Page 12 - MY STORY

quick and the ability to study and persist extremely

difficult. I had not yet begun to master the required
discipline to succeed in that pressure-laden environment.
In the first year, there were few elective courses – most

were required, and I believe were aimed at separating the
wheat from the chaff.

Classes included college algebra, chemistry (with lab),
English and mechanical drawing (lab). Especially
perplexing was mechanical drawing for a left-hander. In

order for a left-handed person to write with the letters
slanted to the right (which was required way back in

grammar school), one had to write “overhand.” That is,
with the left hand on top of the writing rather than
underneath. Now consider drafting, in pencil, with the
hand moving down the drawing from above. The result

was almost always smeared, cruddy looking drawings,
which were generally amenable to lower than normal

grades from our drawing instructor.
It got even worse when we graduated to ruling pen-inked
drawings on vellum. For two years I skated along on

probation with my grade point average oscillating around
a grade of C. The best thing that happened to me was
having to take a survey course in metallurgy, in one of our

new buildings created by Mies van der Rohe. My God!!!