Seventy Years Of The Worcester Polytechnic Institute: Page 204

The other proposal was that the Mechanical Engineering department be reorganized, with a department head who would be director of the Washburn Shops as well as professor of engineering. Clarence A. Chandler had just retired from the shop post after seven years of effective management, to return to the manufacture of cotton seed oil machinery. The man needed for the new, all-inclusive leadership was fortunately available. William W. Bird, '87, had proved his ability as a teacher during his earlier period as a member of the staff. During the intervening seven years, since 1896, he had had a highly successful career in the management of his foundry business at Cambridgeport, a factor of considerable importance because the commercial business of the Institute foundry gave promise of being a substantial item. He had also served two years on the Cambridge Common Council and at this time was a member of the Board of Aldermen. His return to Worcester was heartily approved by both trustees and faculty. To assist him as superintendent of the shops, the trustees appointed Louis W. Rawson, '93, who had spent five years as a manufacturer of bicycles, and had been superintendent of a machine shop. That he was also a man of inventive ability was later to be demonstrated.

Among other changes in this department were the promotion of Charles M. Allen to assistant professor of experimental engineering - he became full professor in 1906 -and the appointment of David L. Gallup, '01, and Carl H. Au, '02, as instructors. Albert Kingsbury, whose work with bearings and lubricants had brought him national recognition, resigned the professorship of Applied Mechanics in 1903 to accept a position with the Westinghouse Co. Forrest R. Jones resigned as professor of Drawing and Machine Design the same year to take a similar post at Cornell. Alton L. Smith was promoted to full professor in charge of this division, assisted by Elmer H. Fish, '92.

The most important change in other departments in 1903 was the resignation of Prof. U. Waldo Cutler, head

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Last Modified: Fri Jul 30 11:15:25 EDT 1999