Conversation so far:
Where did Benjamin Lee Whorf attend college?
Whorf took Sapir's first course at Yale on "American Indian Linguistics".
What year did he attend Yale?
CANNOTANSWER.
Why did he take American Indian Linguistics?
nominally working towards a PhD in linguistics, but he never actually attempted to obtain a degree, satisfying himself with participating in the intellectual community around Sapir.

Question: Why was he interested in the community around Sapir?
Self-contained rewrite: Why was Benjamin Lee Whorf interested in the community around Sapir?