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Show I . LIGHTS OF NW YORK. sy l.l.stevenson Dr. Harold C. Urey, who was awarded the No'jel chemistry prize for 1934, sometimes lives up to the Fontaine Fox title, "The Absent-Minded Absent-Minded Professor." One morning up at Columbia, whore he is a professor, profes-sor, he entered a classroom and gave his lecture. After some time had elapsed, he discovered that the faces before him were all unfamiliar. unfamil-iar. He had merely wandered into the wrong room. On another occasion, oc-casion, he started out wearing shoes that were not mates. His award ! came to him for his discoveries In regard to heavy water. The hydrogen hydro-gen content of heavy water, known as deuterium, weighs twice as much as the hydrogen element in ordinary . water. It used to cost SS.000 a pound. Now the cost is only from $8 to $20 a pound. Few laymen know what heavy water Is. No layman lay-man knows what to do with it as yet. It Is regarded as extremely valuable to science, however. Scientists Sci-entists hope to learn atomic secrets se-crets through It witness-the "dance of the molecules" or something. Doctor Urey Is forty-one years old. He received his degree of bachelor bach-elor of science from the University of Montana and his Ph. D. in chemistry chem-istry from the University of California. Cali-fornia. He came to Columbia as an associated professor five years ago. In addition to the Nobel prize, he was awarded the Willard GIbbs medal by the Chicago section of the American Chemical society. That too was for his work with heavy water. But his spare time reading Is detective stories and S. S. Van Dine is his favorite author. He also likes to fool around the garden gar-den and play the piano. His wife will spend his prize money. Another recent prize winner was Louis Tanl who lives in Kew gardens. gar-dens. He received the O. Henry memorial award of ?300 for the outstanding short story of the year. It was his first to get Into print After writing it, he laid it aside for six months. Then, one day, seeing a newspaper advertisement of a high priced magazine, he concluded the editor would want that yarn. The editor did. He not only accepted It but along with the check sent a letter let-ter telling the author how good It was. While the story that was to be a prize winner the title is "No More Trouble for Jedwick," and it deals with the escape of a negro slayer from a chain gang was gathering dust Paul was at work on a ntvel. He finally turned out two. Both have been accepted by a publisher and the first will be out In the spring. The winner of the O. Henry award looks much like a somewhat dated football player. He Is thirty-two years old. He weighs 215 pounds and his muscles are well developed. They should be. When he was sixteen, six-teen, he quit schoo: and joined the army, in that way, he saw the country, having been shifted from camp to camp until his total reached seven. After the Armistice, he served as an orderly In Walter Reed hospital In Washington. Tiring Tir-ing of that after a time, he quit and went West On the Pacific coast, he was a movie extra. Also a stevedore. stev-edore. Also he held down various jobs on railroads. In addition, he had other Jobs in all of which toil was spelled with capital letters. Then he came East. For the last three years he has been doing nothing noth-ing save write "without making a nickel." But he's on his way now. Leaving prize winners and turning turn-ing to a Fifth avenue hat shop. Hat shops are common on the avenue. av-enue. But this one is different In It, It Is possible for a man to get a new hat for a dollar the price Including a Fifth avenue labeL It isn't a cleaning establishment The old hat is turned wrong-side out a new lining and a new sweat band Inserted and the patron can again hold up his head without spots showing. Several times reference has been made In this space to those Times Square subway change makers who so throw coins that one hangs back and is overlooked by the hurrying sardine. They used to be content with a nickel. Late reports have It that now when a dollar bill Is changed, the retained coin Is a quarter. , Bdll Syndicate. WNU Service. |