Trinity College Bulletin, May 1956
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TRINITY COLLEGE BULLETIN MAGAZINE ISSUE • MAY 1956 • HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT IN THIS ISSUE Concerning Costello Drama and the Curriculum Spotlight on Grades " Program of Progress" Report • with the Faculty on Campus Books in Review DR. HARRY ToDD CosTELLO TRINITY COLLEGE BULLETIN VOL. LIII No. 5 May, 1956 Edited by Kenneth C. Parker Staff: Dale W. Hartford David W. Lee, '56 Advisory Committee: Albert E. Hol On Camp us :« :« :« land '34, Thomas A. Smith '44, John F. Butler '33, John A. RADIOCARBO DATING-Dr. W. of marches, classics, and light con Mason '34, Dr. George B. F. Libby, U. S. Atomic Energy Com cert numbers. The Glee Club, con Cooper. missioner, spoke on "Radiocarbon ducted by Dr. Clarence H. Barber, Dating" in an open lecture in the sang religious selections, folk songs, Chemish·y Auditorium May 3. and four excerpts from George Dr. Libby is the originator of the Gershwin's "Of Thee I Sing." The Radiocarbon Dating method of de guest soloist in the Gershwin rendi termining the age of objects originally tions was Miss Patricia Hughes, con obtained from living matter, and dis tralto, of the Hartt School of Music. cussed this method at the lecture. The doctor explained the revolu 0 0 0 0 tionary process, stating that a minute CLASS AGE T-The Class Agent Published e leven times a year by Trinity constant proportion of the carbon in College. Ente red J a nuary 12, 1904, at Hart Committee for the Class of 1956 has ford , Connecticut, as second class matter, living plants or animals is mildly ra been chosen and announced by the under the Act of Congress of July 16, dioactive. When the plant or animal 1894. Accepted for mailing at special rate Executive Committee of the ational of postage provided for in section 1103, dies this proportion of radiocarbon Alumni Association. Bert Schader Act of October 3, 1917, authorized March is not maintained, but loses its radio 3, 1919. will serve as Class Agent, with Bob activity at a fixed, known rate. By Davis and Dick Abbot acting as as measuring the activity of the remain sociates. Other committee members Alumni Reunion ing radiocarbon in an ancient object, FRIDAY, JU E 8 include ed Montgomery, Bruce N. the doctor said, it is possible to de MacDonald, Thomas Guertin, Don P.M. termine its age with great precision 2:30 Baseball Wesleyan at Anderson, Frank Foley, Jack Vaughn, Middletown up to about 20,000 years. The Jerry Pauley, George Willis, John 4:30 Class Day Exercises method is of considerable value in Swett, Peter Turner, Bill Zito, Eero George Malcolm-Smith dating ancient manuscripts, relics un Raig, Dick issi, John Barter, Jim '25, speaker earthed by archeologists, etc. Streeto, and George Skinner. 6:30 Clambake Dr. Libby, a native of Grand Val 8:30 Open House at Reunion ley, Colo., did his undergraduate and 0 0 0 0 Headquarters Dixieland graduate work at the University of concert California, receiving his doctorate in IFC ELECTIONS-William Pierce, SATURDAY, JUNE 9 1933. He remained there as an asso Alpha Delta Phi, was elected presi A.M. ciate professor of chemistry until dent of the Interfraternity Council 9:15 Air Force ROTC Com 1945, when he became professor at at the first meeting of the newly missioning Ceremonies elected body. Bill Richards was 9:30 Meeting of Pill Beta Kappa the Institute of Nuclear Studies at the University of Chicago. named secretary, with Don Duff as 10:30 Alumni Seminar: Prof. J. treasurer. W. Burger; Prof. G. B. During the Second World War the doctor was a member of the scientific Other members of the council, Cooper; Robert B. which represent Trinity's ten Greek O'Connor '16, Chairman staff at the Columbia University Sci 12:00 Alumni Parade entific and Metallurgic Laboratories, fraternities, are: Russell Jones, John P.M. where much of the basic develop Parnum, John Woodward, Ronald 12:30 Alumni Luncheon ment work for one of the Oak Ridge LaBella, Frank Popowitz, Paul Mc 1:15 Annual Meeting of Alumni Uranium isotope separation processes Leod, and Peter Wilson. Association was carried out. 0 0 0 0 2:30 Baseball-Wesleyan at The doctor is also a member of home the National Academy of Sciences. SO G RECITAL-A song recital was 4:30 President's Reception presented under the auspices of the 6:30 Reunion Class Dinners 0 0 0 0 SUNDAY, JUNE 10 Music Department in the Music A.M. Room on Thursday May 18 at 8:15 9:30 Meeting of Pi Gamma Mu OUTDOOR CONCERT-The Glee p.m. The singers were Richard L. 11:00 Open Air Baccalaureate Club and Band presented their an Fleming '56, tenor; and Ruth Jones, P.M. nual outdoor concert Tuesday, May soprano, of Hartford. Dwight Oarr 2:00 Carillon Recital-Richard 8, at 7:00 p.m. in Funston Court. '57 accompanied the artists and also L. Fleming '56 The band, under the direction of presented a group of piano selections. 3:00 130th Commencement Willard B. Green, presented groups Continued on page 11 2 Goncerning Professor Gostello When in the course of human rela Periclean Age of Philosophy at Har years, and personally in intellectual tions we are thinking about some vard. During his first winter in Cam interest, development, and , admira one whom we know, presently, re bridge, he heard William James lec tion, Means is as surely a Costello cently, or several years since, it is ture on several occasions and listened student' as any of these others.) often satisfying to read some briefly to a formal debate between James factual account of the person as an and Josiah Royce. Among others, he external supplement to our own ex knew well and directly studied un perienced acquaintance. Harry Todd der Royce and Santayana, not to Costello, Brownell Professor of Phi mention George Herbert Palmer who losophy and Chairman of the De cheerfully admitted himself out partment in Trinity College since classed in that company. 1921, is personally known to some During his final year in the Gradu two thousand Alumni who were his ate School, Professor Costello worked students during those years and to closely with Royce and acted as a many more as well through other recording secretary for Royce's fa activities. It is primarily for these mous Seminar on Comparative personally acquainted persons that Methodology. Among his fellow stu this summary statement concerning dents in this seminar were Albert P. Professor Costello is published here Brogan and a certain Tom Eliot from tlu RrcDmmmJ,) Boollirt o/ at the time of his retirement from ac St. Louis, whose name Costello gave TRINITY .COLLEGE tive teaching. the Harvard spelling of "Elliot," but In the spring of 1920, Professor whom a good many people now Perkins as Acting President of the know as T. S. Eliot. College travelled to Cambridge, Upon receiving his doctor's degree Massachusetts, in search of the best from Harvard, Professor Costello In the late spring of 1916 Profes graduating student in Emerson Hall studied for a year in Paris, notably sor Costello talked with Royce for to replace Professor Urban. After under the exceedingly popular lec the last time. Royce asked him about seven years at Trinity College and turer, Henri Bergson. Required to his work at Yale and Columbia and, originating the term, "Axiology," as furnish a recognized translation of as they were parting, advised him a new name for an old way of think his American diploma for admission to "get out of Columbia, they'll never ing about things in terms of values, to the University, he silenced the understand you down there." This Professor Urban was moving on to thrifty French officials concerned by advice Costello followed in the fall Dartmouth College, leaving the one simply pointing out that his Harvard of 1920 by coming to Trinity College man department at Trinity vacantly degree was not English but already and so completing something of an in need of another outstanding young was written in the universally valid Ivy League circuit in teaching ap man. In Cambridge Professor Perkins language of good Church Latin. After pointments. learned that by far the ablest among finishing with the French, Professor For some years here at Trinity Harvard's recent graduates was a Costello returned to Harvard as an College he was affectionately known young man named Costello. A grad instructor in The Department for the "below stairs" as "Joe Phil" before uate of Earlham College, B.A. 1908, next two years, going on from Cam acquiring his present, more com he had received his M.A. from Har bridge to Columbia by way of one monly familiar dimunitive, "Butch." vard in 1910 and his Ph.D. in 1911. year spent in pleasurable teaching at This unexpfa!fled change in nick Unfortunately no longer at Harvard, Yale. While teaching at Harvard he name, taking place around 1930, was he was then teaching at Columbia, had a certain Raphael Demos as one apparently accomplished in the years a college to the west of Yale, but it of his promising students and served while George K. Funston was in resi was thought that he might well con as assistant for the notorious Ber dence as a student. sider an offer from Trinity. Professor trand Arthur William Russell, giving In 1930 Professor Costello re Perkins promptly made this offer the first few lectures in logic for turned to Harvard for a term as and, fortunately for Trinity College, him when Russell failed to arrive at Lecturer in Philosophy, and in 1952 the following year Dr.