Dr's Standford and Ford

submitted by Gary Starnes (IMGT '87 )

The other day, I was doing random searches on the internet of names that were significant to me from my days at Georgia Tech (1982-1987). I typed in names of professors who I had fond memories of including a couple of Physics professors - Dr¡¦s Stanford and Ford.

I was not a Physics major. I started out in AE and later ended up in IMGT. Freshman physics was one of those hurdles that you were told to dread and that it would be a humbling experience. I guess to some that was the case. But not for all.

I had the good fortune to have Dr. Ford for then Physics 2121 Particle Dynamics, the first of the three freshman courses. I remember him coming into class the first day, with his slow amble, pulling up a stool and telling everyone ¡§this course can be easy if you listen to me.¡¨ He then moved on to his lecture, always inserting relevant anecdotes to any college age individual who would rather be anywhere else than in an auditorium with 200 students on a warm Fall day. Each day, we would come into lecture and Dr. Ford would ask "any questions on the homework?". Usually no one would speak up. We got to the first exam and someone asked "what is the best way to prepare?" Dr. Ford responded "well, I suppose you should look at the homework; there's nothing quite like seeing an old friend during a stressful situation.¡¨ So many people wondered what that meant. The exam came and sure enough, the questions were taken straight from the homework, without the numbers even being changed. The grades on the exam were not good. As the course continued, Dr. Ford continued to offer to do homework problems in class. He would usually say "ok lets look at the homework, however if the allure of the warm sun on a Fall day has appeal, I encourage you also to go enjoy yourself." Two-thirds of the class would get up and leave. The rest of us sat there and essentially asked him to work every problem for us. He willingly did so. This pattern continued for the entire course. People still didn't get it. When the final came around he suggested studying the previous exams. Just as surely, the final was taken verbatim from the prior exams. Only 10% of the class got an A, and almost that many failed. Dr. Ford turned 2121 into an exercise in evaluating your choices in life as much as in teaching the basic elements of physics. He was a great man.

Dr. Stanford I had for 2123, Optics and Modern Physics. I remember his gruff appearance, often coming to class wearing workboots, jeans, and a keyring with what must have had a hundred keys hanging from his belt. I distinctly remember one session where he conducted a review of the Doppler Effect prior to an exam. He worked a few problems on the board. Then, he asked everyone to ¡§stop thinking of physics as math formulas, start thinking of it in terms of what it tells you.¡¨ He then went on to point out that although we had worked several problems on the Doppler Effect, if he changed several of the variables and left out a couple of pieces of information that we would have to derive from another source, that would be a good exam question. Silence fell over the lecture hall. Dr. Stanford proceeded to say ¡§come on, let it out, I know you are all thinking of it¡K.ooooooh, another shaft exam!¡¨. The room howled with laughter. Interestingly enough, the exam came out and one of the questions was ¡§define the Doppler Effect¡¨. A few friends and I compared our graded exams and got similar results to the writer with the story from the 60¡¦s. I had written a lot of words, as I really didn¡¦t know how to translate it and I got a comment of ¡§Are you trying to bluff..? I¡¦ve been around longer than that.¡¨ Another person had merely written the formula down and got ¡§I believe you need to become a Math major instead.¡¨

As I look back now over 15 years ago, these remain some of the anecdotes I like to remember and laugh about.

Gary Starnes IMGT 1987