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CHE Department History - CHE "Firsts"
CHE's First M.S.Ch.E - 1933
 The
first M.S. in the Department was James B. David of Jacksonville, who got his
B.S. in 1931 and who admitted to 88 years of age when contacted in February
1996. In 1931 he was Vice-President of the Chemical Engineering Society. He sent
a photo of himself at graduation along with classmates Owen Rice, Robert
Kennedy, and Bob Bennett. He also sent a newspaper clipping with the headline,
"Jimmie David Cops First Prize at Well-Attended Skit Night." He took the prize
for his tap dancing, At 88 one might conclude that tap dancing is no longer
among his activities, but now, at 89, he reports that he is still tap dancing,
but not for exhibition, just for exercise and his own entertainment.
Jimmie stayed on at UF for six years and did his M.S. thesis with Dr. A.P.
Black, the title being "The Determination of H+ Ion Concentration in Natural and
Treated Waters." After getting that degree in 1933, Jimmie went back to
Jacksonville where he taught basic engineering, algebra, and physical chemistry
at Jacksonville Junior College.
Jimmie David retired in 1978 and spends his time writing computer programs with
his UF civil engineer son. He tries to use the computer to predict football
games, but admitted that he doesn't do too well. The problem, he says, is that
the teams are too equal.
 In
1981 Jimmie attended his 50th anniversary reunion at UF and saw his classmates
Bob Bennett and Robert Kennedy. He kidded a friend saying, "I'll meet you here
at the next 50th." His wife overheard and added, "Yes, and I'll have to drive
you there."
The following is a letter from Jimmie David recalling some of his experiences at
UF:
When I first went to Gainesville my hope was to become a lawyer. At that
time students would go to the college of their interest to register. As I
stood among other prospective law students, I began to long for home because I
was a stranger. To alleviate my home-sickness I began to wander around the
campus, stopping at each group of students and hoping to find someone from
home.
My search ended when I encountered a group waiting to register for
engineering. Many of my classmates from high school were in that group. As I
stood and chatted with them my ill feeling disappeared, and before I knew what
happened I had registered for electrical engineering. However, the major I had
elected was short-lived because of a problem with an instructor in drafting
who also taught the shop courses that most engineering students had to take. I
felt doomed in any shop course taught by this instructor. So I switched to
chemical engineering, which did not require shop courses.
The University of Florida, at that time, had about 2,000 students. The
Department of Chemical Engineering was non-existent compared to what it is
today. Dr. Beisler did the best he
could with the faculty and equipment of the chemistry department.
There were four of us in chemical engineering: Robert Bennett, James David,
Robert Kennedy, and Owen Rice. I was designated to give a talk to incoming
freshmen concerning chemical engineering as a possible major. This was during
orientation in the auditorium.
When I rose to give my talk, the audience shouted me down. They were yelling:
"No! No! R.O.T.C. instead!" The "R.O.T.C." was a reference to a tap dance
routine I had developed that mimicked many of the drill movements students
encountered as freshmen and sophomores, an activity which most of us hated
with a passion.
I have a recollection which concerns Dr. Benton, from whom I was taking a
course in physics. This particular day he sent me to the blackboard to work a
problem on heat. After I checked and rechecked my work, I presented my
solution to Dr. Benton, who promptly gave me a failing grade. I took issue
with his grading. Without any hesitancy he said, "Mr. David, if you can show
me any instrument that can measure the accuracy you have shown in your
solution, I will give you full credit." That was my first introduction to
significant figures—a lesson I still remember.
I had not developed good study habit in high school. Because of this, I was
experiencing a lot of trouble with the subject matter before me. To help
overcome this difficulty, I did three things: 1) I prepared myself each day
prior to going to class, 2) I found someone with whom I could study
independently, and with whom I could discuss any problem either of us
encountered during this study session, and 3) I used the time between classes
to review the material from the last class to re-enforce my knowledge of this
material.
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