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July 16, 2008
Vol. 108, No. 16
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I think it is sad that you gave such short shrift to the passing of Professor John Wheeler. You considered the news worth 90 words on the bottom of page 19 (Notebook, May 14); in contrast, The New York Times and The Daily Telegraph (London) published lengthy obituaries.
I remember Wheeler better than any other teacher at Princeton. He radiated such belief in the importance of what he was teaching that, if you couldn’t keep up with him, you knew you were definitely missing something. His excitement regarding new discoveries in physics was profound and inspiring. Moreover, his lab demonstrations — carried out with the help of Harold Waage, his “Igor” — were often more terrifying than anything Professor Hubert Alyea ’24 *28 concocted.
You should reconsider his importance and do something more for his memory.
(Editor’s note: John Wheeler’s death also was noted in the editor’s letter of the May 14 issue. A reminiscence by a former student of Wheeler’s, Cheuk-Yin Wong ’61 *66, can be found at PAW Online)
John Brittain '59
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I remember Wheeler better than any other teacher at Princeton. He radiated such belief in the importance of what he was teaching that, if you couldn’t keep up with him, you knew you were definitely missing something. His excitement regarding new discoveries in physics was profound and inspiring. Moreover, his lab demonstrations — carried out with the help of Harold Waage, his “Igor” — were often more terrifying than anything Professor Hubert Alyea ’24 *28 concocted.
You should reconsider his importance and do something more for his memory.
(Editor’s note: John Wheeler’s death also was noted in the editor’s letter of the May 14 issue. A reminiscence by a former student of Wheeler’s, Cheuk-Yin Wong ’61 *66, can be found at PAW Online)
John Brittain '59
Lewistown, Pa.
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CURRENT ISSUE: July 16, 2008
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