TRINITY COLLEGE BULLETIN ALUMNI NEWS ISSUE • MARCH, 1952 • HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT IN THIS ISSUE T. H. Bissonnette A M emorial Cooper and Downs on History ..... Alumni Notes by the Class Secretaries Best Sports Story of 1951 Hell Week Out Profiles of Professors Costello, Harrington Goralski Improves A T rinity student as caricatured by the Chapel architect on a misericord arm in the chancel. George Capen Says.· During the past few days, I have analyzed this year's Alumni Fund, now at 33,500. Frankly, while I am not disheartened, the results so far are not encouraging. When the National Alumni Association accepted on behal f of all the alumni a goal of $50,000, it was done because we knew that all alumni realize the importance to Trinity of an outstanding faculty. We knew, too, that a successful campaign would depend on these two factors: ( 1) Increased contributions from those alumni who have given in the past, and ( 2) contributions from the large number of alumni who had not contributed previously. The increases are just not coming through, and the rate of new contributors is very disappointing. However, a cheering trend is the fine showing of our younger alumni, those of the Classes of '49, '50, and '51. I know that Trinity alumni are interested in the faculty both because of the importance of good teaching at the college and also in recognition of their own personal appreciation of the men still at Trinity who taught them. But we are going to have to do a lot better in this Alumni Fund if the increases in faculty salaries given last Sep­ tember are to be covered. So far, 894 alumni and US parents have contributed $33,500.40. You might be interested to know that the parents have contributed 37% of the total amount raised to date. We still have about three months to go. There­ fore, I ask you, if you have already given, to consider seriously the amount of this gift, and, if you have not yet given, to do so. The roster of alumni contributors follows. G EORGE C. CAPEN, '10, Chairman, Alumni F11nd 1882- Coit. 1899- Morgau, agent, Davis, Eaton, Hen. 1908- $35- Reic/re, agent, Buck, Edsall. 1884--Purdy, agent, Andrews (IM), ry, Littell. Handall. B ra ina·rd (IM), Deming, Hitchcock (IM), 1900- Taylor, agent, Fagan, S imonds. 1909--$1385- Hal/dcn, agent, Backus, J ohnson (IM), R ichardson, Russell (IM), 1901- $165- Wales, agent, 13urbanck, Barbou1·, Butterwort h, Chandler, Creedon, Sanford (IM). Clement. H arr im an, "Morrow , Roberts, Xanders. 1885 -P~trdy, agent, Loomis, Miller (IM) . 1902- $133.50--Hende rson, agent, Crane, 1910--$1375- Capen, agrrrt, Abbey, Cook, 1887- P~t rdy , agent, Beardsley (IM) . Goodridge, McCook, Rogers, \\Talke r, Geer, Harris, Leschke, Neff, elson, Oliver, 1888- Jones, agent, Downes. Wheeler. Olsson, Webster. 1889- Scott, agent, Beers, Chase. 1903-$65- Hinkc/, agent, Meyer , 1911 - $175- Rosebaug/r , a.qerrt, Berman, 1890--Brady, agent. Morgan, Trumbull. B urbank , Dissell, Green, Hickey, :Maxon, 1891-Lampson, S hepard. 1904--Hillkel, agent, Townsend. Pomeroy, Skinner, Smith. 1894-Belde11, agent, Greenley, Phair, 1905- $ 11 6--Goodale, agent, Bulkley, 1912- $357- Wesse/s, agent, Barnes, Pratt. B utler, Campbell, Clement, Carr, George, Bleecker, Carpenter, F lanagan, Foote, Her­ 1895- McCook, agent, McGann, Straw· Harriman, Roberts. rick. Jamieson, Penn. bridge. 1906--$52.50- Hinke/, age11t, Fallow, Gra· 19 13- $415- Barber, agerr t, Adkins, Co­ 1896- Coggesha/1, agent, Forward. ham, R athbone, P hill ips, Rehr. hen, Case, Cook, J ewett, W ard, \Vithington. 1897- CogsweU, agent, Starr, Moore, 1907-$65- deMal<riac, agc11t , Ferguson, White. W a-rdla w. Cor~tinued OtJ Page 7 Issued eight times a year by Trinity College--March, April, May, July, August, September, October and November. Entered January 12, 1904, at Hartford, Connecticut, as second-class matter, under the Ace of Congress of July 16, 1894. Accepted for mailing at special rate of postage provided .for in Section 1103, Act o.f October 3, 1917, autho­ rized March 3, 1919. EDITED BY JOHN A . MASON , '34 VOLUME XLIX NEW SERIES NUMBER 1 ( March, 1952) 2 Professor Thomas Hume Bissonnette, 1885-1951 With the death on November 30, 1951, of Thomas Hume Bis­ sonnette, J. Pierpont Morgan Pro­ fessor of Biology, Trinity lost an­ other of its great teachers, a scientist of international fame, and one of the personalities which molded the Trinity of the past twenty-five years. Never having taught one of the numerically large courses and har­ rassed in recent years by ill-health, he is perhaps not known as vividly by the present college community as that of earlier years. But a large group of physicians remember him as one who not only taught them but who helped them to mamrity of intellect and of personality. The older faculty members remember him as one to whom they turned with trust and con1idence when the faculty needed leadership and some DR. BISSONNETTE IN HIS LABORATORY one with courage. Radiating an inward integrity and made continuation of this study fi­ he had almost ninety scientific a fierce passion for truth, justice nancially impossible. For a number papers tO his credit, and was recog­ and excellence of performance, he of years he taught a variety of nized as a world authority on the turned his mark into his students. grades and subjects in different pub­ reproductive cycles of birds and While constantly engaged in re­ lic schools in Canada. He enlisted mammals. search, he was primarily a teacher; in the Canadian Army in World He was one of those formnate his duties to his students and to War I, and was gassed and blinded scientists who are able to make one the College took precedence over temporarily at the front in France. of the larger generalizations in his his personal studies. Every student Although he became an Ameri­ field. Never a scientific politician was a challenge of whom to make can citizen in 1931, his Scottish nor one tO junket about the world something; every class was awaited· ancestry, his British background, on self-advertising tours, he was with impatient enthusiasm; every and his war service in both the starred in the American Men of closing bell a personal insult. Canadian and British Armies was Science, one of the major honors As a teacher he was able to com­ a constant satisfaction and source which can happen to a scientist, bine old-fashioned drill with the of pride. Worry over the fate of and he received one prize of $1000, development of individual smdent Britain in the early years of World the Walker Grand Prize from the initiative and responsibility. In his War II helped undermine his Boston Society of Natural History. classes, students learned public health. He was able also tO con­ While he worked indefatigably at speaking, expository writing and tribute to World War II in uni­ his research, it was never a life's the use of reason as a solution to form, serving for a year at the work but a life•s pleasure. problems instead of emotion, un­ U. S. Army University at Biarritz, In one other area, he gained na­ questioned authority, and prejudice. France and in Germany. tional fame; that was as the directOr They also gained a large collection After World War I, he entered of the summer course in Inverte­ of stories, a view of behind the the University of Chicago from brate Zoology at the Marine Bio­ scenes scientific biography, and the which he received his Ph.D. in logical LaboratOry at Woods Hole, impact of a rich and complex per­ 1923 and where he met and mar­ Mass. Between 1926 and 1941 there sonality. A free thinker in the best ried his wife, Julia Powers. After passed through his class a great sense of the word, his ideas ex­ two years as Professor of Biology number of the people who were to pressed in class furnished meat and at Coe College, he came to Trinity become the future professional bi­ impetus to many a college "bull­ in 1925. ologists of America. session." Already forty years of age, and With such a love for teaching, it He was born in 1885 in Dundas, with no published research except was fitting that he held his classes Ontario, into the family of a Ca­ that occurring from his graduate on the morning of the day he was nadian physician. He began the studies, he plunged into a scientific stricken by a series of fatal cerebral medical curriculum at Queens Uni­ career with the vigor and enthusi­ hemorrhages. versity, but the death of his father asm of a youngster. At his death J. WENDELL BURGER 3 Freshman History Study System Changed to Personalize Instruction Faculty News by Professor George B. Cooper and Dr. Norton Downs ACTING PRESIDENT ARTHUR H . HUGHES has announced the pro­ motion of six faculty members, four Perennial problems of the fresh­ the factual narrative for the first of rhem to rhe rank of Associate Pro­ man history courses this year have time. fessor and two to Assistant Professor. resulted in fundamental teaching Last September, consequently, in­ The new Associate Professors are Dr. changes directed toward greater per­ structors in freshman history Lawrence L. Barber, Jr., Government; Dr. George B. Cooper, History; Dr. sonalization of instruction. dropped the lecture plan in favor Edwin N. Nilson, Mathematics; and Western Europe from the fall of of small sections meeting three John C. E. Taylor, Fine Arcs . Dr. Eu­ the Roman Empire to the present times a week. A common syllabus gene W . Davis of rhe History depart­ continues to be the subject matter and final examination, book reports, ment and Daniel B.