To: Members of the Faculty From: J. W Maucker, President Date: November 17, 1966
Dr. Robert W. Getchell, former Professor of Chemistry at State College of Iowa, passed away at 4:00 a.m. on Wednesday, November 16, 1966, at the home of his son in Decorah, Iowa. Although he had been in ill health, his death was unexpected at this time. He was born in Buchanan County on October 1, 1883, received the B. A. degree from State College of Iowa in 1911, the M. S. degree from the University of Wisconsin in 1914, and the Ph. D. degree from the University of Wisconsin in 1930. Dr. Getchell joined the staff at State College of Iowa in 1909 as an instructor, while completing work for the B. A. degree. He was advanced to the rank of professor in 1912, and held this position until he assumed emeritus status in 1949. As an emeritus staff member, he continued to teach on a part-time basis until 1961.
As well as being a very effective teacher, Dr. Getchell did a great deal of writing, and his publications have had real impact on the schools. The funeral service for Dr. Getchell will be held at the Dahl Funeral Home in Cedar Falls at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, November 18, with burial in Greenwood Cemetery. The family has indicated that a memorial has been established at the First Presbyterian Church in Cedar Falls. The flag will be flown at half-mast Friday afternoon, and the Campanile bells will be played during the time of the funeral service in memory of Dr. Getchell.
SENATE MINUTES May 22, 1967 887 1.
The Chairman recognized Clifford McCollum who read the following memorial statement: Dr. Robert W. Getchell, Professor Emeritus of Chemistry, State College of Iowa, died Wednesday morning, 16 November 1966, at the home of his son in Deborah, Iowa. He was born in 1883 in Buchanan County, Iowa. His eighty-three years were lived primarily in Iowa and almost all of them were years closely associated with education. He graduated from Independence High School in 1902. He taught a rural school in 1903-04. He attended Cornell College from 1904 through 1907. He then began his chemistry teaching career with a position at Iowa State College, now Iowa State University, as an instructor in chemistry. This position he held from 1907 to 1909. The year 1909 marks the beginning of his long tenure with State College of Iowa, for it was then he joined the faculty as an instructor in chemistry. While an instructor, he completed his B. A. in 1911. The M. S. in 1914, and the Ph. D. in 1930 were earned at the University of Wisconsin. He became Professor Emeritus in 1949, but he continued to teach and remained active in writing and in other professional activities for a number of years after this.
Dr. Getchell was an influential and respected member of the faculty. An autobiographical record in the Office of the Department of Science has the following comment in the section where committee and other extra-curricular work are described: "Over the past forty years I have been on nearly every committee of the faculty, both as member and chairman." It would be impossible to describe all the significant contributions he made to the broad educational program of this college. A few may serve as examples. He was editor of The Science Bulletin that was distributed regularly to elementary and secondary school science teachers in the state. This publication gave classroom teachers suggestions in content and teaching techniques. When Iowa State Teachers College first ''went on the air" with regular radio programs in 1942, Dr. Getchell was among the first to prepare and present programs on science. For twenty years he was one of a panel that answered questions sent by listeners for the weekly program called "Ask the Scientist."
He was a member of a number of honorary and professional organizations, including Sigma Xi, Phi Lambda Upsilon, and Lambda Delta Lambda. He held offices in most of the organizations to which he belonged. He was president of the Iowa Academy of Science in 1954-55. His capability as an author is evidenced by the widespread usage of a number of texts in chemistry and physical science which he wrote either singly or in collaboration with others. Nor was he exclusively college-centered in his interests and efforts. The community of Cedar Falls benefitted from his talents as he actively participated in service clubs, study groups, business enterprises, and city projects. But those of us who were privileged to be colleagues of Bob Getchell remember him most vividly as a teacher.
The classroom was his love, and many a student still remembers his capability as a lecturer, as a demonstrator, and as an interrogator who could make chemistry come alive and move out of textbooks and manuals into exciting experiences in the mind and in the laboratory. He had a deep respect for the spirit of inquiry and for sound scholarship. All of us, whether we knew him personally or not, are legatees of a heritage he helped to build for us in higher education at this institution, and we recognize our indebtedness to him. So we remember him as teacher, scientist, friend. Let this humble expression of remembrance and gratitude be made a part of the minutes of the Faculty Senate and a copy of it be sent to his wife, his daughter, and his son.
Herbert V. Hake James W. Kercheval Clifford G. McCollum