Arched interior

Despite Dad’s talent, he never thought he was much of an artist. He was extremely critical and felt that his brother and father were far more gifted. He often boasted, however, of his engineering prowess and never hesitated to tell us about the excellent grades he received in his engineering classes. Dad’s esteem for engineers was probably the number one reason that I studied engineering in college. By the time I was taking classes involving statics and calculating the load-bearing qualities of arches and other structures, he’d forgotten everything, just as I have now. But I agree with him that being able to answer such questions gives the problem solver a heightened feeling of mastering the world.