His fragile health left him an indifferent classroom teacher, defi ned largely by an outward appearance of indolence and a lack of interest in his less capable students’ ideas. Nevertheless, his strong engagement in matters of contemporary po liti cal debate, his unconventional points of view, and his greater proximity to the graduate students in both age and position garnered for him substantial infl uence. As a bachelor through much of his time at Chicago, he would gather with students in Hanley’s tavern on a weekly basis, where he came to play a central role in the doctoral experiences of many students who never took a course with him during their time at the university.

Angus Burgin, The Great Persuasion, loc. 103