History: Theories of Proximity

By the time German-born physicist Albert Einstein was well settled in the United States, it wasn’t uncommon for him to wander into lecture halls or science labs at various colleges or universities. And in the early 1940s, it appears that he did just that in Greenville—at Furman’s downtown campus, the location of today’s county square.

It all may have started when a young Furman student (who shared the physicist’s last name) noticed another Einstein in the Greenville phonebook and dialed up the number as a result of his curiosity. It turned out to be none other than Einstein’s son, Hans Albert, who was living and working in Greenville at the time, purportedly as an engineer in the city’s water department.

Soon after, Einstein came to Greenville to visit Hans Albert, and invited the curious Furman student to dinner. Perhaps over discussions of special relativity and servings of spaghetti (the physicist’s rumored favorite food), he expressed interest in visiting Furman. The very next day, classes were canceled and everyone gathered in the chapel, where Einstein answered questions about his controversial scientific discoveries at the then-Baptist-affiliated university.

The story doesn’t end there—alumni accounts show Einstein visited Furman at least two other times. Vello Forrester of the class of 1941 claims to have encountered Einstein during his student days. Yet another account by the late Harrison F. Edwards of the class of 1943 maintains that Einstein wandered into the science lab where he was working late one afternoon and, naturally, joined in on the experiment.

All three alumni accounts—though vague in their exact dates and details—exemplify the personable (and unpredictable) qualities of Einstein. Often stopped on the street by people asking him about “that theory,” Einstein wasn’t wary of public attention. While coming to Furman may not have been on the university’s events calendar, it appears Einstein certainly made it a point to leave his mark there, probably shaking hands and telling some of his signature jokes along the way.

In addition to personal accounts, there’s more evidence to support Einstein’s visits: a picture of the scientist walking across what’s been noted as Furman’s campus. Science or not, it’s proof that behind a great photograph are great stories to be told.