About 1900 my parents came to the United States as children from what was then the Polish area of Russia.

It was good fortune to be a child during the Depression years and a youth during the war years.

I learned quickly, as I tell my graduate students now, there are no answers in the back of the book when the equipment doesn't work or the measurements look strange.

My parents regarded school teachers as higher beings, as did many immigrants.

There were two free public libraries within walking distance of my home; I remember taking six books home from every visit, the limit set by the library.

They wanted me to play more sports because they were acutely sensitive to their children being one hundred percent American, and they believed that all Americans played sports and loved sports.

The experimenter dealing with nature faces an outside and often hard world. Natures' curriculum cannot be changed.