Evening journal., 1911-05-12
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One Of the largest, if not actually
the largest. bequest made to any
American university by an officer Of
the university was the estate which
by his will Professor Elias Loomis,
who died In 1889, bequeathed 10 Yale
University.
Professor Loomis was an eccentric |
and yet very greatly respected member
of the Yale faculty for more than a |
generation There is no alumnus Of
Yale whose degree was received be- !
tween the early sixties and the late
eighties who does not recall affection?
ately and yet with a slight smile OF
humorous recollection this quaint and
eccentric professor vastly learned in
natural philosophy, mathematics and
especially astronomy. Among men Of
science the world over Professor
Ioomis ranked with Dan the geolo-l
gist, Hadley, the Greek scholar and
father of Arthur Hadley, president az
this time of Yale. and Silliman, one Of
the worlds great authorities upon
chemistry. The United States Govern
ment recognized Professor Loomis as
the foremost meteorologist Of the
United States, and when the Govern
| ncUi tSidOllbntu itS Hibi Wtdthti bu-
reau this was not done until after con-
sultation with Professor Loomis.
Professor Loomis was man of sim
gular taciturnity. II he could express
his thought in single word, he would
do that. Moreover, he led almost a
hermit's life The world of Yale Uni
versity saw nothing of him excepting
at chapel, al Sunday services, and in
the lecture room. After lectures were
ended or the recitations brought to a
close, Professor Loomis would depart
quietly, always unaccompanied, from
the lecture room, crossing New Haven
green TO his lodging room which faced
the green. He always wore a conspicu-
Gus black and white checked necktie,
gathered into a bow knot of mathema-
tical accuracy; his linen was immacu-
late
As Professor Loomis manner Of life
was very simple and as he never took
any part in the social life of Yale. it
was sometimes said of him that he
must be saving some portion of his
salary Of two thousand dollars year,
so that he might have a competency in
his old age. Whoever passed by his
lodging late at night invariably saw
light in his room Few were permitted
1 10 bnltF lldI NIuUNs HOHt WHO ulQ re-
ported that they found the professor
engaged either in meteorological stud
| les or else In astronomical computa-
tons In his early life Professor Loom
is was married and widowed. two sons
having been born to him, but for more
than twenty-five years Of his life he
lived In almost monastic simplicity;
his sons. having been educated, went
out into the world.
Within the time specified by statute
after the death of Professor Boomis
his will was offered for probate. II
contained only two bequests, and one
of these was a partial one He be-
aueathed his entire estate TO Yale Col
lege, one-half of the estate to pass inn
mediately into the possession of the
college; in the other half his soos we're
TO have a life interest, the income from
II being divided between them. and
after that interest lapsed. the entire
estate was to go TO Yale for the pur-
pose Of establishing as great and fully
equipped an astronomical observatory
as the amount of the estate would per-
nit
Every one around Yale gasped when
be learned the provisions Of the Will.
Had this quiet professor who had led
~ HAOHtiN illt utfH dUlt 10 save Out OF
his salary a sum as great as twenty
FIVE thousand dollars? That was the
estimate of the value of the estate
commonly made from the nature Of the
bequeath. But when the estate was
inventoried and the administrators
made their reports TO the probate
court, a most amazing state of affairs
was disclosed. The quiet professor had
amassed not $25.0O0 but~a fortune a
little in excess OF three hundred thous-
and dollars; his investments had been
made with wisdom, most Of them were
what are called. quick assets. And one
another of his old faculty associates
went about asking low had IT been
possible tor Professor Loomis TO ac-
cumulate so large an estate as that. II
was known that he hal inherited moth
ing and that, however the estate was
gained by him. IL was the result OF his
own savings or work
Not until sometime after the probat-
ing Of the estate did the true explana-
tion of the manner in which II had