Seventy Years Of The Worcester Polytechnic Institute: Page 247

of the many demands that had been made on his energy, and though undoubtedly near the crest of his distinguished career, he possessed a vigor that was seemingly unlimited. Harvard had profited much by the work that he had done there during twenty years, not only in its engineering department but in its social activities. When he went there the engineering department was merely a necessary side line in education. Within ten years he had directed its enlargement and equipment to the point where it had become a well-recognized school. In 1903, President Eliot made him chairman of the Division of Engineering, a post which he held until 1909.

The two institutions at Harvard with which Dr. Hollis' name was most closely linked were the Harvard Union and the stadium in Soldiers Field. He conceived the idea of the Union, a place where all members of the college might gather for social contacts, was instrumental in securing funds for its erection in 1902, and served as chairman of its board of trustees. From 1897 to 1903, he had served as chairman of the Harvard Athletic Committee. In connection with the development of Soldiers Field, he suggested the building of the horseshoe stadium, a concrete structure that then had no counterpart in America. He supervised its design and construction, though the actual construction was in charge of Prof. Arthur W. French of W. P. I.

Dr. Hollis was a native of Indiana. Although lacking adequate secondary education and influential friends, he secured an appointment to the U. S. Naval Academy by self education and persistence. Once appointed, he headed for a brilliant career, graduating in 1878 as number one in his class. He served the Navy for fifteen years, during which period he was chief engineer of the U. S. S. "Charleston," and in the two years before going to Harvard, assistant to the engineerin-chief at Washington. One of his several naval publications was a "History of the Frigate Constitution."

Engineering societies profited by Dr. Hollis' enthusiasm, for he had been elected to important offices in several organi-

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