The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1923-09-03
dean LITTLE Did
OUTSTANDING WORK
ATTRACTED WIDE ATTENTION
FUNERAL WEDNESDAY

The funeral of the late DR.. Charles
N. Little, dean of the college of en-
gineering at the University of Idaho,
who passed away last Friday at
Berkeley, California, will be held
Wednesday afternoon at 2:45 o'clock
at st. Marks Episcopal church. The
Episcopal burial service will be con-
Quoted by the Rev. H. H. Mithell, rec
tor of st. Marks. The body will ar
rive in Moscow over the Northern
Pacific railway at 1920 Wednesday.
A later message received by Mrs.
Little from a nephew who lives near
Berkeley, states that DR.. Little was
found sitting in his chair at his desk,
Friday afternoon, death having been
due to heart failure, and evidently
having been instantaneous. His face
showed no indication of suffering
Parents Were Missionaries
Charles Newton Little was born at
Madura, in southern India, May 10,
1858, where his parents, Charles and
Susan Little, were stationed as mis-
siOnaries, to which work, as earnest
Puritan Christians, they had dedi-
Gated their lives.
On August 5, 1886, DR.. Little mar
ried Emma r. Funke, at Lincoln,
Nebraska, who was his loyal COM
panion for 81 years, and who sur
wives him.
Dr. Little received his A. B. degree
at the University of Nebraska in 1879
and his A. M. degree from the same
university in 1884. In 1885 he re-
ceived his Phi. d. degree at Yale Uni
versity He was instructor in mathe-
matics and civil engineering at his
alma mater, the University of Ne
braska, from 1880 to 1884 and as
sociate professor of civil engineer
ing from 1885 to 1890 and professor
of engineering from 1890 to 1898
From 1893 to 1901, DR.. Little was pro-
fessor of mathematics at Leland Stan
ford University, resigning and coming
to Idaho in 1901. In 1899 and 1900
DR.. Little was on leave of absence
from Leland Stanford and during that
time studied at the universities of
Goettingen and Berlin
In 1901 DR.. Little came to the
University of Idaho as professor of
civil engineering and in 1911 was
made dean of the college of engineer
ing, which position he occupied un-
til the close of the past school year,
when he announced his retirement. at
the age of 65 years.
Did Outstanding Work
DR.. Little's research work on the
tneOry OF Knots was of an Outstand-
ing nature and brought forth world
wide comment from mathematicians.
1t began with his thesis for his doc
tors degree which was granted. as
stated above, in 1885. This attracted
the attention and friendly interest of
PROFESSOR TAFT of the University of
Ed1nourgh, also a worker in this
Ileld, and it was at his suggestion
that Dr. Little continued his work on
thls subject, completing studies which
PROFESSOR Taits other urgent acti-
vltles were pushing aside. These
papers were published in the Trans
actlons OF the Royal Society of Edin-
burgh.
Again, in these later weeks. after
many years of routine activity, DR..
Little wrote Mrs Little from Berke-
ley that he had met Professor Os-
wald Veblen, brilliant young math-
ematlcian of Princeton University,
who suggested an interview with DR..
Little, to talk over Knots, Professor
Veblen being one of the most promi-
nent men in the world in mathema att
cal analysis. AS work in this line of
mathematical research has engaged
the attention of but a limited num-
Der of students, Professor Veblen ex-
pressed interest in meeting one of the
few men in the world who know
about them
DR.. Little found his enthusiasm re-
newed in a subject which had so
much absorbed him years before and
had accepted an invitation from Prof
essor Lehmer Of Berkeley to appear
at his mathematical seminar Septem
ber11, to present his subject. Death,
however, intervened.
DR.. Little was a fellow in the Am
erican Association for the Advance