthur Dana presents Plaque to Don Taylor
D e l t a M a n C o p s D e l l a P la q u e
T he customary Delta Chapter award
to the outstanding senior was this
year presented to Don Taylor, Delta
'42. The plaque, which comes com­
plete w ith engraved name plates, was
G a r c /n e r , L a m b d a
presented by Regent A rth u r Dana on
April 15 at the H onors Day Convo­
cation. Taylor, the recipient of the
trophy, is also honorary captain o f the
1941 football team.
'0 6 , A p p o i n t e d R e g i o n a l E n g in e e r
E. D. G ardner, Lambda '0 6, climbed
aboard w ith the U. S. Bureau of Mines
back in 1918 when he w ent to work
in the safety division in Pittsburgh.
He has since advanced rapidly and
was recently appointed regional engi­
neer for the central states office by
the Rolla, Missouri, office. In 1925
he was stationed in Tucson as super­
intendent w ith a force of six engineers
working w ith him. In 1939 an ap­
propriation o f funds for the develop­
ment o f essential war metals enabled
him to increase his force to 61 men.
Brother G ardner has made extensive
studies and experiments in the use of
explosives and in mining operations
and has prepared several bureau in ­
form ation circulars on blasting prob­
lems, mining and milling methods,
and leaching problems in connection
w ith copper.
T H E G EA R OF T H E T A TA U
IJ
A n G tie n c li a in /M e r g e r
T he smiling faces shown below be­
long to F. Ray Obenchain, Delta ’41,
and the form er Miss Jessie D unn, who
said " I do, un to ” on February 28.
Ray assumes new duties w ith the Pro­
duction D epartm ent o f the Reliance
Electric and Engineering Company,
Cleveland, and checks in a t night at
502 East 185th Street where the
'missus” holds the reigns.
V a n P e l ,, B e t a '-22, H o n o r e d
J. R. Van Pelt, Jr., Beta '22, has
recently had Ph.D . tacked on to his
name by Cornell College at its annual
commencement in recognition o f his
contribution to a wider public under­
standing o f science and industry. This
honor comes to D r. Van Pelt, after
many years o f hard work and untiring
ambition. He has been associated w ith
the Museum o f Science and Industry
T H E G EAR OF T H E T A T A U
in Chicago virtually from its incep­
tion in 1928. He has fulfilled the
duties demanded by the various posts
of curator of mining and metallurgy,
assistant director, and technical direc­
tor. He is today technical director of
the Museum. A t the annual meeting
of the Society for the Promotion of
Engineering Education a t Columbia
University, June 27, D r. Van Pelt was
elected chairman o f the mineral tech­
nology division.
A . I. M. E. Journal
M I a I c a r H e a d s S e n io r s a l C a s e
For the coming year, the Case Stu­
dent body will be led by Case Senate
President, Dave Heppert, ’43 (le f t) .
The Senior Class elected "C huck”
Mlakar, Delta ’43, (rig h t) as their
head man for the year. In addition
to being one o f the most popular and
well-liked students on the campus,
"C h u ck ” is well know n for his ath­
letic achievements.
T H E G EA R OF T H E T A T A U
J a m e s C o /a s a r l i, G a m m a 3 5 ,
P r o m o te d
James Colasanti, Gamma ’35, has
been promoted to the post o f Captain
and placed a t the head of the Denver
office of the St. Louis Ordnance dis­
tric t. Colasanti has been in the Den­
ver office since 1939, going there as a
lieutenant from C. F. & I. Corpora­
tion in 1'ueblo, Colorado.
Brother
Colasanti graduated from the Colo­
rado School of Mines in 1935 and
a fte r graduation was first associated
w ith the Leadville Metals Milling
Com pany in Leadville, Colorado. He
is boss of the operations in a good
many middle states which beside
Colorado includes Missouri, Nebraska,
Kansas, Arkansas, Texas, N ew Mexico,
Oklahoma, and a section of Illinois.
R i c h a r d , E p s ilo n 3 3 , R e c e iv zs
Fred V. Richard, Epsilon ’33, once
a m ucker in his father's mine, The
G round Hog, has steadily advanced
through various stages of responsibility and was recently appointed superintendent o f the Ground H og U nit
of the American Smelting and Refining Com pany in Vanadium, N ew
Mexico. Brother Richard has a remarkable record of advancement and
is one o f the youngest mine executives
in the southwest. Richard, who is 30
S n jffiem oriam
Felmer Soe, Omega '39, with an engineer­
ing regiment in England, met Ius death in
lieutenant in the Army, died in England on
August 22, 1942. He formerly lived in
Dcadwood, South Dakota, and graduated from
Surviving are his parents, Dr. and Mrs. Peter
Colasant.
R a p i d P ro m o tio n
years old, graduated from the Univcrsity of California in 1933, w ent to
work w ith A. S. and R. a t Vanadium,
in April, 1934, as mine engineer, advancing in 193 5 to the position of
mine shift boss. Before his recent pro­
motion he was serving as general foreman for the Ground H og Unit.
D uring his college days he worked
a t the mine during summer vacations
so it is not surprising that he "knows
the ropes” of his new job.
John Lyle Harrington, Honorary Zeta, died
in May, 1942. He was the senior member of
the firm of Harrington and Cortelyou of
the University of Kansas in 1891. and rcfrom Case in 1930.
He was a member of
1916. In 1923 he was president of A.S.M.E.
He was a noted bridge builder and has built
a number of bridges in Russia. He was a
in Kansas City and elsewhere.
18
T H E G EAR OF T H E T A T A U
T h e
G E A R
OFFICIAL
o f
PUBLICATION
T
OF
H
E T A
THE
T A U
FRATERNITY
P. L. Mercer, Omicron '21 amI J. W. Howe, Omicron '24
210 ENGINEERING HALL
IOWA CITY, IOWA
Subscription SI .UO a Year
VOLUME XXXII
Life Subscription f 15.00
FALL, 1942
T H E T A T A U GOES T O W AR
T heta T au is extremely proud of
every one of its men now in uniform,
but of none are we more proud than
of our G rand Regent, Russell G. Glass,
ivho last O ctober 15, donned the blue
o f the N avy. H e is now Lieutenant
Glass, and for the present is stationed
at the N aval T raining Station, Norocon, Connecticut.
A t last Convention tim e, when
Brother Amss retired from ths Execu­
tive Council because of his call to
ictive duty in the A rm y Air Corps we
had an inkling of w hat was to come.
N ow the e ntry of our G rand Regent
into the N avy focusses our attention
more squarely than ever on the urgent
need of our armed forces for com­
petent engineering man power; it also
illustrates the patriotic response which
these needs are meeting within our
own group.
While our cheers and best wishes
are directed especially at those bro­
thers who are in the combat units of
the Army, N avy, o r Marine Corps, we
recognize also th a t those o f us still
in civilian life have patriotic duties
to perform . More than ever before,
warfare is now a mechanized, ruthless
evil where machines, fire power, and
transportation mean everything to the
combat troops. All of these call for
the planning, directing, and produc­
ing genius of the engineer. I t is im­
perative, therefore, that those o f us
NUMBER I
working in jobs th at contribute in
any way to the w ar effort— and what
job does not these days?— push our­
selves to the utm ost to improve pro­
duction efficiencies, to improvise short
cuts and, in brief, to see to it in our
own small way th at the factories,
farms, and plants of America produce
the supplies needed for our armed
forces and those of our allies, not "too
little and too late”, but "sufficient
and ahead of schedule.”
O u r colleges and universities are in
many respects leading the way to
20
T H E G EA R OF T H E T A T A U
faster production in industrial fields.
The speeded-up educational program
means harder work for both teachers
and for students, but it is producing
results. W ith the length of the war
uncertain and w ith the need for tech­
nically trained men never greater, it
is surely the p art of wisdom to keep
the training of engineers going a t as
rapid a rate as we can. U nder such
conditions it is obviously the patriotic
du ty of students to give the closest
attention to their studies and to im ­
prove their knowledge o f engineering
in every way possible to the end th at
the period spent in academic training
shall be most useful, not only to
themselves, but especially to the na-
it is hardly likely that the chapter
will. Especially will this be the case
if the boys who get themselves a new
suit of clothes on Uncle Sam have left
school owing their organization some
im portant folding money.
Chapter officers, and particularly
the Treasurers, have a definite re­
sponsibility to see th a t they keep their
books balanced, m onth by month.
B itter experience teaches th at this can
be done only as every other w orth
while thing in life can be done, by
working at it earnestly, diligently, and
systematically. Remember Pearl H ar­
bor, and apply the preparedness lesson
it teaches to the business affairs of
your Chapter.
A SPECIFIC JO B FOR A LUM NI
REMEMBER PEARL H ARBOR!
Forecasting the future is always a
hazardous pastime. But it is a good
five to one wager that the Chapter
which puts its financial house in order
now, and religiously keeps it th at way
during the next few months will have
reason to be everlastingly thankful for
its foresight. T he storm clouds ap­
pearing over the horizon as we pass
into our second year of this trem en­
dous Global W ar spell Danger with
a capital D to all fraternities.
Reports from individual chapters
indicate a varying amount of laxity
in collections both from actives and
from alumni. In normal times, a
fraternity may struggle along and be
moderately successful in spite o f some
laxities, b u t in these days such luxuries
will almost surely lead to disaster. A
group numbering tw enty-five o r th irty
going into the Holidays may find at
the resumption o f school w ork it has
dwindled to only half th at size, and
while the Arm y, N avy, and Marines
may benefit greatly from the shuffle,
T he following editorial from Banta’s
Greek Exchange contains an idea for
older T heta Taus to consider— and
having considered to act upon.
"T he passage o f the law to conscript
men of eighteen and nineteen years of
age for the arm y was inevitable but
brings closer the time when colleges
and fraternities can operate only w ith
the utm ost difficulty. As in all things
necessary to the w inning o f the war,
it will be m et w ith their whole­
hearted cooperation, we are certain.
"O ne fratern ity chapter has formed
a committee o f one hundred alumni
who have pledged themselves to carry
the chapter through the emergency.
They will be organized to function in
any needed capacity even to the pay­
ment of S1.00 per m onth each to meet
financial commitments.
" In peace tim es it is somewhat dif­
ficult to explain the place o f the
alumni in the fraternity picture.
Americans are never greatly interested
in 'stand by’ service; they w ant action.
W ell, the opportunity is certainly
T H E G EA R OF T H E T A T A U
T H E G EA R O F T H E T A T A U
mended for your
23
T H E G EAR O F T H E T A TA U
Sounds as though you
a rather useful citizen by
T heta Taus coming to
25
Letters from the L hapters
Alpha Expects to Lurtail Social Program
I - * . ss e,: : : r : r S
5 a s s «
E,'
s?{5HHvZii''3 E/^E’EHBSr'i
d™d's,h".'.r“ . “Ss
t
'■ i*‘.\ ^ " f e s F e
£tz™ zrr s z iztz SsjSS-S^jrarSte
S K S S
-
Z S lE S -z ™ „r ™; “~
-CT1- S S i
”“' l"'
Beta is a Lioiny Loi
chapter h
d d '
“
°
“d
' ^ nd >’“ r R O T C "°»
T H E G EAR O F T H E T A T A U
27
BER K ELEY
T H E G EA R OF T H E T A T A U
Lambc/a \ Lsited by Erick Sckrader
T H E G EA R OF T H E T A T A U
’micron
Pi M as Record Alemberskip
33
T H E G EAR O F T H E T A T A U
R ko Working
On
W a r A lum ni File
Sisma Busy Billins iMembership
Vc
T H E G EAR OF T H E T A T A U
---
Phi Is A U Slicked U p
W d IM
part in the Army Air Corps as Cadets.
ones that couldn't make it.
of the school of Electrical Engineering. Pro-
This is all for now but Phi would like to
Sfi^S-stfirs
We feel sure
s-sa STjavia-st- —*~
cta a fip. rjfi “re!
s^ srs-,
Clii H a s Cruclse Asainst Hirohito and Hitler
I
/
ariz.
we »« «'*<1 »
/ ™» a s k ;
fi"»l "doings" of last school year.
We had
L-US
T H E G E A R OF T H E T A T A U
Psi Initiates I Ic
BU TTE
■ MONT.
Member
J9
42
T H E GEAR OF T H E T A T A U
43
T H E G EAR O F T H E T A TA U
whose
be forwarded on the
Mailing Address ---------------------
Street
Post Office
....................... State
Subscribers in m ilitary service are requested to furnish tI home address, because o f the frequent shifting o f the m ilitary personnel.
Permanent address from which mail will always be forwai:ded to you:
................ .....Street
...............Post Office
..................... . State
KEEP US INFO RM ED OF YOUR
C O R R E C T ADDRESS
Send to
T H E G EAR O F T H E T A TA U
210 Engineering Bldg.
Io w a C ity , Iowa
A lu m n i N o te s
ALPHA
T H E G EAR O F T H E T A T A U
4J
T H E G EAR O F T H E T A TA U
T H E G EA R OF T H E T A T A U
T H E G EA R O F T H E T A T A U
T H E G EAR OF T H E T A TA U
ZETA
52
T H E G EAR OF T H E T A T A U
54
T H E G EA R O F T H E T A T A U
T H E G EAR O F T H E T A TA U
SJ
T H E G EAR O F T H E T A T A U
F V5Ir
T H E G EA R OF T H E T A T A U
T H E G EAR O F T H E T A TA U
T H E G EAR O F T H E T A T A U
62
T H E G EA R O F T H E T A TA U
T H E G EA R OF T H E T A TA U
OMEGA
Su^eiUani
C h ristm a s
if
Q on S io e e tlte a n t • fyn iendi.
1943
B A L FO U R
BLUE B O O K
shows beautiful crested
rings, red baby calf and
Victory blue morocco
in sweetheart bill folds,
saddle leather for men
Mail Post Card for
FREE CO PY
★
C R E S TE D
S T A T IO N E R Y
A practical gift sug­
gestion for both men
and w o m e n . Weekly
letters on fine crested
p a p e r k e e p up the
morale o f men in the
Service.
New— Deckle Parch­
m ent, Light Blue Vel­
lum , Scotch Weave in
Ivory and Blue.
Stationery samples
FREE on request
•
fyn a ten i i n t h e S esuiice
fJ lte rO ietosuf. •
w a r o f s u r v iv a l
•
if
R in tf
Streamlined as a bomber and rugged as a tank, the
V IC TOR Y — W ar o f Survival — R IN G should be a
traditional gift from the chapter to each member in
the Service.
Fraternity crest on oval signet or onyx stone. Each
tapered side forms a "V ” for V ictory. Symbol for arm
of the service forms the shank design. See page I of
1943 BLUE BOOK. A suitable gift from family or
★ ---------- W rite fo r C opy o f BLUE B O O K
★
MilitaSUf S e n o ic e PadA. Cade
W hat to give the service man is a perplexing question.
O u r suggestion is a leather bill fold— pass case which
has proved the most popular accessory used by the men
in service. Four celluloid wings carry passes, pictures,
identification cards, licenses, and other im portant notes.
Cover features hand-tooled effect design for each branch
of the Service. Suntan cowhide for long wear. Style
565-43— see Page 24, 1943 BLUE BOOK.
★ ----------------- W rite fo r BLUE BO O K ------------------i f
R a il ajj O lanon. S cn o ll
T O H O N O R MEMBERS IN T H E SERVICE
Every chapter should honor the members serving in
the Armed Forces o f the U nited States. A beautiful
w hite parchm ent scroll has recently been completed
fully engraved in gold, red, and blue w ith appropriate
heading. Fraternity and chapter beautifully hand en­
grossed as well as suitable inscription and names o f all
members in the Service. Reasonable cost. Scrolls are
furnished plain or framed. See the Balfour representa-
O fJ fc ia i fjeiuelesi to rJlieia. rJ a u
L. G .
BALFOUR
ATTLEBORO
COMPANY
MASSACHUSETTS