FRED TABBUTT

I attended an undergraduate institution (Haverford College) which, in retrospect, had more of a sense of community than any I have been associated with since. The curious thing is that no mention was ever made of it nor any attempt to create or sustain it. No doubt the size had something to do with it (60 faculty-500 students) but why it existed is still a mystery to me. It is interesting to speculate to what extent two hour long compulsory meetings had an effect. One was a religious meeting (5th day Quaker Meeting) and the other was for an outside speaker. That institution had many unusual features which only became apparent to me afterwards. Intercollegiate athletics played a very important role in many student's lives. If nothing else they were amateur sport and they provided the most memorable experiences for many students. Furthermore they demonstrated little of the anti-intellectual aspects of athletics which I discovered later. Composed mostly of players new to the sport they gave students an opportunity which few have today. I am sure that a close friend of mine as an undergraduate (now Chairman of a University Math Department) is more proud of a 4:24 mile he ran as a senior than his 0BK key or Fulbright Fellowship.
 
 

Graduate school (Harvard University) saw the small college boy put under more severe academic pressures than ever before. For the first few months my fate was in the balance. Graduate school enabled me to see some very brilliant minds in action and experience a severe but fair set of academic standards. I began to appreciate for the first time the beauty and clarity of scientific truth. As an experimentalist it became necessary to pick up a variety of techniques which nowadays are done by special technical shops. So I have had some experience in glass- blowing, machine work (milling machines & laths), welding, metal cutting, metal and glass vacuum systems and some electronics.
 
 

Graduate school demonstrated standards that should be set and how to reach them but most of the theoretical and professional expertise that I now have I picked up in my 15 years of teaching since then. Immediately following graduate school I started teaching in a small school which gave me the freedom to grow professionally. After 14 years I felt I had reached my growth limit and left that institution for which I have great affection and came to Evergreen. I am happy to report that that growth still seems to he continuing.