Chemistry at Michigan State College

1935 - 1944 . .

C. N. McCarty
Professor Emeritus

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[From Pages 16-18 of "Michigan State University Department of Chemistry Newsletter for Alumni and Friends," November 1994]

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When I received my Ph.D. in June 1935, the country was in a deep recession. Industries were not interviewing, especially those engaged in research which was then considered non-productive. I was fortunate to seek employment at Michigan State College and was offered an instructorship in Chemistry by Professor A. J. Clark, head of the department. This appointment was to start in the Fall Quarter of 1935.

General Chemistry was taught by a group of instructors and consisted of a first quarter of introductory chemistry followed by a second quarter of Qualitative Analysis and a third quarter of Organic. The lectures were given by either Professor Clark or Assistant Professor O'Neal Mason, who was in charge of General Chemistry. A typical teaching assignment was four sections (of thirty students each) meeting six hours per week (four hour labs and two hour recitations). In addition, the instructors had to attend lectures and take roll (seats were assigned) and assist in lecture demonstrations. Frequently, an additional tutorial hour was assigned to each instructor to help students who wished to attend, especially for help in solving chemical problems. Some laboratory and recitation sections met on Saturdays and when enrollment was high some sections met at night, often until 10:00 p.m.. Exams were given at night and papers graded round table by the instructors. This often went until near midnight.

The introductory text was written by Professor Clark. It was very poor and his lectures were slow and deliberate so that recitation and laboratory was often out of sync with what was being offered in the lecture.

The rooms in Kedzie were equipped either for laboratory teaching with thirty work spaces or for recitation with thirty desks. Small offices accommodated two to three (or more) instructors with only desks and shelves. As Professor Hart has emphasized, the heavy teaching loads and lack of research facilities negated any opportunity to start or carry on research. The department was simply an adjunct to the college for the purpose of teaching chemistry to Home Economics, Agriculture, and Engineering students. The building was even locked some nights and the gas shut off. (Faculty entering after hours were expected to sign in and out.)

The only staff with the Ph.D. were D. T. Ewing (physical), R. C. Huston (organic), and Carl Hoppert (biochemistry). They attempted to do minimal research, but were handicapped by lack of space and equipment.

The (six week) summer session in General Chemistry depended on enrollment, but usually consisted of only one or two sections. Professor Clark would accept the honoraria and then hire (out of his pocket) the one or two instructors to handle the lab and recitation. Naturally these positions were coveted because of the extra $100.00 in pay, but it resulted in the instructor doing practically all the work including making and grading exams, ordering chemicals, giving grades and sometimes filling in for Professor Clark who did the lecturing. Fortunately I didn't have to apply for one of these scarce jobs as I had been hired by Professor Sleight, head of the Math Department at Albion College to teach chemistry and physics and tutor in math at Bay View, Michigan. This was Albion's summer session of eight weeks and Sleight was Dean of the Albion College summer session.

During these first year at Michigan State College, I had also been contacted by Colonel Cade who was Dean of Chemical Engineering and who was in charge of the Reserve Officers of the Army in the Lansing area. He asked for my volunteer help in handling his responsibilities with the reserves, especially with all the paperwork required by Washington, D.C. We met in the Lansing Post Office, second floor. I thought I might as well sign up for correspondence courses, as most of the others were doing, so I enrolled in Advanced Chemical Warfare correspondence courses to work for a promotion. I had a 2nd Lt. commission in the newly formed Chemical Warfare Service granted when I received my Ph.D. at the University of Illinois. I completed all the coursework required for a promotion but could not attend the necessary two week summer camp requirement because of my commitments to Bay View Summer Session. (Eventually in 1941 this was waived and I was promoted to 1 st Lt. C.W.S.).

This was the situation for the years 1935-41. One would wonder why anyone would put up with such a heavy teaching load and no opportunity to advance. But you must remember it was still a recession period and it was a job that did enable me to support my family and I did enjoy teaching. We also had made many friends, both at MSC, at Bay View and in the Reserve Officers Association. I was reluctant to leave but finally in the Spring of 1941 I tendered my resignation to Professor Clark and orally accepted a position at another college with promotion and salary increase. Professor Clark accepted my resignation as he knew he could easily hire another instructor at a lower salary. The President of MSC at this time was Shaw, (a Scotchman) and he, I understand, considered that the best department heads were those who saved the most of their budget and returned it to the college. Along this same vein, my first check in September 1935 was actually $100.00 a year less than what Professor Clark had promised me. His comment was that if he gave me the original stipend it would be as much as other instructors who had been here longer were receiving. When John Hannah who was the new President heard that I was leaving, he summoned me to his office to inquire as to my reasons for leaving. He assured me that changes were going to be made in the administration of the Chemistry Department and asked if I would stay on with promotion to Assistant Professor with appropriate salary increase. The promotion would come in the Spring of 1942 when all such personnel changes took place. He also said he would handle any commitments I had made and not to worry about them, so I accepted his offer to stay at MSC.

This all was suddenly changed when war was declared in December 1941. I was immediately called up for a physical exam prior to induction to active duty. Dean of Science Huston was also called for a physical as he was a Colonel in the Reserves. On one of our trips together to Camp Custer in Battle Creek, he talked a great deal about the royalties he received from his textbooks and other outside income, etc. The reason I mention this is because he failed his physical because of high blood pressure. If he had passed and then the problem had developed while in the service, he could have been discharged with pension. When I received my orders to report to Edgewood Arsenal for active duty I went to Dean Huston's office to notify him. The Winter Quarter was over except for turning in grades and then it would be spring vacation. I was teaching Physical Chemistry at the time with Professor Bateman who assured me he would take care of my section and turn in the grades, so essentially I had completed two thirds of the year and was entitled to eight months salary. However, Dean Huston (probably because of his disappointment at not being called up) informed me my pay would stop immediately. His remarks were, "you don't want to get paid in two places do you? The Army starts paying you Monday!!" (Ed. note: Since Michigan State College appointments were for the nine month academic year, with salary checks distributed over twelve months, Professor McCarty would be docked two months salary.) I went directly to President Hannah who assured me that I would be paid the appropriate amount.

I was on active duty until discharged in the Fall of 1944. Upon return to MSC, I received my promotion to Assistant Professor with 50% increase in salary, but was assigned to the Veteran's Administration to handle counseling the large influx of veterans coming to MSC under the GI Bill. At this time the Dean of Natural Science was conducting a search for a new Chairperson of the Chemistry Department and Dr. L. L. Quill was subsequently hired in 1946. Professor Hart's description of the situation at Kedzie when he arrived in 1947 aptly described things as they were then and for the next several years.

Professor Emeritus Charles N. McCarty had a distinguished career as a teacher and in the Freshman General Chemistry office, which he managed for many years. He was highly respected by his colleagues and according to generations of students, was a popular and effective classroom lecturer. He probably lectured to more individual students during his years in general chemistry than any other faculty member in the Department. He officially retired from the Department and the University in 1974.

One of the many contributions he made to the Department was the MSU Educational Genealogy of the Department of Chemistry. Although McCarty joined the University in 1935, it wasn't until after World War II that he started his genealogy project. He borrowed the idea from Virginia Bartow, a professor at the University of Illinois, who had constructed a similar chart for the Illinois chemistry faculty. Around 1950, McCarty began teaching a course on the history of chemistry and that is when the chart really began to take shape. For some 30 years he worked on and off on this project and finally published it in the Journal of Chemical Education in 1969. This chart showed that chemistry faculty members could trace their academic heritage to one of three men who were among the first real chemists. Faculty can link themselves to either Lavoisier (1743-1794), a pioneer in quantitative chemistry; Berthollet (1748-1822), who promoted science education and the application of science to industry; or Bergman (17351784), who investigated the ways bases and acids replace each other in salts. Professor McCarty has been influential in keeping the chart up-to-date since his retirement. It seems to be a never ending task as faculty leave the University and new faculty come on board.

At the young age of 85, Professor Emeritus McCarty is in good health and visits the Department occasionally. He moved to the Burcham Hills Retirement Center after his beloved wife, Alice, passed away ten years ago. If anyone is interested in corresponding with Professor McCarty, his address is 2700 Burcham Drive, #210, East Lansing, MI 48823.

 

[Editor's Note: Professor McCarty died in 1995.]