HOW TO SUCCEED IN COLLEGE

I never regretted my final choice. I had had a rude awakening. Insecurity and dread of failure prompted me to study hard for the first trimesters. I did well in all subjects with the exception of the required language courses.

Additionally, there was an advantage to be on the Dean's list; attendance was only obligatory for just 50% of a course’s scheduled classes plus all laboratories and scheduled tests. If you ‘made” the Dean’s list for the first six trimesters (2 years) you, received Intermediate Honors which gave you carte blanch from all lecture classroom attendance. This was a great boom, especially if the professor of your 8 am class was a bore, or the night before had been a party night”.

"YOUALL" should picture my fate. I who had difficulty with languages was assigned a class taught by an instructor, who also was a poet, who had a pronounced Southern accent. Our required reading in French was a horrible novel, if memory serves correctly, titled “King of the Mountain” Even if it had been in English, it would have been the worst story I had ever almost read. There was not even an acceptable pony available to understand the story. Since languages were not my forte I was not doing well and failure seemed imminent. Non the less I did not become depressed, something good had to happen.

Fortunately, one day while walking across the foot of the Lawn, the center of the University grounds, I observed a group of students surrounding an older woman. Curiosity got the best of me. I went over to see what was going on.

The next day the local Charlottesville paper published a picture of Lady Astor talking with a group of University students. Guess who was standing right by her left shoulder? Somehow, that French instructor saw the picture and became very impressed about a young student who diligently searched for knowledge even if he could not speak French.

Although I passed that French course, obviously passing another year of French was not going to be possible. Therefore, for my second year of required foreign languages, I switched to a first-year German course.

For a second time, I was fortunate; another instructor took pity upon me. Claiming he could not read my handwriting, he asked me to help him orally correct my final exam. I had now fulfilled my language requirements. I could proceed with a liberal education blessed with the freedom granted by receiving Intermediate Honors.

My proficiency in foreign languages served me well during WW II. To be able to say something approximating " Non comprise" and "niche verstay" or "alles is caput" or "parlez vous anglais" or "sprechen si english" prevented many a difficult situation.Obviously my command of either tongue has not improved.

One of the most interesting first year classes was General Chemistry 101, taught by an immaculately dressed dapper martinet professor. He entered into the amphitheater from the right back, walked up the side, made a sharp 90 degree left turn, then stepped up onto the podium and commenced lecturing.

He was known to occasionally fall victim to excessive alcohol intake. Once he walked in as customary. He made his sharp left turn, but instead of stepping up on the podium, he tripped. Standing up, and gazing at the class, he said, "You have all been in this state sometime or other and if you haven't you should have been. Class dismissed".

At another time, he was reported to say, "my ceiling fell down last night and the plaster would have hit my wife in the face if it had not hit me on the back of my neck”.

It was rumored that he was almost suspended (probably a classic universal college story) when, during the chemical examination of urine samples, a female student approached to discuss her unusual results. He turned to the class and said "Ms ***** has found silver in her urine, would anyone like to sink a shaft.”

It is important to understand that in those years less than 1% of the students were women. The exception was of course the schools of education and nursing. Possibly in the near future I should comment on male-female relationships in a small college town environment.

By the end of my second year all required subjects including those need to apply to medical school, with the exception, of biology had been satisfied. Since I could not draw a straight line much less a good picture, biology laboratory was a problem. Having finished basic requirements including those for medical school, I became a history major.

One of my greatest scholastic triumphs occurred during the third year. The final examination in a course in 17th century European history consisted of just three essay questions. After the exam, during the usual student post mortem discussing our answers everyone told me that not one of my essays agreed with what the instructors had taught in the class. To my amazement instead of a failure I received a grade of 100% plus. Apparently, my instructor either appreciated my bull or place great value on original thought.

By the end of the third year I felt that I was wasting my parent's money majoring on history, so on a lark I applied to the medical school for admission. To my amazement, the day after my interview by the Dean of the school, I was accepted. Several of my friends who were in their fourth year in college who had previous applied were still waiting to hear if they were admitted. The first year in Medical School counted towards my BA degree.

The commencement address in 1940 was given by FDR. It was the day after Italy had invaded France and joined the Germans. FDR's speech was a major policy statement known as "The Stab in the Back" speech.