A M E R I C A N CONTEMPOlX A IXIES 1 ferbert Alrrron Senter
the present r o \ m of B:rneroft. During ltis cnrly yeim IIerhert lived in
a
log house on this F:wm j o redenwiim and attended school for lliree months in the year. His parents Irooght with tlrcm, tion-ever, the tradition;~ISew England desire for education, and we find t h e uldest son :at. t h e :age of eighteen to teneh tlic eourit,ry s c h a u l in :I iiei dilming tiist,.ict. In 1887 lie mt.cred the ry dep:trtment of t,lie l'niscrsity of R l i d til,,. hg:m to lay tile foendr,t,ion for l i i s long c:~rocrns i i chemist. l ~ r d : ~ u n l chy d luck of funds, hr worked his way through tho univemit,y, secming his lodging
la!iol-titor~- of the iiist.itrrtion. Frorn the day lie entered until tiis graduation, his work W:LS ctutracterised lry thoroughnew Though chemistry I ~ his S constant major interest, physics, mnttiemnt,ies, languages, :ind the natural seienccs were studied witli itlmopt e :m active part in tho work of the lmtt;ilion, :ind tlie ciLmcnt c l u b he ciime to be lookcd upon almost f:Leulty. In 1893 he gi'adontod with distinction, sitting during the graduation exerciFes near Captain (nom General) hishirig who, :E :I ~ ~ : i d n a t ,nf e llic Law College ai the university, j.+ eeived the de m e of Bachelor of Lam and, as eomm:md:mt d niiliturg comniissionz on tlioie wtic irail t:ikcn the loiii-year course in his department. Among the i : ~ t t w\WLI 1,ieuten:int Senler. dergriu1u:ito ~ w ktic , rrm:rint,cl nirotlicr r gnidunte .study, holding ;at the wrne , ?mtiniiing liis work at ihe Agricu!tul.;Ll ition, :md giving :L cow%? in nmnteur photogr:tghy, with clwmienl principles involved. Ammg tlimr w h o enrolled in this popul;ir course w m the first lady of tlie it?, nonc oilicr tlian Mrs. domes El. Cmfietd, wife of the i h w c l l o r of that pwiad. The University of Sebmskn period i n !,y tiis IIeidcIbcrg h y s . At that time high point in his dist,inguished c:ireer. 1rilli:mt Iectuwrr O I ~cticrnistry i n Europe, Ire
71 U
o i the 0nr:ihti Section, wliero lie tias lieid every office in the gift o f
Iris eoll~agnes,and now xrpreients it 011 the council of the
the Onraha Iliglr School wa,s n: woman. The attn(:hment thnt they decided to t n l m r t son3 have id Imrctieing physician, the other n 1
union, tlie one i t geologist. Docior FCntei’S motto, ;,dopt,ed ycnrs go, is the :iliitcrntion, “V’ork, wait, win.’’ hiang x i t h his pewistcney and sfcadf;utIW+ uf pwpose he has carried B keen sense of humor. A f c a y w r s iigu, Doctor Sentor, as president of thr: Dii-t,rict ‘l‘e~;tcbcrs’ Conwotion, introdwed the 1 spenkar of the morning, .John Ii. lfuyskens of the t-ni f Michigm, in the follwr-in:: lie eyed him st*:diiy i o v :L slorvly stroked his oy;n goatee as though lie W E giving the mystic psasnord to &fellow mendm of the “Ancient nrrd I~onoi:ilrleOrder of Goatee Glnrver?.’’ The visiting speaker renponded in the sane manner. Then l.uming t o his audience, Doctor. Senter ns chairman mndc the shortest iritroduct,ory speech on record. “Doctor nfuyskeos,” he s:iid, :mil boived ng;iin. That w i s all. Doctor Hoae, the g m i d editor of this journal, roiild liitrdly huvo done better. Snmc ye:m go, tlie Om;iha Board of Education, in recognit ion of I h t o r Scmtrr’a distinguished scrviees, created for Iiim the
p w i t i w of Dem of the Faculty of tlie 0 r n : ~ l i i ~ Centid Iliglr School. Ile ears the honor modestly ami s h o w the bereriiiy of spirit that Bunsen used l o display when he %vasa f:mdi:ir figore on the streets of Hoiiielberg during Senter’s student clays. IIis friends and former students, however, have nevcr leuned to call him “Dean.” I-ie i s “Ductor” to tlmn and “1~1.8.” to B Few
f Doctor Senter might bo written giving in detail his work ns L: p u l i k r.ch001 mnn and organizer of ~econdnry educntion. .bother might emph e his act,ivit,y as a layman i n tlie H i q ~ t i s dcnornination; t the enumerat,ion o f his hhsonic and Knights Templai activities would be rrrad with keen interest
‘Totlme might be added :in appendix giving list of sorititics, 1c:irncd a n d ot,liorwise, to which Doctor Senter lielongs, the civil: hoaors he has received, :ind the offires t h a t he hac Iield. Inasmuch, however, :is this slictoh is to he puidished in n, journal for chemiit.s, the writer sill resist tlia impulse t o esp:tnd t h i s extrsneous miiterinl, mid w i l l concliide Iris CONImunicatinn, as he has often done iieforc, vitli the inevitable siimmaiq. Doctor Seater. is iz chemist of distinction, B greet. teacher, and a leridrr in the orgmisation of chemimrl instruction. T o use un expression from his 1,oyliood among the JYinnebagos, he is k n o w i as 3 “lmq big lnjiii t v o sect.ions o i the .IMEE~.C.Cnsxic.ir. SOCIETY. Long m:ig h i s work coni in wevtniii eiieler. :I
George \. Prochazka
~ U I C I . E .I n SX71 Ire
w i i ~armnled
the degree
of doctor of philosopliy cum laurle.
H e then
studied under 1Vdlnolr and Kekul6 st the I;nive,-rit,y of I3om :tmI omirr KC~llnw,TYinkiem&nn,Intar, and ot,hwi at -i:~~+teu I’olytcrhnio. On h i s return t,n the Vnited States. Doctor I’rorhazlai I i d d L: f e w minor p A t i u n s boiorr he stnrted upon a h a t w a s to ije his life w x k of developing tlie dye industry in the llniied States. H e wls first connected with Stevens Institute i ~ risaistnnt i to A l h t It. Leeds. H e w w then employed by Iterman I.;nder m n n , nnaiytical arid consulting chemists, and in 1880 served as climist to the Tartar Chemical Company of Jerscy City. In lXSl he i m n m e chemist tr, fleller & Mer5 Cornprmy xiid rrented their dyestuffs department. He worked out metdmcls for the maauiactiire of mrtgmta, eosines, and othcr colorr. Possii,ly one of his gwitrst iind least kaoa.rr ttisks wiw t h e m , -
hiit
iornior L ~ S president until he retired in 1924. This eornpnny imported its Imsie intermedintrs m:tnofwt.ored the higlrer inlcrmeiiiates such ns R snit, 1:;
its active operations manufactured over 125 difkrrnt product,s, a n d all of these were made by methods worked out in it,s own laboratories. ’The long struggle to establish an American dye.stuffs indust,ry wiiis finally crowned with success. The hrnefit,s derived by the Amwicnn textiie indnstry :ind other eoristinier~of dyestuffs during the wir from t h i s man’s efforts CND hardly he orerestimat,ed. If the war had not come, BS Doctor Pmcliaska Ira; ssid, “The C O N p ~ I lduring ~
