FRIDAY, MAY 25, 1945
"Congenitally Lazy' Dean
Still Young, Active At 68
Dean Charles W. Stoddart, who
retires July 1, describes himself
as 41 congenitally lazy", yet the
School of 'Liberal Arts has
mushroomed from a unit of 421
students and 82 faculty members
to become the largest School at
the College during his 25-year re
gime.. . . .
Statistics fail to back up his
claims to laziness, for'.when Dr..
Stoddart became •head of the Bib
-Oral - artists in 1920, the school
ranked fourth in enrolltnent; and,
in his words, was "a hang-out
for funk-outs" from other schools.
Believing that students always
want something which is hard to
get, his first action was to raise
academic standards. His theory
must have been good lbecause the
LA School has ranked first in en
rollment for the past !1.5 years,'
In 1940, the last .prewar year,
there were 1552 students and 160
faculty 'members. Today, Sparkt
building serves as headquarters
for .1008 civilian students 'and 156
professors: In addition it services
approximately 600 milit aTy
trainees.
• Other landmarks• of Stoddart's
reign • were separation of the
School into lower and upper di
visions, and establishment of the
Speech Clinic, the Institute of Lo
cal' .GoVernment, and the Bureau
of Business Reasearch.
Although the Dean holds three
degrees, a B.A. from Columbia
• University, 1900; a M.A. from
_Columbia, 1901; and a Ph.D. from
the University of Wisconsin, he
,has always insisted that his sec
_retaries refer to him as "Mr."
Stoddart. He is not the one to
claim credit for others' accom
plishments.
"My policy," he explained, "has
:not been to .go out and do every
'thing - myself, but to back some
body who has a good idea."
When the College had a radio
:station, WP,SC, Dean Stoddart
:ranked as one of its outstanding
prcigram 'contributors, frequent
fly serving as master of ceremon
ies' on the liberal arts broadcasts.
;He was the first president of the
Centre Hills Country Club, a
`former 'director of both the Red
'Cross and University Club, and at
.one time he was simultaneously
:president of the Kiwanis and.the
Commerce Clubs.
In the interval between Presi
dents Sparks and Thomas and
.agairi between Presidents Thomas
and Hetzel, he served as "one
third president" of the College.
•Dr. Stoddart, author of "Chemis
try of Agriculture", member of
the. committee which recom
mended the College Senate, and
chairman of the first committee
on courses' of study, was a mem- ,
;ter of the agricultural chemistry
department from. 1910 to 1920.
Charles Stoddart was born in
'Boscdbel, Wisconsin, 1877, and
spent most of his boyhood in Can
; ticin and Columbus, 'Ohio. He
Maintains 'Membership in many
organizations including t h e
;American Association for the Ad
vancement of Science, Beta The=
Phi Beta Kappa, Sigma Xi,
Phi. Kappa Phi, and Alpha Zeta..
The Dean, who ' still - rushes
about his office an hour after
•
Maytime
Springtime .
Flowertime a.
FRESH FLOWERS
Speak Best Wishes .
In Any Time.
WOODRINGS
Floral Gardens
Phone 2045 Beaver Ave.
closing time, who laughs so
easily,and solves problems. with a
flick oE• his cigarette, neither acts
nor looks like a man about to re
tire.
"I want to retire," he said "while
I can still move. I want to go
.out and do , a -lot of things I've
been intending to do) for the past
45 years." •
T hese things • include two
months of rest and then quite ex
tensive
.reading of ancient his
tory, ancient drama, .philosophy',
and anystery, stories, and perhaps
even A little writing for his own
amusement.
. "My fingers are crossed, he
added, "in the hope that I can
spend the summer camping in the
Adirondaks and the winter at
cur home in Alabama. That de
pends. on gas, rationing and the
approval of Mrs. Stoddart.".
Gardening is another possibil
ity, but he's making nat rash
statements, because, in his own
words, "I've got an aversion to
labor." . .
Engineer Goes on Sale;
Features Student Articles
The May issue of the Penn State
Engineer will
.go .on sale tomor
vow, announced Dorothea Fischer,
editor.
Feature articles in this month's
issue are; "Progidy," by Pierce
Robinson; "DaddY of Milling," by
Marie Macario; and "Titanium,"
by Eileen Ershler. Also included
are "Sly Drools," and "Talk
the Campus," which, according to
Miss Fischer, is ,bigger than
ever.
The executive staff selected for
the summer includes: Dorothea
Fischer, editor; John •Zoszak, as
sociate editor; James McMaster,
business manager; La w r ence
Schlrfstein, national advertising
representative; (Robert Yuricanin,
managing editor; Elisabeth Grif
fiths, illustration editor; -David
Nalven; feature editor; Pierce
Robinson, advertising manager;
and Louis Parent, office manager.
Dean Offers-Students
Part Time Positions
Students who wish to work
part-time at the Ordnance Re
search Laboratory project may do
so by spending two-hour stretches
or 15 hours a week minimum,
"Royal M. Gerhardt, assistant dean
of the School of Engineering, an
nounced this week. - „ '
Workers .can 'be . used tfroin 3:30
to 5:30 p.m. weekdays and from
ti to 5:30 p.m. Saturday, said
Mr. Gerhardt. If under 18 years
of age, work certificates will be
needed and may •be obtained in
203 Main Engineering.
Yitik I! ° to*
H."[R • H.m[nonalitri I^qow
THE COLLEGIAN
FRED K. HOEHLER
College Alumnus
To Open WSSI
Campus Drive
Fred K. Hoehler, director of
the division of • displaced persons•
of the United Nations Relielf and
Rehabilitation Administration Ad- I
ministration, will open the camp
pus
World Student Service Fund
drive at a mas meeting in Schwab
Auditorium ; 7:30 p.m. Thursday.
Mr: Hoehler recentl;y spent ten
months, in Europe, making plans
for the feeding, clothing, and
housing of war refugees. He will
present a view of the present sit
uation abroad, and the needs to
be met.
The speaker was graduated
from the College in 1915 with a
bachelor of science . degree in for
estry. While in college he was
a member of Alpha Zeta, Lions
Paw, Skull and Bones, Friars,
SPhinx,. Student Board, Student
Council, and was b-asiness man
ager of LaVie and the Penn State
Farmer.
In 1940 he was appointed di
rector of the joiint Army-Navy
commission followed by his State
Department appointment in the
UNRRA, under Harbert Lehman.
Following. ' the meeting, solici
tors for the drive will hold a re
ception in the State College Ho
tel. Students and faculty are in
vited to attend and talk with Mr.
Hoetiler.
George Paul Jones will act as
master of ceremonies for the pro
gram, assisted by Barbara Ander-
Call /( 1 :p Y 06r .Friends
T Tel Everyone
ifs The
V.E. DANCE
Celebrate to
.the Tuneful Music
of
THE MUSICAL SAVEWFS
MAY 26th . .9to 12
RECREATION HALL'
$2 - Couple
$1 Stag
Hear the
"Honey Boys" in their
first public performance
Fletcher Plans To Fish,
Write After Retirement
After 45 jampacked years as
teacher, writer, researcher, and
dean, Stevenson. W. Fletcher,
whose retirement as head of the
School of Agriculture was an
nounced recently, just wants to go
.fishing.
Wading the waters of Pine
Creek,.where he has a cabin, cast
ing into the waters.of Kettle Creek,
where he usually fishes with his
good friend Ralph Watts, who pre.
ceded him as dean, shooting rabbit
and turkey, and camping and
tramping in the Seven :Mountains
are part of the dean's retirement
plans. His .retirement, however,
twill ,not be devoted exclusively to
fishing.. The preparation of a book,
"Three Centuries of Pennsylvania
Agriculture," will engross his time
for several years. He will also con
tinue serving as a member of the
Pennsylvania Postwar Planning
Conimission.
Dean Fletcher's career in edu
cation 'began in 1.892 when he
pocketed the $54.60 he had earned
picking berries and entered Mas
sachusetts Agricultural College.
in 1396 he obtained his B.S. de
gree. Cornell conferred the M.S.
degree in 1898 and the Ph.D. in
900. ,"
The same year, Dr. Fletcher be
came professor of horticulture and
horticulturist at the experiment
station of Washington State Col
lege. In 1902, he resigned to fill a
similar position at West Virginia
University, and the following year
returned to Cornell to become as
sistant professor of extension
teaching in agriculture. He has
also held a horticulture professor
ship at Michigan , Agricultural Col
lege and the directorship of the
Virginia Polytechnic Institute Ag
ricultural Experiment Station.
In 1917. Dr. Fletcfier came to the
College as professor of horticul
ture. Ten years later he was made
vice dean of the School of Agri
culliure and .director of research,
and was appointed dean in 1940.
The dean is the author of six
books: `giow to ;Make a Fruit Gar
den," "Soils•—l How to improve
X-G-I's Sponsor Dance
Club is sponsoring an in-.
formal dance for all ex-service
men at the Elks Club from 9 to 12
p.m., June 1. The dance features
Dick Berge and his band.
Reservations for the dance can
be made by calling Dick Berge,
4425; Patrick Brennan, 2020; Mer
vin Wilf, 4933*; William. Deutsh,
2053; or any club officer. •
son, Dorothy Funkhouser, and
Claire Weaver.
Sponsored By' The G.S.O.
PAGE THREE '
Them," "Strawberry Growing,"
"The Strawberry in North Amer
ica," "A History of Fruit Growing
in Pennsylvania," and "History c'l
Fruit Growing in Virginia."
• Professionally he has served as
president. of the Virginia State
Horticultural Society, president
and secretary of the State Horti
cultural Association of Pennsyl •
vania, chairman of the Committee
on Manuscripts of the Journal of
Agricultural Research, and chair
man of the Council of Research ca
the College.
With his six, sons, Dean Fletcher
has built several cabins and
camps. He now, owns one in the
Seven 'Mountains and another .at
Pine Creek near Waterville. Three
of his sons are in the service, and
a fourth, Ensign Emmett Fletcher,
the youngest, was killed in action.
Dr. Fletcher is a member of Phi
Kappa Phi, Alpha Gamma Rho,
Alpha Zeta, Sigma Xi, the Amer
loan Association for the Advance
ment of Science, and the Society of
Horticultural Science. Despite
these honors, the dean describes
himself as "the lesser Fletcher„"
and refers to his brother, Senator
Edward Fletcher, of California, as
"the greater Fletcher.",
DUKE UNIVERSITY .
SCHOOL OF NURSING
DURHAM, N. C.
The next class will be admitted
September .27, 1045. Only ono
class is enrolled each year. -.
Basic entrance requirement;
are intelligence, aptitude for nur
sing, and character. The acadern
ic requirements are 16 units 0 . , E
High School and at least one se
mester each of College Chemistry
and Biology or Zoology. Annual
tuition cost is $lOO and covers tho
cost of instruction and mainte
nance.
Duke University School ot!
Nursing offers the B. S. in Nur •
sing upon completion of the B-•
year nursing course and GO semeg
ter hours of acceptable Coilego
credits.
Duke University School of Nur •
sing also narticipates in the U. S.
Nurse Cadet Corps program. Un-•
der this plan, students who pled.
ge themselves to continue in nur •
sing throughout the war, receivo
free tuition, uniforms and a small
monthly stipend.
• . Application .forms and catalo •
gue can be obtained from: Dean,
Duke University School of Nur
sing, Duke Hospital, Durham,
North Carolina.