THIRTY YEARS' SERVICE.

Press, Volume XLIV, Issue 19400, 28 August 1928, Page 9

THIRTY YEARS' SERVICE.

PROFESSOR EMERITUS A. W. BICKERTON.

COLLEGE BOARD'S DECISION

The first Chair established at Canterbury College was that of chemistry, and on December 31st, 1873, the Board of Governors adopted Lord Lyttelton's advice and appointed Professor Alexander William Bickerton, F.C.S., as the first of the line of Canterbury College professors. Professor Bickerton spent over 30 years at the College and now resides in England and at yesterdays meeting of the College Board of governors he was appointed a Professor Emeritus of the College. Tho title, -Professor Emeritus, is given only in recognition of conspicuous services rendered to the university. MrE. J. Howard, M.P., moved, and Dr. J. Guthrie seconded, the following resolution:—"That, in accordance with a resolution adopted by the Board on October 30th, 1922, Professor Alexander William Bickerton, F.C.S., tor thirty years a professor of the College, be appointed a Professor Emeritus of Canterbury College." Professor Bickerton was appointed Professor of Chemistry and Physics in 1873, Professor of Chemistry in 1901, and he resigned in 1903. The resolution of 1922 was as follows:—"That the Board of Governors may confer the title of Professor Emeritus on any professor of the College at or after his retirement, in recognition of conspicuous services to the College. But such title shall.in no case be conferred unless the Professor shall have held office in the College for not less than fifteen academic years. The name of the Professor Emeritus shall be inserted in the College Calendar. A Prolessor Emeritus shall for all purposes of courtesy and for ceremonial occasions bo regarded as a professor of the College, but lie shall not be a member or' the' Professorial Board, or any committee of that Board or any faculty." Mr Howard said that Professor Bickerton was now 87 years of age and he would still continue to bring honour to the College with which he was connected for over 30 years. Dr. Guthrie said that he had had the matter at heart for a considerable time. He had always felt that Professor Bickerton was far above the average in his grasp of the subject of which he had made a life study, "The Board is doing honour, to the Professor and to itself in taking this step," he said. "Professor Bickerton is a man very similar in type and personality to the late Lord Kelvin, Professor of Natural PhilosoDhy at Glasgow University." •' The resolution was carried unanimously, and it was decided to communicate, it. by cable, to Professor Bickerton.

Professor Bickerton was born in 1842. at Alton, Hampshire. He was trained as an engineer, but abandoned railway surveying for .health reasons. In 1864 he established a factory in the Cotswold Hilis to develop certain wood- | working ~ inventions he had made, j Whilst there he came under the m- j fluence of the scientist, Stroud, and he j took up .science teaching. In 1867 'ie j organised and taught technical classes in Birmingham lind won a Royal Ex- i hibition at the School of Mines, London.. There, and at the Royal College of Chemistry, he had a .brilliant career. He was, in 1870, appointed. to organise science work at the Hartley Institute, Southampton, taught at Winchester College, and held the post of County Public Analyst. His teaching and the publication of the results of a research on a correlation of heat and electricity attracted much attention, and he was offered a choice of five university Chairs He' accepted the Chair! of Chemistry, which was established at Canterbury College in, 1873, and arrived j in- New . Zealand in time to take up work iW the second term "of 1874. The Oddfellows' Hall, Lichfield, street, was hired, and his first public lecture was given to «a crowded audience. He was a facile of apparatus,, some of: which passed into general use. His theory of cosmic construction by partial impact was set forth in detail in many papers dating from about 1880, and attracted ■ considerable attention in the astronomical world; For eight after his retirement from the ; College in 1903, Professor Bickerton remained in Cliristchurcfi. A publio fund was then raised, to which the. Government of New Zealand contributed, to enable him to proceed to London to prosecute his researches and expound his theories.