106 Reviews - Recensions Still most of us wouldn't do without our newspaper, and if we remember not to believe it all, there's a lot of information that is probably mostly correct and some interesting. So it is with Gordon's book — I perused it with pleasure and was reminded of names out of that remote past some thirty or so years ago when a protein might have a cyclol structure and the only nucleic acids were thymus and yeast. David B. Smith The University of Western Ontario. Gordon N. Patterson, Pathway to Excellence (UTIAS - the first twenty-five Institute for Aerospace Studies, University of Toronto, 1977. 288 pp. years), As this account of the establishment of the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies has shown, the unwavering hope that directed early steps, the intuition to choose a right objective, the growing faith that opened the door to significant decisions and the attainment of the understanding required to complete the mission led to the establishment of an acknowledged center of excellence on a firm foundation, (p. 192) This first sentence of the final chapter might appear to be a little arrogant, because the unwavering hope, the intuition, the faith and the understanding referred to are all attributes of one man — the author. But having read the book and talked to some of Dr. Patterson's colleagues I believe the statement to be true — so it is not arrogant, just accurate. In spite of the subtitle, it is a mistake to approach this book primarily as a history of the Institute. It is b o t h more and less than this; more because it is an autobiography and to some degree a history of the development of aeronautics and aerospace in Canada, and less because its broader scope means that details on the Institute are curtailed. For example, although the author attempts to give credit to the other members of the Institute for their contributions, he does not in general focus on these. He says (p. 2) "It may be difficult to discern at times whether this is the UTIAS story or my autobiography", and he focusses on his own involvements with the Institute, with the University, and with outside agencies. His goal was to establish a broad base for the Institute "It was significant that the Institute did not experience complete administrative and technical well-being until it had established its role at the local, national and international levels." (p. 96). Throughout the book there is a mystical undertone, perhaps exemplified by the opening lines (p. 1) "The human mind that has never recognized the existence of an infinite source of good outside itself will not profit from reading this b o o k , since this is the story of how the author's conscious association with that source produced an internationally recognized center for teaching and research in aerospace engineering and science". The chapter titles (Casting Bread, Faith is the Substance, Every Good Gift) reinforce this theme, as do many other comments "It is necessary for one to take all appropriate human footsteps needed t o accomplish a right purpose." (p. 39) Dr. Patterson has made a significant contribution to the literature of higher education in Canada through his carefully documented description of the formation and development of the Institute and other related activities. He has kept copies of all correspondence 107 Reviews - Recensions throughout his career, and includes over twelve-hundred references to letters and reports in the two-hundred page main body of his text. This detail provides some insight into university and research grant "politics" and should be of interest to any scientist, administrator or entrepreneur with responsibilities for organization and management. There is useful information here, but Gordon Patterson's story is unique. As one colleague remarked: this is a remarkable book about a remarkable institute by a remarkable man. Donald G. Ivey University of Toronto