Rochester History 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. World War, again affected 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, and the Vietnam War has recently become a focal point. 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” (March 1973)
The March 14th RES luncheon meeting featured a presentation “What It Took to Win ‘Le Mouse 5000’ " by Dr. William Kinsman of Monroe Community College. He had recently won the annual competition at the 1972 Design Engineering Show for distance traveled by an MPV (mousetrap-powered-vehicle). These are vehicles of various designs and sizes, powered only by the spring mechanism of a Victor - Four-Way Mousetrap. Editor’s note: I remember attending this event, at which Dr. Kinsman demonstrated the operation of his championship vehicle, in the second-floor, long hallway at the Chamber of Commerce, as it traveled over 200’ to the amazement of the audience. An additional March luncheon presentation, “Engineering in Stamps”, by Gordon C. Morison, a former Rochester newspaperman and Stromberg-Carlson Public Relations Manager, now the Director of the Office of Philatelic Affairs at the US Postal Service, described how postage stamps have honored engineers and the engineering profession.
April 4, 1973 (Board Meeting, Chamber of Commerce)
The Board approved applications for two Regular Members, one Associate Member and two Student Members. A report from the RES representatives to the Rochester Council of Scientific Societies (RCSS) included a request for continued funding from the RES. Programs of continued career guidance and support to local schools were also described, and the Board indicated a willingness to provide future support, once these programs became active. RES Director John Schickler announced that the final RES luncheon for this year would be held at the Strasenburgh Planetarium, and that the RES would be participating in a two-day career guidance conference at St. John Fisher College. RES President Ed Anthony reported that the Monroe County Public Works Commissioner had requested that the Society review a proposed County ordinance on drainage. It was announced RES Publications Committee chair, Milton Gross, would be presenting a paper at the ASME Design Engineering Conference, in Philadelphia, on
4 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER JANUARY 2021
A Sampling from the Archives of the Rochester Engineering Society...1897 - 1973 by Lee M. Loomis Operation RESOURCE.
“The Rochester Engineer” (April 1973)
It was announced that, likely as the result of a recent comprehensive report by the Monroe Professional Engineers Society (MPES) on the strict fire codes and requirements for storage and handling of fuel oil (grades #2, #4, and #6) published in the Democrat & Chronicle, the County had abandoned plans for constructing a storage tank farm at the Port of Charlotte. The 1972-73 RES luncheon series concluded with, “a spectacular star show “Space Puzzles”, a technical description and explanation of the world’s only computerized planetarium, and a tasty box lunch.” Presented by John Paris, Technical Director of the Science Center, it featured a discussion of eight unanswered questions about the universe, among them, “Planet X, where are you?” and “Why do galaxies have arms?”, followed by a description of the unique devices, optical elements and computerized controls, by which this very unusual show was produced. Editor’s note: Mr. Paris was widely acknowledged as one of the outstanding planetarium experts in the world, and many of the special effects at the Strasenburgh Planetarium, as well as the equipment for producing them, were designed by him. An article in this issue by Joseph W. Barnes, Assistant City Historian, described the origin of Rochester’s Pure Waters Program, 1904-17. It described sewage protocols of the late nineteenth Century wherein the City’s sewage, from both sides of the Genesee River, were deliberately discharged into the river, through openings in the rockface of the gorge walls. It also discussed Mayor James G. Cutler’s commissioning eminent sanitary engineer, Emil Kuichling, in 1904, to develop recommendations for relief of this problem, and the ensuing years-long opposition to this plan, in favor of one which would instead irrigate regional farmland with the effluent. It wasn’t until 1910 that the NY State Commissioner of Health would enter the controversy and hold public hearings that would result in the adoption of the “Kuichling Plan” which would ultimately remove about 95% of the organic solids from Rochester’s sewage. As per the RES By-Laws, this month’s issue presented a slate of officers for the coming year, 1973-74, including President - Mark H. Sluis, General Railway Signal Corporation, First VP - John F. Schickler, Rochester Products Division of General Motors, Second VP - Dr. Richard A. Kenyon, RIT, Secretary - M. John (Jack) Corson, RG&E, Treasurer Howard R. Jacquith, Taylor Instrument Companies, Director – Ludwig C. (Lou) Boehringer, Jr., Eastman Kodak Company, Director – John M. Robertson, Rochester Telephone Corporation. 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 and the Korean Conflict, 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, and the ensuing prosperity of the second-half of the 20th Century. We welcome your questions and comments on this series.
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