Bridgewater College first offered Physics in the 1909-1910 session. Students could take classes in General Physics, Sound, and Light. The first professors who taught physics at the College were J. Carson Miller, Rowland H. Latham, John C. Myers, William H. Sanger, and John Willard Hershey. In 1914 and 1915, BC President John S. Flory ensured the procurement of special physics equipment for the physics laboratories, amongst other courses of scientific study. By the 30’s and 40’s, both mathematics and physics were taught by Charles E. Shull, J. Emmert Ikenberry, and Rudolph A. Glick.
The need for a dedicated science hall, with science classes like physics previously having been taught in the basement of memorial hall, was first brought up by President Paul H. Bowman in 1941. In 1947, the College erected a new Physics Building behind Wardo Hall (now Flory Hall-West). On June 3rd, 1951, while a concert was in progress at Cole Hall, a fire of unknown origin destroyed the Physics Building.
By the 1979-80 session of school, the physics department had greatly increased, offering 14 different courses. In the summer of 1980, the college installed a Prime 550 computer, and named the installation the “Charles E. Shull Computing Center” in tribute to the aforementioned physics and mathematics professor. Another notable physics professor was Dale V. Ulrich, who taught physics from 1958-61, 1964-67, and 1982-85. He also served as a BC academic administrator. Also notable was Dr. Dean Neher, who taught Physics, Math and Computer Science at BC for 33 years starting in 1961.
Eric M. Rogers, a physics professor from Princeton University, spoke at the college in March 1971 and December 1975. Moses H.W. Chan is a particularly successful physicist who earned his undergraduate degree from Bridgewater College and was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2000.
By Zach Watts, Special Collections intern, 2023
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