John Pechonick was my favorite chemistry professor in college. He was a short, muscular man with bushy eyebrows. One of my friends described him as looking like a cross between Popeye and E.T. When he spoke, the words seemed to come out the side of his mouth in a sound that was almost like a growl. My freshman chemistry class was scheduled for 1:20, the first time slot right after lunch. He expected us there at 1:00 sharp to start working on the questions he had written on the chalkboard. If you weren’t writing something, he would stand by you, look over your shoulder and nudge your arm with his leg to encourage you to write something. He didn’t like anyone to wear caps in his classroom. He wouldn’t tell you to remove your hat. He would say, “I didn’t know we were having a game today! If I had known, I would have brought my bat and glove!”
