Professor
      Focus
     
    
   
   
    
     
          
     
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Dr.
      Glenn
      Palmer
     
     
      Professor
      of
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Dr.
      Glenn
      Palmer
      graduated
      from
      the
      University
     
     
      of
      Toronto
      with
      both
      Bachelor
      and
      Master
      degrees
     
     
      in
      Science.
      He
      completed
      his
      Ph.D.
      at
      Queen’s
     
     
      University
      and
      he
      also
      has
      a
      Diploma
      from
     
     
      Imperial
      College
      for
      his
      research
      in
      London,
     
     
      England.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      While
      he
      did
      his
      research
      at
      Queen’s,
      Dr
      Palmer
     
     
      lectured
      at
      the
      Royal
      Military
      College
      for
      three
     
     
      years.
      Although
      he
      was
      not
      in
      the
      Military,
      he
      was
     
     
      essentially
      treated
      as
      an
      officer
      rank.
      His
      reaction
     
     
      to
      this
      new-found
      position
      was,
      "One
      gets
      sick
      and
     
     
      iired
      of
      people
      saying
      YES
      SIR!’
      and
      saluting."
     
     
      One
      associates
      the
      Royal
      Military
      College
      with
     
     
      infinite
      miles
      of
      running
      and
      other
      physical
     
     
      exercises.
      Dr.
      Palmer
      sympathized
      with
      the
     
     
      students,
      "Kids
      go
      to
      sleep
      in
      class
      from
     
     
      exhaustion.
      I
      wouldn’t
      be
      hard
      on
      them,
      but
      I
      do
     
     
      wake
      them."
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Dr.
      Palmer
      chose
      to
      be
      a
      professor
      because
      he
     
     
      likes
      working
      with
      people.
      "I
      really
      enjoy
      working
     
     
      with
      students.
      I
      think
      it
      keeps
      one
      from
      getting
     
     
      stuck
      in
      ruts,
      from
      getting
      old.”
      His
      chemistry
     
     
      classes
      are
      growing
      larger
      to
      his
      frustration.
      "I
     
     
      don’t
      get
      to
      know
      students
      by
      names.
      Last
      year
      I
     
     
      ended
      up
      having
      to
      apologize
      to
      students
      in
      my
     
     
      class
      because
      I
      don’t
      know
      what
      their
      names
      are.”
     
    
   
   
    
     
      It
      is
      typical
      for
      professors
      to
      ask,
      "Are
      there
      any
     
     
      questions?"
      at
      the
      end
      of
      classes.
      Dr.
      Palmer
     
     
      remembers
      one
      student
      replied
      with
      another
     
     
      intriguing
      question,
      ’What’s
      for
      dinner?
      "The
      class
     
     
      broke
      up!"
      he
      laughed.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      When
      asked,
      "Is
      there
      anything
      about
      university
     
     
      life
      that
      you
      miss
      now?",
      he
      replied,
      "I
      went
      to
     
     
      universities
      before
      the
      age
      of
      calculators,
      I
      can
      say
     
     
      that
      I
      miss
      the
      slide-rule."
      Besides
      that,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      universities
      of
      all
      periods
      have
      one
      main
      thing
      in
     
     
      common:
      the
      influence
      of
      professors.
      With
      this
      in
     
     
      mind,
      Dr.
      Palmer
      recalled
      two
      professors
      he
      had
      in
     
     
      Organic
      Chemistry.
      One
      of
      them
      gave
      him
      the
     
     
      inspiration
      to
      do
      graduate
      work.
      "The
      other
     
     
      professor
      made
      every
      effort
      to
      ensure
      that
      the
     
     
      students
      are
      never
      made
      to
      feel
      totally
      inadequate.
     
     
      One
      can
      make
      some
      awfully
      dumb
      mistakes.
      He
     
     
      would
      always
      make
      one
      feel
      that
      there’s
      some
      good
     
     
      part
      to
      what
      one
      has
      done.
      He
      never
      NEVER
      was
     
     
      totally
      negative
      of
      anything
      no
      matter
      how
      silly
      it
     
     
      was."
      Dr.
      Palmer
      hopes
      that
      he
      is
      able
      to
      do
      the
     
     
      same
      to
      all
      his
      students.
      He
      said,
      "It
      is
      important
     
     
      to
      understand
      people
      who
      make
      honest
      mistakes."
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Students
      today
      take
      it
      for
      granted
      that
      all
     
     
      professors
      have
      the
      ultimate
      wisdom
      for
      all
      things.
     
     
      Dr.
      Palmer
      said,
      "Subjects
      that
      we
      are
      teaching
     
     
      now,
      we
      didn’t
      take
      when
      we
      were
      students."
     
     
      Although
      their
      knowledge
      may
      be
      immense,
      they
     
     
      are
      still
      humans.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Lurking
      in
      his
      student
      days
      is
      a
      Glenn
      Palmer
      who
     
     
      was
      very
      active
      when
      he
      lived
      in
      residence.
      He
     
     
      chuckled
      as
      he
      revealed,
      "Everybody
      clse
      assumed
     
     
      that
      I
      was
      going
      to
      fail
      first
      year.
      No-one
      ever
      saw
     
     
      me
      doing
      work
      because
      I
      was
      out
      a
      lot.
      |
      did
      study
     
     
      at
      other
      times,
      but
      no-one
      noticed."
     
    
   
   
    
     
      And
      what
      is
      university
      life
      without
      romance?
      Dr.
     
     
      Palmer
      went
      on
      a
      blind
      date
      with
      a
      girl,
      and
      fell
      in
     
     
      love.
      As
      of
      Saturday,
      September
      15,
      that
      girl
      will
     
     
      be
      his
      wife
      for
      28
      years.
      Congratulations!
      We,
      the
     
     
      Students,
      wish
      both
      Dr.
      and
      Mrs.
      Palmer
      all
      the
     
     
      best.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      They
      have
      two
      children.
      One
      graduated
      with
      a
     
     
      music
      degree,
      and
      the
      other
      is
      currently
      doing
     
     
      graduate
      work
      in
      chemistry.
      "Not
      my
      idea!”
      Dr.
     
     
      Palmer
      declared.
      He
      thought
      that
      his
      son
      was
     
     
      going
      to
      study
      history
      but
      he
      was
      proven
      wrong
     
     
      when
      his
      son
      said,
      "Science."
      Any
      speculations
      of
     
     
      two
      Dr.
      Palmers
      in
      the
      Chemistry
      Faculty
      are
      put
     
    
   
   
    
     
      continued
      on
      page
      9...
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      September
      13th,
      1990