"Much has been said by the students here in School about the lack of value and practical use of many things we teach in mathematics, physics and mechanics.  Then too many of our graduates return and tell us they have never had need for this course or that in their practice.  In most cases we find on investigation that they did not know enough about the subject to use it when opportunity arose so had to work around the matter in some other way and more often I suspect they knew so little of the subject that they failed to recognize the opportunity when it came up in the first place."

__in ``Mathematics in Engineering'', handwritten notes, Missouri School of Mines,  c.1930-50