John J. Midgley will succeed President Hulbert as the next
president or Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. Dr. Midgley was introduced in
an article in this issue of Echoes, but what of the qualifications of the men
who led Rose since the first inauguration March 7, 1883? How did each of them
get the nod of leadership? What did their résumés reveal?
1. Charles Oliver Thompson. 1884-1885.
Age: 47
Job when hired: Principal, Worcester County Free Institute of
Industrial Science
(now Worcester Polytechnic) and Professor of Chemistry
Education: A.B., A.M., Ph.D., Dartmouth College
Earned doctorate: Yes
Prior jobs: Principal, Peacham Academy
Special Interests: Chemistry, technical education, chemical
industry consultant
2. Thomas Corwin Mendenhall. 1886-1889.
Age: 45
Job when hired: Head, United States Signal Corps and Professor of
Electrical
Engineering
Education: Chiefly self-educated. Attended Southwest Normal
School, Lebanon
OH.
Earned doctorate: No
Prior jobs: Chair of Physics and Mechanics, Ohio Agricultural and
Mechanical
College (now Ohio State); Chair of Physics, Imperial
University of Tokyo;
Director, Ohio State Weather Bureau
Special interest: meteorology and seismology, gravity
3. Henry Turner Eddy. 1891-1894.
Age: 47
Job when hired: Acting President, University of Cincinnati
Education: A.B., Yale University; C.E. & Ph.D., Cornell University
Earned doctorate: Yes
Prior jobs: Chair, Civil Engineering, Cornell; taught at U. of
Tennessee and Princeton
University; Professor of Mathematics, Astronomy and Civil Engineering,
University of Cincinnati
Special interests: physics, reinforced concrete, mathematics
4. Carl Leo Mees. 1895-1919.
Age: 41
Job when hired: Physics Professor, Rose Polytechnic since 1887
Education: M.D., Starling Medical College, Columbus, OH;
post-graduate work
University of Berlin
Earned doctorate: Yes
Prior jobs: Professor of Physics, Male High School, Louisville;
Professor of
Chemistry and Physics, Ohio University; acting president
Rose
Polytechnic, 1890 & 1894-1895
Special interests: chemistry and physics. Served as Rose physician
5. Philip Bell Woodworth. 1921-1923.
Age: 56
Job when hired: War Plans Division, General Staff, U.S. Army.
Education: B.S., Sc.D., Michigan State College (now Michigan State
University);
M.E., Cornell University; post-graduate work University
of Berlin
Earned doctorate: Yes
Prior jobs: Professor of Engineering and Physics, Michigan State;
Dean of
Engineering, Lewis Institute (merged into Illinois
Institute of Technology)
Special interests: member of the Indiana bar and partner in Rummler,
Rummler
& Woodworth law firm
6. Frank Casper Wagner. 1923-1928
Age: 59
Job when hired: Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Rose
Polytechnic
Education: B.S., A.M. University of Michigan
Earned doctorate: No
Prior jobs: Engineer, Thomson-Houston Electric Company; Professor
of
Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan
Special interests: power engineering
7. Donald B. Prentice. 1931-1928.
Age: 43
Job when hired: Dean of Engineering, Lafayette College
Education: Ph.B., & M.E., Sheffield Scientific School, Yale
University; M.A.
Lafayette College
Earned doctorate: No
Prior jobs: Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Yale and Lafayette
Special interests: keeping Rose afloat during Great Depression and
WWII
8. Ford Lee Wilkinson. 1949-1958
Age: 54
Job when hired: Dean, U.S. Naval Post-Graduate School
Education: B.S., U.S. Naval Academy; M.S. Columbia University
Earned doctorate: No
Prior jobs: 10 year active duty naval service, including submarine;
Chief
Engineer, Riley Stoker Corporation; Professor of
Mechanical Engineering,
University of Tennessee; Dean, Speed Scientific School,
University of
Louisville
Special interests: improving campus – BSB Residence Hall, Student
Center,
Shook Field House
9. Ralph Alexander Morgen. 1959-1961
Age: 56
Job when hired: Director of Research and Professor of Chemical
Engineering,
Purdue University
Education: B.S., Ph.D., U.C. – Berkeley
Earned doctorate: Yes
Prior jobs: Professor of Chemical Engineering, University of
Florida; Program
Director—Engineering, National Science Foundation
Special interests: importance of research in effective engineering
instruction
10. John Alexander Logan, 1962-1976
Age: 54
Job when hired: Chair and Professor of Civil Engineering,
Northwestern
University
Education: B.Sc., B.S.C.E., University of Saskatchewan; M.Sc.,
D.Sc. Harvard
University
Earned doctorate: Yes
Prior jobs: Professor, Iowa State College and University of
Missouri; staff
member, International Health Division, Rockefeller
Foundation;
consultant, World Health Organization
Special interests: public health, environmental engineering, city
planning
11. Samuel Foster Hulbert, 1976-2004
Age: 40
Job when hired: Dean and Professor of Bioengineering, School of
Engineering,
Tulane University
Education: B.S., Ph.D., Alfred University
Earned doctorate: Yes
Prior jobs: Professor of Ceramic and Bioengineering, Clemson
University
Special interests: biomedical implants, athletics
In all, Rose has vested its leadership in an eclectic mix
of academic talent, on the average just shy of the 50th birthday.
While engineering dominates; a surprising number came from the pure sciences.
Only two left because of campus and board dissatisfaction – Woodward and Morgen.
The others proved to be solid choices and each strengthened the school’s
academic reputation and, as possible, made improvements to the campus buildings
and infrastructure. Each brought a vision for Rose. May the vision continue.
Note: A number of Rose professors served as acting
president when through death or resignation the office became vacant. One,
Clarence Waldo, professor of mathematics and librarian, was called upon twice
with the death of Dr. Thompson and later the resignation of Dr. Mendenhall.
Evidently he did not like the responsibility and resigned to teach at DePauw and
served for many years as head of the Purdue Mathematics Department. More
recently Dr. Herman Moench filled the vacancy 1958-1959 with the death of Dr.
Wilkinson and in 1961-1962 with the resignation of Dr. Morgen.
