Continuing with the historical sampling of the earlier writings on behalf of the Rochester Engineering Society, the years following "The Great War," into and through the “Great Depression,” continued to be a time of reaching out for the maturing Society, both locally and nationally. The meeting minutes describe a series of technical discussions and presentations intended to broaden the technical horizons of the membership (especially the CE's, ME's and EE's). The RES affiliated itself with a number of National technical societies, adopted local Affiliated Societies, frequently held joint meetings with them and continued taking action on a growing list of public matters. Certain issues of standardization, some crucial to public safety, became the responsibility of the RES and its affiliates. In the pervasive economic downturn of the “Great Depression,” the magazine offered classified advertising for unemployed engineers, technicians and draftsmen and took other steps to try to deal with the crisis. Still, it continued its effort to shape the function, purpose and infrastructure of the City of Rochester, and beyond. Soon, war would again affect the Society, taking away many of its leaders while providing opportunities for others to step forward to fill these vacancies. In an effort to provide even greater perspective on the happenings and concerns of the day, a synopsis, featuring selected items from "The Rochester Engineer" has become an integral part of this series. The Second World War and the Korean Conflict are now history. These experiences have changed the face and, no doubt, the future of the community. The Rochester municipal leadership and the industrial community have become immersed in the cold-war, growth economy.
“The Rochester Engineer” (February 1967) (continued) This issue provided the seventh article in its series, “Our Affiliates,” this time featuring the Rochester Section, ASME. Having become one of the first RES Affiliates, the Rochester Section, one of over 150 such ASME groups, had grown to over 450 members by 1967. RES Affiliates, and other technical organizations’ activities for the month included: American Society for Metals - “The F-111 Aircraft”, American Society for Quality Control – “Liars, Engineers & Statisticians” and American Institute of Chemical Engineers – “Happiness is Assuming Everyone is Ethical.” This issue also provided information on five public sector engineering position openings, including four opportunities at the City of Rochester Bureau of Buildings and an airport engineer at the County of Monroe.
March 1, 1967 (Board of Directors Meeting - U of R Faculty Club) The Board approved nine new membership applications. The Board received a report on a survey of the interests and needs in the Rochester area for an Engineers’ Center. A recommendation was made that the RES seek professional with for funding and membership campaigns. An additional suggestion was made that a project manager be selected for such a project. Questions were raised regarding location, renovation costs, adequacy of meeting facilities and the challenge of increasing membership (by over 2000), in such a short timeframe. This resulted in a brief review of several possible locations/facilities in the Rochester area, considered in recent years, all of which had been rejected by the Executive Committee, for various reasons. There then ensued an extended discussion of the procedure to be followed in this project, culminating in a single decision; to design and produce a brochure describing the Engineers’ Center Project, for use in soliciting support. A motion was then made, and passed, that a delegation from the RES be appointed to visit at least six similar engineers’ centers, toward gathering input from others’ experiences. The Awards Committee reported, presenting a motion, proposing several changes to the guidelines/requirements for selecting the “Engineer of the Year,” including participation in local (or national) engineering societies, full- time practice (or management) in engineering, residents of Monroe (or adjacent) Counties, nominations could come from RES Affiliates or RES individual members, and that no posthumous awards should be made. The Publications Committee reported that a discussion had been held and an offer made to a possible vendor, regarding hiring them to publish The Rochester Engineer, but that it had been declined. Instead, the Board decided that the current revenue shortfalls could be overcome with a concerted effort to increase advertising.
March 29, 1967 (Special Meeting of the Board of Directors – Chamber of Commerce) The Board approved a slate of RES officers for 1967-68 including: President – John L. Wheeler (Xerox), 1st VP – Dr. Edward Kirkpatrick (RIT), 2nd VP – Alexander M. Beebee (GM), Jr., Secretary – Gordon S. Rugg (EKCo), Treasurer – E. Philip Kron (EKCo), Directors – Cecil L. Wilder (Xerox) & G. Robert Leavitt (Taylor Instrument).
“The Rochester Engineer” (March 1967)At the annual Engineers’ Joint Dinner, the Leo H. East Memorial Award for “1966 Engineer of the Year” was presented to Harold S. Mosher, director of engineering at Kodak Park. Architect Kevin Walsh’s rendering of the remodeled RIT Krenzer Barn as the proposed RES Engineers’ Center, was revealed by RES Engineers’ Center Committee Chair, Alexander M. Beebee, Jr., at this dinner, held at the Rochester Chamber of Commerce. Further planning, including methods of financing the estimated $300,000 development cost would be undertaken by the RES Board of Directors.
April 5, 1967 (Board of Directors Meeting - U of R Faculty Club) The Board heard a report from an RES delegation that had recently visited the Cleveland Engineering & Scientific Center. There was consensus that, of paramount importance to the success of such a facility in Rochester would be a set of well-defined goals for its purpose and use. The Board approved a motion to increase RES annual dues to $25. Eleven new applications for RES membership were approved, including Phil T. Elliott, Ernest E. Mohr and Francis S. Nayman. The Civic Affairs Committee reported on two urgent issues; air pollution and monumentation in Monroe County. It was further explained that air quality in Rochester and Monroe County had decreased alarmingly in the past decade, and that land surveyors had reported that many permanent monuments had been destroyed by extensive recent construction work, without being replaced. The Publications Committee reported that it was considering a format change in The Rochester Engineer. Specifically, local industry would be asked to supply a cover photo, with an appropriate article of interest to be published in the same issue, and the calendar of engineering meetings and events would be moved to the center of the magazine.
Subsequent articles in this series will describe the RES' continuing outreach to other technical societies as it considered its role in this and the larger community, along with more of the activities of the RES as it moved to be of greater service to its membership, especially those suffering from current economic crises, and adopted a greater role in shaping the future of the City and its environs. Noted also, will be the contributions made by RES members in the struggle to meet the challenges coming out of World War\ II, as well as a hoped-for period of post-war growth and prosperity. These articles will also feature an impressive array of RES activities in support of post-war re-emergence of Rochester area industry.
We welcome your questions and comments on this series.
“The Rochester Engineer” (December 1966) This issue brought to the attention of readers, a meeting of all engineers to hear about proposed changes in NY State Education Law governing the licensing and practice of engineering. Among the more controversial new provisions, misdemeanor-level penalties to be imposed upon engineers who attempt to practice without being Registered. Reducing the licensing examination to two parts, with the second being an optional choice of branch of engineering, and the establishment of precise definitions of work that may be performed by Land Surveyors. Additional RES luncheon topics were announced for January, February and March, including “Holography” by William F. Coombs of Bausch & Lomb, “High Speed Photography” by Fred W. Emens of Wollensak, “Galloping Glaciers” by Prof. Sam G. Collins of RIT, “The Super-8 Movie System” by Evan A. Edwards of Eastman Kodak Co., “Public Transportation in Rochester” by William A. Lang of Rochester Transit Corp. and “Ocean Engineering” by Dr. John Myers of General Dymanics/Electronics. Among the newest RES members to be announced were: Realto E. Cherne, Edward M. Maybeck and John F. Morgan. The sixth in a series of articles on RES Affiliates featured the Genesee Valley Chapter of the American Society of Safety Engineers. Founded in 1951, it sponsored jointly (with Rochester Safety Council and the Industrial Management Council) a triennial Genesee Valley Safety Conference.
January 4, 1967 (Board of Directors Meeting - U of R Faculty Club) The Board approved several new membership applications, among them, Richard E. Rice of RG&E. The Board received word that RIT President, Dr. Mark Ellingson was pleased that the RES had accepted RIT’s offer to lease the Krenzer Barn on its Henrietta Campus, and that the architect’s plans for its renovation should be available for review at the February Board meeting.
“The Rochester Engineer” (January 1967)This issue announced plans for a tour of Eastman Kodak’s Hawk- Eye Works, including a tour and demonstration entitled, “Microfilm Equipment & Techniques as Applied to Engineering.” A six-week course entitled, “Computers and Engineers – Today and Tomorrow,” sponsored by the Rochester Chapter of IEEE, was announced, to be held on Thursday evenings at East High School; students were invited at a reduced rate of $5. The RES announced that the popular, yet intense, eight-week course, “Efficient Reading,” taught by RIT’s Prof. A.B. Herr, would again be offered on Tuesday evenings at the RIT, 50 West Main Street facility. The RES Education Committee announced an upcoming special evening seminar series on the economic factors of engineering management, to be taught by David S. Greenlaw, Assistant Comptroller of Eastman Kodak’s Kodak Park Works.
February 1, 1967 (Board of Directors Meeting - U of R Faculty Club) The Board approved thirteen new membership applications, and it also approved the application of the Monroe Professional Engineers Society to become an Affiliate of the RES. The Budget Committee reported that it appeared that the Society would have a deficit of $8,000 for the coming year due to several factors; low registration for the educational courses, the recent purchase of Engineers’ Week display panels for the exhibit at Midtown Plaza and disappointing profits from The Rochester Engineer. It was recommended that dues be increased, 100 additional Sustaining Members be enrolled, and that additional Participating Companies be secured. The decision was made to pursue additional Sustaining Members and Participating Companies, before any steps would be taken to increase the RES dues. The Engineers Center Committee reported that it was the consensus of the RES Affiliates that an Engineers’ Center would be best if it is run by the RES, rather than a consortium of Affiliates. It was further reported that, from the architect’s plans for renovation of RIT’s “Krenzer Barn” it should be expected that the RES should anticipate an annual operating cost of $35,000 for this completed facility. Toward meeting this challenge, the Committee further recommended that the RES appoint a special committee to organize a campaign to enroll 2,000 new members.
“The Rochester Engineer” (February 1967) This issue announced that Clarence L.A. Wynd, Vice President of Eastman Kodak and General Manager of Kodak Park Works would deliver an address, “An Engineer’s Thoughts on Management Philosophy,” at the 1967 Engineers’ Joint Dinner, at the Chamber of Commerce. Tickets for this event would be $6. It was announced that two Engineers’ Center sub-committees had been formed; one to survey the RIT “Krenzer Barn” for soundness and suitability and a second to gather input from the community’s engineering and technical organizations as to their specific needs for using such a facility. Editor’s note: Constructed by J.T. Wells & Sons in 1908, this unique gothic truss barn has served RIT in recent years as a “Climbing Barn” for the college’s Outdoor Education Program.
Subsequent articles in this series will describe the RES' continuing outreach to other technical societies as it considered its role in this and the larger community, along with more of the activities of the RES as it moved to be of greater service to its membership, especially those suffering from current economic crises, and adopted a greater role in shaping the future of the City and its environs. Noted also, will be the contributions made by RES members in the struggle to meet the challenges coming out of World War II, as well as a hoped-for period of post-war growth and prosperity. These articles will also feature an impressive array of RES activities in support of post-war re-emergence of Rochester area industry.
November 2, 1966 (Board of Directors Meeting - U of R Faculty Club) The Board decided to terminate the practice of offering “ten free Junior Memberships” for Participating Company, by modifying the By-Laws. Instead, it was decided to offer free one-year subscriptions to “The Rochester Engineer” to newcomers to our community, as identified by current RES members. The Board then approved nine new Regular members and three Junior members. The Board was advised that Thomas J. Watson of IBM had recently declined an invitation to address the February 1966 Engineers’ Joint Dinner, as he would be out of the country at that time. Evening tours were announced, including Xerox Information Systems, Kodak – Hawkeye, Bausch & Lomb and Friden. It was also reported that the Engineers’ Center Committee was studying the feasibility of renovating the Krenzer Barn, on the RIT Henrietta property, as a suitable site.
November 21, 1966 (Executive Committee Meeting, Chamber of Commerce) Following extensive discussion, the Executive Committee authorized the expenditure of up to $1,200 for the fabrication of twenty double-sided anodized aluminum & hardboard panels for use as an Engineers’ Week exhibit for the RES and its Affiliates, to be located at Mid-Town Plaza. The RES would then rent each two-panel set to the Affiliates for $40, for the week.
“The Rochester Engineer” (November 1966) RES Luncheon Program topics for the next few months were announced, including: “International Aspects of Systems Engineering”, by D.B Scrivens & J.R. Tompkins of Taylor Instrument Companies, “The Rochester-Monroe County Airport”, by Alexander Gray, Monroe County DPW, “Ocean Engineering”, by Dr. John Myers of General Dynamics/Electronics, “The Development of Micro-Electronics”, by Dr. James Bridges, General Dynamics/Electronics, “The Continuing Role of Man in Air and Space Craft”, by Dr. Robert G. Loewy of the U of R, “Further Progress in Monroe County’s Arterial Highway System”, by Bernard F. Perry, NYS Department of Public Works, “How to Make Engineering Presentations”, by Clay J. Cottrell of General Dynamics/Electronics and “Holography”, by William F. Coombs of Bausch & Lomb. The RES urged a “yes” vote on the upcoming ballot proposition for a $200M bond issue for NYS recreational facilities. The American Society for Metals was announced as the 14th, and newest, RES Affiliate. Its current President was Isadore (Scotty) Caplan of Markin Tubing, Inc. The U of R announced receipt of a grant from the NYS Science & Technology Foundation for expansion of its plasma physics program, Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Science, under the leadership of Dr. Moshe J. Lubin. This month’s RES Affiliate Feature included a brief history of the Rochester Section of the American Society of Lubrication Engineers. Chartered in 1944, the ASLE had become a clearing house for lubrication technology information. The Rochester Section was founded in 1957.
December 7, 1966 (Board of Directors Meeting - U of R Faculty Club) Following the presentation of the financial report, the Board approved a motion to borrow an additional $2,000, to meet current expenses. The Board decided to raise the price of the weekly luncheon meetings to $2.25, to adequately cover the cost of the speaker’s lunch. The Board approved twenty-three new Regular members, among them: Realto E. Cherne, Edward M. Maybeck and William J. Stolze. In a discussion of the RES Evening Seminar Series, it became apparent that the Fall 1966 series had been less than successful. The point was made that, in order to be successful, the RES must offer educational opportunities that are not provided by others. It was then decided to confine future offerings to two courses; Efficient Reading and Engineering Economics. The report of the Engineers’ Center Committee shared an offer from RIT for the leased use of a barn that would be refurbished, along with interim office space, classrooms & use of the faculty club, for the purpose becoming the new home of the RES. Following an impassioned speech by Mr. Beebee, it was decided to accept RIT’s offer and to authorize up to $300 for architectural services to prepare a plan for development of the barn. The RES Publications Committee Chair, Raymond Hasenauer, reported on the issue of an editorial policy, asking if the RES wanted its publication to remain a “bulletin,” or to become a “magazine.” He suggested that evolving “The Rochester Engineer” into a true magazine would be a long-range proposition, one that might require hiring an outside organization to handle its publication, on a contract basis.
Continuing with the historical sampling of the earlier writings on behalf of the Rochester Engineering Society, the years following "The Great War", into and through the “Great Depression”, continued to be a time of reaching out for the maturing Society, both locally and nationally. The meeting minutes describe a series of technical discussions and presentations intended to broaden the technical horizons of the membership (especially the CE's, ME's and EE's). The RES affiliated itself with a number of National technical societies, adopted local Affiliated Societies, frequently held joint meetings with them and continued taking action on a growing list of public matters. Certain issues of standardization, some crucial to public safety, became the responsibility of the RES and its affiliates. In the pervasive economic downturn of the “Great Depression”, the magazine offered classified advertising for unemployed engineers, technicians and draftsmen and took other steps to try to deal with the crisis. Still, it continued its effort to shape the function, purpose and infrastructure of the City of Rochester, and beyond. Soon, war would again affect the Society, taking away many of its leaders while providing opportunities for others to step forward to fill these vacancies. In an effort to provide even greater perspective on the happenings and concerns of the day, a synopsis, featuring selected items from "The Rochester Engineer" has become an integral part of this series. The Second World War and the Korean Conflict are now history. These experiences have changed the face and, no doubt, the future of the community. The Rochester municipal leadership and the industrial community have become immersed in the cold-war, growth economy.
September 7, 1966 (Board of Directors Meeting, University Club) The Board approved applications from the Rochester Chapter of the American Institute of Industrial Engineers and from the Rochester Section of the American Welding Society for Affiliation with the RES. Chair of the Evening Programs Committee, John Wheeler, reported that several plant visits were being arranged for the 1966-67 year. Reporting for the RES Luncheons Committee, Dr. Kirkpatrick announced that all of the RES luncheons, for the balance of 1966, had been scheduled. On behalf of the recently- created Engineers’ Center Committee, Alexander M. Beebee Jr. reported on an overture from RIT for obtaining a barn on the RIT Henrietta property and for the sharing dining room, classroom and parking facilities, and the potential of this for an “RES Engineers’ Center.” He indicated that three sub-committees were at work in surveying interest among local engineering and technical organizations, studying facilities requirements to meet their needs and assessing means of meeting the financial requirements of such a facility.
“The Rochester Engineer” (September 1966)The popular and successful RES Evening Seminar Series, along with the instructors, was announced, including “Matrix Methods for Engineering Analysis” (K.J. Saczalski, RIT), “Efficient Reading” (Dr. A.B. Herr, RIT), “Written Communications for Engineers” (E.L. Francis, General Dynamics/Electronics) and, “Critical Path Planning” (John M. Zabkar, General Dynamics/Electronics). This month’s segment of “Our Affiliates,” a series of articles describing the RES Affiliates, highlighted the Rochester Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers. Established in 1923, and comprising eight counties, the Rochester Section became an Affiliate of the RES in 1926. It was announced that RES Luncheon Series would be resumed on a weekly schedule; now on Wednesdays, to avoid conflicts with several other organizations. The first two programs would include “The Story of Pollution Control,” by William Steinfeldt, 23rd Ward Supervisor and “The Strasenburgh Planetarium,” by Ian McClennan, Director. RES Past-President, Dr. John W. (Jack) Graham, announced that he would be leaving the U of R to become the 11th President of Clarkson College of Technology, effective immediately. Editor’s note: Dr. Graham’s formal inauguration would be scheduled for Clarkson College’s Commencement Weekend, June 2-4, 1967, when he would present, (later-to-become RES Past-President), Lee Loomis with his B.S. in mechanical engineering.
October 5, 1966 (Board of Directors Meeting - U of R Faculty Club) The Board approved an application from the Rochester Chapter for Metals to become an Affiliate of the RES. The Engineers’ Week Committee reported that Walt Disney had declined their invitation to become the keynote speaker at the upcoming, 1967 dinner, so they were now open to suggestions for alternatives. The Board approved an increase to seven cents per issue to Affiliate members, to offset the cost of switching to Third-Class mailing of the magazine. The Budget and Finance Committee reported that it was planning to develop a long-range plan for solving the RES’ financial problems. Meanwhile, the Board granted the Treasurer permission to borrow an additional $2,000 to cover current operating expenses.
“The Rochester Engineer” (October 1966)In additional to previously mentioned programs on Pollution Control and the Planetarium, it was announced that the RES Luncheon Series topics and speakers would include “The Growing Foreign Automobile Industry” (Charles C. Park – Gleason Works), “Cornell Aeronautical Laboratory” (Harold S. Tolley – PR Manager), and, “Design & Engineering Features of the Xerox Tower” (Paul H. Van Wert – Xerox, Corporate Facilities Planning). The two-part October RES evening program was announced as “Electrical Sealed Heaters” and “Prediction of Glass Properties by Computer,” and would include a tour of the Pfaudler Technical Center. This month’s featured RES Affiliate was the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). Established in 1889 as the American Institute of Electrical Engineers, it began as a society and technology dominated by telegraphy engineers. By 1911, the pioneers of wireless telephony, then called “radio,” spun off and formed the separate Institute of Radio Engineers (IRE). Having each grown into technically diverse organizations, often with dual members, in 1962 these two institutes merged to form a single group with multiple foci, the IEEE.
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