First Fruits

Anderson thrives in graduate school where he begins a career-long friendly rivalry with Walter Kohn. He consciously chooses not to work with superstar theorist Julian Schwinger and pursues a PhD supervised by John Van Vleck. His thesis problem is a quantum mechanical calculation of the microwave absorption spectrum of small molecules. His social time is spent almost exclusively with non-physics graduate students, including the mathematician-comedic songwriter Tom Lehrer. He meets Joyce Gothwaite during a vacation trip home and only a short time passes before they marry in Boston and she becomes pregnant. Daughter Susan is born and Anderson completes his thesis work quickly. Money is tight.