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The rJebraskcin
Wednesday, An 19, 1961
One ifa Million Influenced
I?y University Prof . Bengston
. . . . . . ... .. J 10OC 'TVf
By Carol Ann Sehlicsser !
Dr. Nels A. Bengston has
taught over 450.000 students
in his career. This is 440,000
more than the average pro
fessor. At 82, that is only part of
the record of this retired Uni
versity professor, who has
also been called dean, chair
man, professor, author, and
most recently, president.
Since the average professor
teaches only 10,000 students,
how could Nels Bengston have
taught nearly half a million?
Last Friday evening at the
Nebraska Academy of Sci
ence banquet in Lincoln the
reason was symbolized in a
special leather-bound book
presented to Dr. Bengston be
cause he had succeeded in do
ing something few professors
have done. He had written a
textbook that sold 150,000
copies. .
. Fifth Printing
The fact that textbooks are
usually used three times be
fore being retired accounts
for the large number of stu
dents Dr. Bengston has
reached. The book, 'Funda
mentals of Economic Geog
raphy," first published 25
years ago, will go into its
fifth printing in 1963, accord
ing to Prentice-Hall book publishers.
Dr. Bengston also served as
geography, editor for Pren
tice-Hall.
He has written several ar
ticles on economic geography,
geology and soils. He recent
ly submitted an article to
Pmfpssional Geograph-
er" which was requested by
the editor, a woman wno was
once his student.
Dr. Bengston always sought
to improve the quality and
quantity of the geography
taught at the University. "Ge
ography grew to a -several
man department under his di
rection and became recog
nized as an important gradu
ate field," said Dr. Leslie
Hewes, who succeeded Dr.
Bengston as chairman of the
geography department.
Briefing Sessions
Dr. Hewes explained that in
order to share his experience
with new instructors in the
beginning geography courses.
Dr. Bengston held briefing
sessions from time to time.
He was concerned w ith bet
tering the instruction," Dr.
Hewes said.
These briefing sessions
were complimented by week
ly seminars for staff and
graduae students which were
begun by Dr. Bengston, who
still attends often. He would
also invite the staff and stu
dents to social gatherings at
Spring Turns Fancy
Into Diamond Rings
In the spring a young man's
fancy turns to thoughts of . . .
engagement rings. Six couples
announced their engagements
and two pinnings were an
nounced Monday night.
Pinnings
J arris Akeson, senior in
Teachers from Lincoln, to
Tom Peck, Kappa Sigma sen-
more in
Nelson.
Agriculture from
Commentator
Tells of Trip
To Red China
hi home. "Mv door was a!
ways open and it still is," he
says.
The accent in Nels August
Benaston's life has always
been on youth and activity.
He remarked, "To remain
young, you have to retain
your interest in youth; if yoh
don't, you'll be an old man."
He has been practicing what
he preaches.
Lunch Line
He enjoys "going through
the lunch line with the stu
dents at the Stunent Union"
prior to the meetings of the
University Emeriti, a group
of University professors who
retain their titles after retire
ment. Dr. Bengston was in
strumental in organizing this
group and was elected its first
He states the three-fold ob
jective of the Emeriti as: "To
call attention to the inade
quate provision made for ag
ing professors, to provide
communication between the
times around 1895. "My
wrists were too small for me
to be good at corn husking,','
he said. "Of course, the girls
all went for the fellows who
were fast coin huskers and
1 always got stuck with the
girl with the wart on her
nose," he continued.
Laundry Wagon
Following h i s ; three-year
high school course at Shick
ley and two years of teach
ing, he did preparatory work
nt Pprn State Teachers Col
lege, then a normal school,'
because he needed another
year's high school work to en-j
ter the University. "My fa-;
ther helped me ana i arove a
laundry delivery wagon to
earn extra money," he said.
His studies at Peru com-,
plete, he worked there as a j
chemistry laboratory assist-!
ant and instructor. Later!
President Clark of peru
asked him to take over the
Ag Trio, Quartet
Concert Features
The Ag Choristers, the wo
men's trio and men's quartet,
and a student square dance
club will be featured at the
Ag College Chorus's Spring
Concert.
The concert will be held
Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in the
auditorium of the Ag Activi
ties Building. The program
will feature many forms of
Americanmusic.
The trio members are:
Karen Edeal, Ann Gruett and
Jackie Roberts.
The members of the quar
tet are: Ronald Meinke, Gary
McHargue, Doug Garey and
Leroy Friesen
Music Department Plans
Modern Music Symposium
The University Department
of Music will Dresent the Con
temporary Music Symposium
Thursday and next luesaay
in the music room of the Stu
dent Union.
Designed to show the scope
of present day musical com
position, the symposium will
contain recent works written
to be performed by tradition
al instruments.
Next Tuesday's show will
include an explanation of elec
tronic music, what it is and
hnw it is nroduced. Dr. Ray
mond Haggh, assistant pro
fessor of music, will lead the
discussion.
Several rare records have
been obtained for the pro
gram and one composition
was written especially for the
symposium.
Pi Mu Epsilon Holds
Semester Contests
Pi Mu Epsilon, math honor
ary, will sponsor second se
mester math exams on Satur
day at 9 a.m. in 305 Burnett.
The society gives a $10 first
prize for each exam.
University administration and
the Emeriti, and to provide
social contacts for tne mem
bers." Dr. Bengston has retired
several times from several
jobs. In 1948 he retired from
his position, which he had
held since 1929, as professor
of geography and chairman of
the geography department at
the University. At retirement,
he was given the title of Pro
fessor of Geography and Dean
of Junior Division, Emeritus.
However, he did not retire
from his job as Dean of the
Junior Dvision until two
years later. In helping to or
ganize Junior Dvision. he
wanted to aid students in de
veloping "a systematic study
method which would allow
them to carry lines of think
ing to a point where they
give satisfaction to the indi
vidual." Living on Beans
"If there's something you
want to do, you shouldn't
mind living on beans to do
,t." many of his students
quote Dr. Bengston as say
ine. Dr. Beneston knew what
1 h wanted to do and he chose
recent . t :
to taice a smaller saiai y w , a5QUt
; ,,, cionoc fmm I Colin Jackson, famed Brit-
Rushville. I lsn commentator, lecturer and
t j v f- vn twh, humorist, will speak today at
Judith Marshall Delta d
rioinTna ennhnmnre m Tpartl- . .
iT rt IZ ballroom on his personal im
ers from Omaha, to Grant icc. . ' ,
Strong. Phi G a m m a Delta j
sopnomore in ousiness aomin-, . . . .. . . oon. , nr.. R f t . hai also
istration from Kusnvme. ! MXeT receiving an oner ui - .-- .:, Af
r- . i by the political scence depart-1rfnilWp his teaching salary serv as. lce Prldei of
teaching of geography.
Teaching has not monopo
lized Reneslon's talents. Hei
served on the War Trade
Board during World War I
as a research expert en food
staffs and later as an Act
ing Commercial Attache in
Norway.
He also worked for oil com- j
panies in Central and South j
America and served as arbi-i
trator in a British-American i
dispute over oil land near I
Lake Maracaibo, Venezuela.
Company Records
To determine the value of
the land involved, he studied!
the records of the companies
and the land itself. "I found
in favor of the American
American company, but they
did not think the land was
worth as much as 1 report
ed, ne said.
The British company j
bought out the American;
company and that land is still :
producing today, some 30;
years later. He smiled as he;
said that it made him proud j
to be right when others had
thought him wrong. "But,"
he said with a grin, "if we
are w rong, w e don t talk
Donna Krue. s e n i o r in
Teachers from Central City,
to Lawrence Mallery, grad
uate student at Stanford Uni
versity from Omaha.
Sharon Krebs, sophomore in
Home Economics from Ne
ligh, to Thomas J. Stibal,
Acacia alum from Schuyler.
Phyllis Holloway, Phi Sig
ma Tau at Doane College
from Wymore, to Gene Hen
richs, Sigma Phi Epsilon sen
ior in Teachers from Wymore.
Jacque Pike, sophomore in
Teachers from Omaha, to Ron
Stryker, sophomore in En
gineering from Rising City.
Connie Wiechert, junior in
Home Economics from Lin
coln to Harvey Spoere from
Elizabeth. 111.
Lana Sykes of Nelson to
i ment. where he served as vis
iting lecturer.
In the last five years,
Jackson has lectured at uni
versities in India, Canada,
Japan. Indonesia, and the
from an oil company to be
come a geologist. Dr. Bengs
ton spoke to Dean of the
Graduate College Herman G.
James about changing jobs
' and recalls being told by
, w .., i dim 1 TTv alio UCUig W1M " T
Middle East.. He travels over james that "someday there
will be a small stone some
where in Nebraska with
BENGSTON on it." And un
der his name would be one
word, either geologist or ge
ographer and Bengston had
to chose which one.
Gary Jordan, Ag Men sopho- i April 27.
40.000 miles every year to
collect up-to-date material for
his lectures, broadcasts and
articles.
Newspaper columns written
by Jackson appear in papers
in th IT s India Australia.
Panama Lnuth Afrira and Ire- ' II rhaw ho fiolH li had i tion mUSt be expanded," he
land. ' first learned to love w hen as ! explained. "All this must be
. . i . . 1 j : j i t
His other appearances in j a young man with just a lugn
school education, he taugni
country school in Fillmore
county, Nebraska.
Bengston, who drove a
horse-drawn cart to school,
had been sent to high school
because he wasn't much help
on the farm during the hard
Lincoln will include a live
show on KUON-TV at 9 p.m.
Wednesday, which will be re
run on video tape at 7 p.m.
Thursday, and a different
tape, also on Channel 12, at
9 p.m.. April 26 and 7 p.m..
done on a world-wide basis."
"People would enjoy life
more fully if they knew more
about the world they live in,"
he said. "The first duty of
citizenship is to know your
own country, your region and
how it compares with other
regions."
' '
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v.' '
4
Shop 9:30 to 5:30,
Thursdays, 10 o.m. to 8:30 p.m.
the Association of American
Geographers and as president
of the National Council of Ge
ography Teachers.
"The fundamental " condi
tions in the world remain
constant," he said, "but the
economic conditions are per
sistently changing. We must
give more adequate treat
ment to the resources of Af
rica and In thp trpatment. of
fissionable materials (used in I
j atomic energy) and automa- i
WVJl
5STSL
Lincoln
LOOKS
THAT
COOL
Massive voice for a missile base
m America' spaceige defense system, the order of the day is
total, high-speed communications.
And at Vandenberg Air Force Base, as elsewhere, General Telephone
t Electronics is carrying out the order with efficiency and dispatch.
Here the link to the system that mans the mighty Atlas missiles
Is a fully automatic 5,000-line dial telephone exchange. The "out
side voice" that links the base with alert and comma:1 posts
throughout the world is a multichannel microwave radio relay
system capable of handling hundreds of telephone conversations,
teletype messages and early-warning radar data simultaneously.
The communications equipment connecting Vandenberg Aif Force
Base with the outside was designed, manufactured and installed
by our subsidiaries, Automatic Electric and Lenkurt Electric, and
is operated for the government by General Telephone of California.
This advanced high-speed system is expressive of the way General
Telephone t Electronics strives to serve the nation through better
communications - not only for national defense, but for homes,
business and industry as well.
GENERAL . , yi
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POPULAR PRICE SHOP
Modeling
Thursday, April 20,. 1961
11:15 to 1:45
TEAROOM FIFTH
Your Extra Bonus Savings . . , Community Savings Stomps .