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The Biology Department in 1948
by John Spikes, Professor Emeritus |
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As some of you know, I am in the painful process of closing down my laboratory due to age (82.5 yrs) and several health problems. I joined the faculty here in 1948 and became Emeritus at age 70. I have not taught since then, but I have had a continuing research program until recently, supported by the American Cancer Society and NIH. Thus, I have been active in the department for 53 years; that is a long time, but certainly not a record. For example, Emeritus Professor Bill Behle, who joined our faculty in 1937. In the 24 years since becoming Emeritus, he has continued his studies of Utah birds and has written or revised a number of his chapters and books on the birds of Utah. Most recently, after 68 years of service to the Department and at age 92, he has finished a book on the history of the Biology Department of the University of Utah. He is now writing his memoirs. I was asked to write a brief commentary on what the University and the Biology Department were like at the time I joined the faculty in 1948 (Note: all of the following comments are subject to the vagaries of my aging memory). |
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"As some of you know, I am in the painful process of closing down my laboratory . . . . I have been active in the department for 53 years." Dr. Spikes has held many positions at the University of Utah from 1948-2001, including: Assistant Professor, Professor, Department Head (Experimental Biology), Dean (College of Letters & Science), Chairman (Department of Biology) and Professor Emeritus. |
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Biology faculty and students: Biology personnel in 1948 included approximately 22 faculty members (2 women), one regular secretary, 1-2 work-study students and approximately 50 graduate students (as compared to about ~350 people now). The number of students attending the University increased sharply after the end of WW II. In the 1948-49 academic year, over 8,000 students took courses in Biology. Teaching loads were fantastic compared to the present. Each faculty member taught two courses (some with labs) each of the three quarters; we also ran seminars and registered and counseled students. The pattern of students at that time was very different due to the large number of former military people attending school on the GI Bill after WW II. I spent a few years in the Army during WW II as a Sergeant. However, many of the students in my classes had been officers. I felt kind of funny at times telling former Lieutenants, Captains and even a few Majors what to do and how to do it. Facilities and research: There were no regular University buildings east of the Park Building in 1948. There were a number of WW II "temporary" military buildings (a few of these are still in regular use). Biology occupied the old Biology Building (now the James Talmage Building - on President's Circle), a greenhouse and several of the temporary buildings. None of the buildings were air-conditioned; on some of the hot spring days it was very difficult to stay awake while lecturing. The Biology Building was ancient and decrepit (it was completely remodeled several years ago). I was assigned the basement room of the greenhouse for an office and lab. It was a nice solid concrete room, but had nothing in it and was not even painted! So a couple of students and I salvaged cabinets and other items from temporary buildings and put up partitions, built lab benches, did a little plumbing and electrical work, and after a little painting, ended up with functional labs and offices. No one complained; I imagine that this would be difficult to get away with now. (Vinnie wouldn't approve.) Quite a bit of good research was being done in 1948 in spite of the heavy teaching loads. Essentially, all of this was in the more classical areas of Biology (anatomy, taxonomy, plant and animal distribution studies, classical ecology, life history studies, etc.); very little experimental work was going on, and little laboratory equipment was available except for microscopes. The department gave me a small set-up grant. I bought an analytical balance, a glass electrode pH meter and a Beckman Model DU spectrophotometer (which ran on an automobile battery). These were the first such instruments in the Department. In my first year here, I received a research grant from the AEC to study the photochemical reactions that could be carried out by isolated chloroplasts from higher plants. There were very few federal research grants at the University at that time - most of the federal programs were just becoming functional. It took a while for the University to adapt. As I remember, we charged less than 5 % overhead on grants at first. The accounting people handled the finances of grants using old ledger books with everything being entered by hand with pen and ink. Ordering items on grants was a slow process. |