William Carruth

Professorship of Mathematics (1917-43)

Presented: February 10, 1943 by Edward F. Hauch; Boyd C. Patterson; William B. Marsh, Chairman

In the early morning of January 23, 1943, our friend and colleague, William Massey Carruth, came to the end of his mortal life. We, the Faculty of Hamilton College, would memorialize his character and record our appreciation of his service which spanned a period of nearly thirty-six years.

At the time of his death professor Carruth was senior member of the Faculty. Since his coming he had been head of the Department of Mathematics. In 1917 he was appointed to the Samuel F. Pratt Professorship of Mathematics. From the outset he identified himself with the highest interests of the College; his loyalty to them was constant and unstinted. Beginning in 1917 and continuing for twenty-three years he had served as chairman of the Committee on Schedule and Studies, perhaps the most responsible post of the Faculty. His duties were always performed with accuracy and a good conscience.

Professor Carruth will long be remembered for coolness and clearness of mind, qualities that rendered him especially valuable in the discussion of Faculty problems and policy. His judgments, utterly void of bias, were consistently based on full comprehension of fact. He was painstaking and deliberate in thinking his way through matters of controversy; his opinions were correspondingly sound. Independent in reaching a reasoned conclusion, he was unshakable. His thinking was invariably governed by principle rather than by expedience.

Professor Carruth was convinced of the dignity of teaching; nothing in life concerned him so much as his profession. During his last years he often denied himself social pastimes and diversions, preferring to husband his strength for classroom tasks. He delighted in his course work and was exceedingly effective in his presentation of it. His tempo was slow enough to assure maximum understanding by his students; his technique of teaching commanded the envy and admiration of many young prospective teachers. He stood unfailingly for the highest standards of scholarship and was uncompromising in his devotion to them.

Those who enjoyed the friendship of Professor Carruth know that he possessed rare qualities of character. Modest in the extreme, often indifferent to the credit that was his due, attentive to the neglected, fond of clever jest and sparkling witticism, he was thoroughly companionable. He was free from malice and his most serios observations frequently carried an undertow of lightheartedness.

We, his colleagues, and numerous friends in many paths of life, regret his passing and rejoice that it was our privilege to walk with him a while.