is one s good Hous- hat the !aturee, about'l such anyone,. fe for ne . .".. PUBLISHED FOR ALL FORMER in last6.1 STUDENTS OF THE RICE INSTITUTE TWO VOLIT3IE 16 HOUSTON, TEXAS, MARCH, 1960 Number 3 s that' wife, had a uly 26, hat hei degree Their Y1-011 HALL TO BE ERECTED rg°rR. MAURICE EWING IS FIRST Rayzors' Gift To Finance )1TirlienstECIPIENT OF VETLESEN AWARD New Humanities Building inter- Dr. Maurice Ewing, outstanding /IT fol- vs. alumnus of The -rassednice Institute and Professor of Geology at Columbia word University, first recipient of the Vetlesen Prize, a new frus-Inajor award in science, described the earth sciences as S withLeing on the threshold of significant advances. d none "The study of the earth is about where the study of airmanithysics was in the Eighteen-Nineties," he said. All it The Vetlesen Prize, to be awarded every two years leetingfor achievement "resulting in a clearer understanding of a few the earth, its history or its relation to the universe," was others'established at Columbia University in February by the , these q. Unger Vetlesen Foundation. It will consist of a gold as to: thedal and $25,000.00. RITE) The Foundation was set up by the late Georg Unger MR. AND MRS. J. NEWTON RAYZOR 7 Tal- Vetlesen, a Norwegian shipping executive who became an DR. MAURICE EWING A new Humanities Building, made possible through American citizen during World War II. the generosity of Mr. and Mrs. J. Newton I Pete Rayzor, will The simultaneous announcement that Dr. Ewing had will soon be under construction on our campus. The pro- LiAd)een chosen by the trustees of the foundation to be the President's posed building will be named Rayzor Hall. first recipient of the prize evoked a favorable response in Rayzor Hall will house faculty offices and classrooms 1 JIM kientific circles. for the humanities and social sciences, thus making As director of Columbia's Lamont Geological Obser- Thoughts-- available badly needed space o Wil- to serve an increased faculty lvatory, Dr. Ewing has made important contributions to J. Newton Rayzor has brought and graduate student body in this division of Rice. The honor his Alma Mater, and khe earth sciences. He considers himself primarily a phy- to additional space will also provide for the expansion of now for the second time he and dOND kicist who applies fundamental science—physics, chemis- undergraduate courses in the Humanities and Social arvard 114.37. his wife, Eugenia Porter Rayzor, and mathematics—to the earth., have brought material gifts to Science fields. Chase The award will be presented at a dinner at Columbia , Bos- Rice, this time in the form of Mr. and Mrs. Rayzor's gift was their latest in a 11.1II March 24. Dr. Alan T. Waterman, director of the Rayzor Hall, the story of which series of many generous gifts to Rice Institute. Several is carried elsewhere this OGER kational Science Foundation in Washington will be the in issue. years ago they established the J. Newton We are, indeed, grateful to Mr. Rayzor Pro- ncipal speaker. Dr. Ewing will deliver the first Vet- and Mrs. Rayzor for this wonder- fessorship in Philosophy and Religious Thought at Rice. en Prize Lecture on March 25. ful gift. More recently, another of their gifts made possible the 3 Day. Dr Ewing said that he was happy to be selected for Our Rice Institute Operating building of the Rice Memorial Chapel. e award, but added that "the finest thing about the Fund campaign is in its third Mr. Rayzor is a graduate of Rice, class of 1917. He is month (last year Ward is that it will stimulate interest and focus attention it started a a Trustee of the Institute; little earlier). chairman of the faculty, stu- Oh the importance of this field To date, 15.04% throughout the world." of those solicited have responded dent and alumni committee of the Rice Institute Board; At the request of the National Aeronautics and and the average gift is $14.61. a member of the outdoor sports committee of Rice and Pace Administration, Dr. Ewing, Dr. Frank Press of Last year at this time 20.7% of he was the first Rice graduate to be made a lifetime our Association the California Institute of Technology and a group of had responded member of the Board of Governors. By profession, Mr. ellow scientists are now at work on a rugged seismo- with an average gift of $13.70. It will probably be interesting Rayzor is an attorney and is a founder of the law firm aph to be landed on the moon for a study of "moon- for you to know that for the year of Royston, Rayzor and Cook. In recent years he has Ilitiakes." , 1958-1959 24.6% of our Assoc- spent much of his time in civic, religious and educational Like the Nobel prizes established more than half iation responded for an average work. gift of (Continued on Page 5) $13.09. Mrs. Rayzor graduated from the University of Texas , Our Association's record is not in 1921. very impressive when compared She is the daughter of Dr. M. B. Porter, a distin- br. Ewing Has Won Many with others. For instance, in guished mathematics professor at Texas University. 1956-1957 the Yale alumni had Rayzor Hall will cost in excess of one million dollars. a response of 53.6% with an It will be located on the southeast side of the quadrangle tionors Since Rice Days average contribution of $56.73. It across from Anderson Hall and next to the Fondren Dr. Ewing, professor of Geology at Columbia, has been is significant that the members of their Association who were Library. It will be modeled along the same lines as An- ilkrteacher of both Physics and Geology. His work in the non-graduates had an average derson Hall but will be somewhat larger. The architects th sciences, particularly oceanography, has drawn in- contribution of $68.83. The next for the building are the firm of Staub, Rather and Howze, 'national attention. He has received numerous honors, year the average contribution, the same firm which designed Anderson Hall. eluding the Day Medal of the Geological Society of respectively, was $56.99 a n d tnerica, the Agassiz Medal of the National Academy of $69.50, while in 1958-1959 it jumped to $64.38 and $80.71; how- iences; U.S. highest civilian Engineering the Navy's honor, the Dis- ever, the later figure was boost- Graduate Research lguished Public Service Award; and the Order of Naval ) ed by a contribution of $237,- erit of the Republic of Argentina with the rank of 000.00 from the Class of '34 as a Discussed By Griffis ) 25th reunion gift. In the previous issue of this paper Dr. Levan ) Znmander. Griffis, 3 Three years ago, when the State University at —Yours For Rice, Dean of Engineering, discussed the factors which make George Red • for continuing or even higher quality d le jtrecht, The Netherlands, conferred the honorary degree in the field of en- 1 • 4„4 Doctor of Science on Dr. Ewing, Dr. F. A. Vening-Mein- gineering at Rice. The first three factors—quality of , president of The Netherlands Geodetic Commission, Sammy's Circus students; quality of faculty and quality of curriculum have L k icl in an address that "The names of Lamont Observatory already been discussed. The fourth factor—quality of (Continued on Page 2) Page 3 (Continued on Page 2) MARI Two SALLYPORT MARCH, 1960 MRS. (C EWING- clinics (Continued from Page 1) GOV. NIEYNER Mrs. Stancliff Is Authority judge and Ewing stand for the greatest development the ocean Clown sciences have ever seen." On Circus History SPEAKS One Dr. Ewing was born in Lockney, Texas, May 12, 1906, A new and fascinating world opened for Florence Stancliff 10 grams and was educated at The Rice Institute where he receiv- tainm% years ago when she was asked TO STUDENTS Face" ed his bachelor's degree in 1926, his M.A. in 1927 and his to use her writing talent for a Alley.' Ph.D. in 1931. While working fo his B.A. degree, he by Vic Emanuel series of feature articles dealing stories received honors in Mathematics and Physics, and was with the early history of the Thresher Staff as she elected to Phi Beta Kappa. Circus and to do research on the Last Sunday afternoon those legends and folklore together of a He held teaching posts at the University of Pitts- corn pl, Rice students and faculty mem- with modern facts and stories on burgh and Lehigh University, and ume. I before World War II bers who were this subject. She accepted the energetic enough contai he achieved world-wide scientific acclaim for his assignment casually — as a use of to walk over to Hamman Hall stu- small underwater explosions dent would accept a designated gags to create shock waves to were treated to ex] an interview with term theme assignment—never an reveal the layered structure of the ocean floor. all kit one of the country's ablest and dreaming of the far reaching re- During World War II he worked on underwater acous- demon most active governors, Robert B. sults. This assignment was made tics ious cl for the Navy. In 1943, Columbia University invited Meyner. The Democratic govern- by the Chairman of the Arabia him to head a new program in Geophysics, and he took Temple Shrine Circus of 1949, a Her sl or of New Jersey was introduced perien very close friend of the Stancliff up his post as soon as the war ended.