Table Of ContentWarren, The Man
Henry McBay
Atlanta University, Atlanta, Georgia
These remarks were made by Professor McBay after the banquet as a tribute to Professor
Henry.
In this difficult context, I trust that you will understand my plight. The difficult part of
this task has been that of putting together truthful stories to tellyou about Warren Henry.
It has been one of censorship. I hope that I have drawn that delicate line in an acceptable
fashion.
Warren was born of two remarkable parents. His father was Nelson Henry, a school
teacher, and his mother, also a public school teacher, was named Mattye McDaniel Henry.
Actually, I think this occasion might more properly be dedicated to the lives and works of
these two remarkable people. These are people whom I never met, but my life has been
greatly enriched by the knowledge of and the association with their remarkable offspring.
But we do honor here today the first of their seven children, namely: "Warren", Warren
Elliot Henry.
! have been chosen to have the privilege and the honor to give this brief talk because I
have known Warren since early September 1934. Warren had come to Atlanta University
from Tuskegee and I had come from Wiley College, both of us to do an M.S. degree in
Chemistry.
Warren was and is a deceptive looking individual. He didn't look to be sufficiently well
coordinated physically to be able to run very fast. As graduate students, we ran each
morning one mile before breakfast around the athletic field behind the dormitory. I was
a brash young lad who displayed a bronze medal at the third best "half-miler" among class
A high school athletes in the entire state of Texas. I challenged this Tuskegee graduate to
a race--the 200-meter dash. Needless to say, I had the grace and the form, but with an
awkward style abiding much wasted motion, he won the race in a resounding fashion. I
decided then and there to study this person for he was obviously unusual. For fifty-four
years, I have studied this gentleman and some of my observations are the following:
1. Warren is courteous to a fault in the mid-Victorian style.
2. Warren is brilliant beyond belief.
3. Warren has a passionate enthusiasm for and dedication to everything he undertakes.
4. He is a man of great ingenuity.
5. He has a magnificent obsession regarding the enhancement of, the professional
development of, and the productivity of:
(a) His own career;
(b) The careers of his friends and associates; and
(c) The careers of his students.
6. He has a passionate abhorrence for anything or any act which he perceives to hinder
the progress of his professional development or that of his proteges.
7. He is rigorously reliable and dependable.
Now I will illustrate some of these characteristics by giving selected examples under
each of these categories.
1. He is courteous to a fault in the mid-Victorian style.
One can see in the man the fact that his parents instilled in him the philosophy of
noblesse oblige. He cannot enter a doorwaybefore a companion male or female. Whenwe
were students at the University of Chicago, he was observed by other black students as he
often held the door while white student companions entered before him. Some of the black
students complained to me that my friend Warren was an " Uncle Tom". I simply asked
them to observe a bit more closely and they would see that he held the door for me and
them also.
The philosophy of Noblesse Oblige is operative at restaurants when we are dining out
with small groups. It is always difficult to pay the bill without a hassle since Warren
always insists on paying.
2. He is brilliant beyond belief.
(a) When Warren was up for the Ph.D. written preliminary examinations at the
University of Chicago in 1939, there were four other students seeking admission to
candidacy as well. These examinations included four basic branches of chemistry and
lasted for two days. Some weeks before the time for the examination, Warren suggested to
one student that they might organize some study review sessions in preparation for the
examination. This particular student indicated that he had no time for such, but if Warren
needed help on any particular topic he would be glad to help him. When the examination
was over and the results were published only Warren had passed all sections of the
examination. He had passed them with an overall average of 96%, while the other four
students had to repeat the examination. Incidentally, one of these students is now a
professor at the University of Chicago.
(b). Throughout the three and one half years when he worked on the radar-sonar project
at MIT during World War II, Warren took every advanced mathematics course which was
available. At the end of this time, after working in physics for that period and taking the
advanced courses in mathematics, he found that he was no longer a chemist, but a physicist.
He has been professor and chairman of a Ph.D. granting program in physics, and has many
profound publications in physics, but he holds no formal degrees in physics. It was during
the process of taking these mathematic courses that he met and fell in love with and later
married one Miss Jeannie Pearlson, who was then a Ph.D. student in economics who was
taking these advanced courses in mathematics.
3. He has a passionate enthusiasm for and dedication to everything he undertakes.
(a) Warren was accepted as a research student with the group supervised by the
distinguished physical chemist at Chicago, Thomas Frazier Young. After his initial
interview was over Dr. Young said, "Now, Mr. Henry, what time do you think we might get
started on Monday morning so that I can meet you at the laboratory. Warren replied, " Is
five o'clock in the morning all right? Young suggested 8:30 AM. This became one of
Young's favorite stories.
(b) At Atlanta University, Warrenwas accustomed to working on occasion all night long
in the laboratory. One Friday evening, the group of us worked in the laboratory until 10:00
P.M. and then went home to the dormitory. Warren spent the early evening attending a
concert given by the string ensemble on campus. He dressed in formal attire for this
occasion, then he went to the dormitory afterwards to change clothes, and then he spent the
rest of the night in the laboratory doing synthesis and grading undergraduate students'
papers. He had a serious accident which resulted in serious burns over his face and upper
body. He was for about a decade literally "baby pink" with freshly grown skin over his face
and head. This is how he became better looking than I. He grew a whole new facial
covering!
(c) He was so weak from over work while at the Lockheed Company in Palo Alto,
California that the company ordered him back east to a special hospital to replenish his
energies.
4. He is a man of great ingenuity.
(a) He is the designer of the Henry Elevator Lift. This is an apparatus designed for use
in adjusting mechanically both magnet and sample such that the sample under scrutiny may
be positioned precisely in the proper position in the magnetic cavity or field.
(b) While he was recuperating in the hospital from exhaustion, there was a wealthy
lady who was hospitalized with a back problem. They found it difficult to position her
properly in the bed with the customary hospital bed. Warren made a sketch and suggested
to the hospital officials that his design would provide a mechanical bed which could be
automatically controlled to provide the precise positioning needed for the curvature of
this lady's spine. The bed was constructed straightaway and that design is still in use.
(c) He designed the type of metal dewar which is still in use in low temperature
laboratories for the study of magnetic properties at 4 K.
(d) He was a member of the team which perfected the fiber optics systems for rescue
submarines.
5. He has a magnificent obsession regarding the enhancement of, the professional
development of, and the productivity of :
(a) his own career; and
(b) The careers of his friends and associates.
In August of 1939, I had spent my first summer at the University of Chicago. The
dormitories were closed at the end of summer school. I had a return stub from a round trip
bus ticket to Dallas, Texas and sixty-five cents in the world. I was told by professor Warren
Johnson to go to see Mr. Embree of the Rosewald Foundation and tell him that he sent me.
This meant that Iwould receive a Rosewald Fellowship to remain at the university. On that
Friday afternoon, I was told that Mr. Embree was out of town and would be back on
Monday. I couldn't remain in Chicago until Monday. I had no place to stay and no money
to purchase food.
Warren had a residency fellowship at the International House. He wanted to smuggle
me into his room and bring me food which he would pilfer from the dining room. I couldn't
jeopardize his own security in this manner for neither of us had any money. At the bus
station as I attempted to board the bus to return to Dallas on that Friday afternoon Warren
would not give me my bag. We actually struggled for the handbag while the bus driver
pleaded that he had to leave. It was only my promise to Warren that I would somehow
return to the university as soon as I possibly could that he released his grip on my handbag.
(c) The careers of his students
He travels at his own expense across the country repeatedly to check on and to help his
former students who are here and there pursuing more advanced training.
6. He has a passionate abhorrence for anything or any act which he perceives to hinder the
progress of his professional development or that of his proteges.
(a) Among the master's students in chemistry at Atlanta University was a beautiful
young lady who manifested a romantic interest in Warren. Upon returning to the
laboratory after lunch one day this lady took from Warren's desiccator a sample vial
containing one of his synthetic products which he had taken about one month to make. He
needed this material for a seminar presentation that Thursday evening. When Warren
arrived at the laboratory that Thursday afternoon this young lady had positioned her body
between the approaching Warren and the opened vial in her outstretched hand over the
sink. She threatened to pour his sample into the sink unless he refrained from talking to
another pretty undergraduate girl whom she designated. Being unable to reach his sample,
Warren seized her neck and began choking her. Moments later I arrived at the laboratory
only to witness the desperate attempts on the part of these young people. One was trying
to pour the materials into the sink while the other was applying his restraining technique,
namely to tighten his grip on her throat. I plied them apart thus "saving the life" of the
lovely young lady as well as saving the sample. I also claim credit for saving the lives of ten
persons since that lady later gave birth to nine children.
(b) Years later we were back at the Atlanta University Center as professors. I was in
chemistry and Warren in physics. Warren was assigned a master's research student and in
this context he submitted a requisition to purchase a bomb calorimeter for the research.
After two months of waiting Warren went to the President's office to check on the matter.
While standing before the president's desk waiting to be recognized Warren saw his
requisition on the top of a stack of materials under a paper weight. Finally when asked
about the requisition the president said he knew nothing about the matter and that he had
not seen to the requisition. Warren called the gentleman a pop-eyed liar and pointed to the
requisition. The president said he would forget the incident if Dr. Henry would apologize.
Warren said, "I will not apologize, You are a pop-eyed liar". Needless to say Warren is at
Howard University today possibly because of that incident.
7. He is reliable and dependable.
(a) The Atlanta University Chemistry Department holds an annual lecture series
called the Huggins Lectures honoring a past chairman. Several years ago, Warren was
invited to give these lectures. He had given a time of arrival and flight number to the
chemistry chairman, and he had asked me to accompany him to the Atlanta airport to meet
Warren. The first lecture was scheduled for 7:00 P.M. that evening, and Warren was to
arrive at the airport at 5:30 P.M. Dr. Cole and I met the designated flight and there was no
Warren. Dr. Cole began to panic and I told him he could rest assured that by 6:00 P.M.
Warren would be somewhere in the airport. We had him paged and surely enough he
appeared, albeit disheveled and out of breath. We made it to the lecture on time.
(b) In 1946 therewas a science meeting to be held at Tuskegee Institute and the Howard
University group made plans to attend. Warren and I invited them to come to Atlanta for
the weekend before the meeting and spend some time with us and then we would all go
down to Tuskegee together on Sunday afternoon. They came and Warren and I arranged
to have the group go to dinner at the then segregated Lincoln Country Club. When the
group was ready to leave for the suburbs where the club was located, Warren had something
to do in the laboratory. He told us to go without him and he would find a young lady to
accompany him and join us later. When we all finally assembled at a table at this club far
out from the city of Atlanta, Herman Branson, a physicist, began to worry that Warren
wouldn't make it. I assured him that Warren would be there and that he would bring a girl.
Branson made a bet that he would pay the entire food bill if Warren came, and that I would
pay the bill if Warren didn't come. So the bet was made. We ordered steaks for everybody
and I ordered for Warren and some lady yet to be designated. Just as the food was being
served in came Warren with a lady whom he had not known before that evening. He was
virtually dragging her by the hand and they were out of breath, but they came. Branson paid
the entire food bill.
8. Warren is forever young at heart.
Recently Warren bought a group of Minority Access to Research Careers (MARC)
students from Howard University to a conference in Atlanta. I attended this conference.
One evening after the lectures were over there was to be held a dance. I suggested that
Warren come out to the house with me and I would take him back to the hotel after the
dance was over. He chose to attend the dance and I went home. The next morning the
young ladies reported to me what a dancer Warren was. I asked if they were sure. They said
yes. I asked if he danced every dance and they said no. I askedwhat he didwhile hewas not
dancing, and they said he stood against the wall. AhahI I said, you see he is a physicists
and he understands resonance. What he was actually doing was "trembling", but he knew
when the orchestra played a number whose beat is in resonance with his personal "trembling
frequency". He "dances the bugaloo" only on such musical numbers and you thought he was
dancing!
Forever young.
Forever enthusiastic.
Forever driven.
Warren is truly a man for all times.
I have talked about this remarkable man partly in jest, but fundamentally I have been
quite serious. I cannot end this talkwithout revealing the fact that since early 1934, I have
had no better friend, and even now I think that I know no better man.
There is no one here more happy than I am to observe that you at Howard University
have decided to celebrate this remarkable career in this carefully planned and elegant
manner. I am grateful for the privilege to participate in this bit of "Howard History" in this
manner.
Warren, my friend, I salute you.
Reminiscences, Appeal for Youth, and Predictions
in Magnetism
yrneH
Warren E.
Howard University, Washington, DC
Ladies and Gentlemen: This Symposium on Magnetism that was planned and organized
by the Departments of Chemistry, Electrical Engineering, Mathematics, and Physics at
Howard University and supported by the Howard University Research Fund, is a
substantive event. Happily, some of the world's greatest mathematicians and scientists are
participating. And, you can tell from my facial expression that I am honored to have my
name associated with this Symposium. I am deeply grateful to the Organizing Committee,
chaired by Dr. Tepper Gill, mathematician, physicist and engineer.
If I were to give a title to my few remarks, it would be "Reminiscences, Appeal for
Youth, and Predictions of Magnetism." My memory takes me back to my parents who were
supportive. For example, we could stay up past our regular bed time only if we were
studying or reading. One crisis came when the school that I could go to closed in early
February. My parents immediately borrowed my railroad fare to Lomax-Hannon (a church-
related school) in Greenville, Alabama. No science was taught. I finished the eleventh
grade. The twelfth grade was taken at Alabama State Normal in Montgomery. My mother
had reminded me to take chemistry. It was so interesting that I read through the text in
three weeks and became a laboratory assistant.
At Tuskegee Institute, I had much encouragement, being allowed to work my way
through college. I had three majors: Mathematics, English and French.
During the next three years, I served as principal in a high school in Atmore, Alabama
and got a scholarship for summer school at Atlanta University. At the end of the summer,
I was offered a tuition scholarship at Atlanta University by professor K.A. Huggins. While
I was a graduate student at Atlanta University, I taught at Spellman and Morehouse
Colleges. After I received an M.S. degree in Chemistry at Atlanta University, I went for a
summer of study at the University of Chicago. At the end of the summer, Professor Anton
Berg asked if I had thought of studying for a Ph.D. degree. I said I had not dared think in
those terms for I had saved only enough money for the summer. He said that all of the
scholarships, fellowships and assistantships had been given out for the upcoming fall, but
if I found a way to stay around, I would have their moral support. I said that is good enough
for me. Things worked out.
11
Now, that Fall. I enrolled at the University of Chicago. I signed up for the French
examination on October ,01 and the German examination a month later. I passed both.
Some people thought I was arrogant for satisfying the language requirements for the Ph.D.
before the Preliminary or Qualifying examination. At the risk of being considered
immodest. I will point out that when I took the Qualifying examination, of the five who took
the examinations, I was the only one who passed.
The University of Chicago was for me, an academic paradise. There were giants in
Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics: T.F. Young (thermodynamics), James Franck
(Physical basis of Photocochemistry), A.H. Compton (Quantum Mechanics), M.S. Kharasch
(Advanced Organic Chemistry), Rudolph Carnap (Philosophy: Logical Foundations of
Mathematics), etc.
Professor Berg helped me to get admitted to International House, where I lived for the
three years while I was at the University of Chicago. I became Vice president of the
Student Council at International House.
An interesting example of support surfaced when I took my thesis around to various
professors. One professor criticized a sentence and rewrote it. My professor asked me to
tell the other professor that we could not accept his sentence because he had a "dangling
participle" in the sentence.
After taking my Ph.D. degree, I returned to Tuskegee to teach. Later, I took my first
vacation and visited Cambridge, Massachusetts. There, I visited Dr. P. R. Bell at the
Radiation Laboratory at M.I.T. in an unclassified area. I inadvertently mentioned
something that was on top of the building. Bellwas very angry and reminded me of secrecy.
I apologized and returned to discussions on the University of Chicago where we had both
studied. As I was leaving, he asked "How would you like to work here"? That was quickly
arranged and I began designingvideo amplifiers ( the fastest for pulses at the time) and I.F.
amplifiers.
At the end of the World War II, I worked in the Basic Research Laboratory where
Professor Collins was designing the Collins helium liquefier and Professor F.M. Bitter
(high field magnet design) was supervising two students on superconductivity
at microwave frequencies. The experimentwas successful the night I was left in charge. Dr.
Clarence Zener (Zener diode) recruited me for a Postdoctoral Fellowship in Physics at the
Institute of metal at the University of Chicago. After the University of Chicago, I went to
chair the Department of Physics at Morehouse College.
The next summer, I wanted to do low temperature research and thought I had an
agreement to use low temperature equipment at Rutgers University but was told before
going there that the equipment would be in use and I could not use it. It was partially
understood because Rutgers is the same university which said that paul Robeson'svoicewas
21
not good enough to sing in the choir. I was on my way to try to get funds in New York and
stopped in Washington to speak to Dr. Lawson McKenzie at the Office of Naval Research.
I told him about my disappointment. He suggested that I go out the Naval Research
Laboratory and ask to use their low temperature equipment. They said that the equipment
was for use only by their employees.
I reported this to Dr. McKenzie. He said " that is wonderful, go back and tell them to
hire you". I got a telegram in New York that I was hired for two months. At the end of two
months, I was asked by Dr. Richard Dolecek to stay. I stayed for 21 years. I was head of the
group that installed the high field Bitter Magnet.
After I got magnetization results, I wrote Professor Bitter congratulating him for
inventing the Bitter Magnet. He replied that " it is true that i invented the high field
magnet, but you made a precision instrument out of it." I was helped by many people at
NRL. When I went to work for Lockheed Missiles and Space Co., I was helped by Professor
Glenn Seaborg then Chancellor of the University of California @ Berkeley (UCB) with
Professor W.F. Giauque to gain use of the Low temperature High Field Facility at UCB.
I must add that I have also gotten much help from Howard University.
I wanted to go over ways in which I have been helped in achieving some success in my
activities. The purpose is to strengthen my appeal toyou and others to encourage and help
youths to achieve their potentials. Hopefully, this appeal will help to stop the apparent
decline in the status of the united states in science.
I have visited the Japanese Laboratory for Iron Steel and other metals. I also have
visited laboratories in Moscow, Leningrad and in Grenoble, France, where Professor
Norman Ramsey of Harvard has to go to study the electric dipole moment of the neutron.
We need to give more support and encouragement to youths and help them develop their
potential. There is much talent going undeveloped. This is a waste. I am reminded of the
poem "Elegy in a Country Church Yard" by Sir Thomas Gray:
"Full many a gem of purest rays serene
The dark, unfathomed caves of ocean bear
Full many a flower born to blush unseen
And lost its fragrance on the desert air".
We must develop our youth.
Now I would like to make some projections--some predictions:
.1 Progress in Magnetism will occur.
2. A magnetic monopole will be identified and isolated after a trillion or so volt
accelerator is developed perhaps at Fermilab.
