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 several 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, focus 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. 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” (November 1973)
RES Luncheon programs for November were announced, including: “What Happened at the polls?” by Howard Hosmer, WHEC TV News Director, “Electronic Switching Systems” by J. Gordon Pierce, Director of Advanced Development at Stromberg Carlson, and “Pollution Control for the Finger Lakes” by Evan Edwards, President, Canandaigua Lake Pure Waters & RES 1972 “Engineer of the Year”. The University of Rochester announced a symposium on “Energy Outlook for the Future”, featuring Dr. Paul McEvoy of MIT, Dr. Alden Meinel of University of Arizona and Samuel Schwartz of Continental Oil Company.
December 5, 1973 (Board Meeting, University Club) The Board approved four new Regular Membership applications, one Associate Membership and one Junior Membership. American Society for Quality Control representative, James L. King announced that their Spring conference would include apresentation on the recently released RES film on recycling, “Things Worth Saving”. RES Director John Robertson reported that the RES recycling film had been shown five times in the Brockport Central School District and that it had been scheduled to be shown at the January 1974 meeting of the Monroe County Environmental Management Council.
“The Rochester Engineer” (December 1973)
In response to the current energy crisis, this issue of the magazine presented the Society’s statement on Energy Conservation and Thermal Pollution, encouraging the practice of all techniques for conservation of energy, as well as the development of alternative, non-thermal sources of energy. The December RES luncheon presentation was announced as “Early Engineering Achievements in Rochester” by Joseph W. Barnes, City of Rochester Historian. It would feature a discussion of the ill-fated, nineteenth Century Carthage suspension bridge.
January 9, 1974 (Board Meeting, University Club)
The Board approved two Regular Membership applications and one Junior Membership application. The Board received a request from the American Society of Chemical Engineers res news - history
A Sampling from the Archives of the Rochester Engineering Society...1897 - 1974 by Lee M. Loomis
for RES support for a Spring 1974 symposium on energy. RES Director Myron Trybus agreed to meet with representatives of the Rochester Chapter of AIChE to discuss details of their plans for this event, prior to RES Board approval. RES Director, M. John Corson, offered to assist Dr. Trybus in this effort. It was reported that the application for funding of a Summer 1974 Transportation Study Conference has been denied; a written report would be presented to the Board at the March 1974 meeting. RES Director John Schickler proposed changing the title “Executive Secretary” of the RES to “Executive Director”. The Board approved, pointing out that under the current By-Laws, this action must be authorized by the RES Membership at the next annual meeting. Norm Howden reported that the Awards Committee had unanimously elected Alexander M. Beebe, Jr. as “RES 1973 Engineer of the Year”. John Robertson reported that St. John Fisher College had once again invited the RES to participate in a two-day Science Teachers Seminar at the College. James Sterlace agreed to assist John at this event. John Schickler announced that George Landberg had agreed to become Chair of the RES Long-Range Planning Committee, replacing Raymond Hasenauer. Upon receiving notice that Norm Howden is planning to retire from the position of Executive Secretary, the Board authorized the Executive Committee to interview candidates for the new position of RES Executive Director. Mr. Howden was then excused from the meeting, and the Board accepted and approved a proposal for an increase in pension benefits for Mr. Howden, upon his retirement.
“The Rochester Engineer” (January 1974)
The RES Luncheon series for January was announced as: “Transportation and Today’s Problems” by Bernard F. Perry, PE Regional Director, NYS Department of Transportation, and “Dial-A-Bus – Where is it Going?”, by Robert P. Aex, Executive Director of the Rochester Genesee Regional Transportation Authority. RIT announced that its program, bringing graduate courses in engineering into industry had enjoyed great success, since its inception in 1971. Dr. Richard A. Kenyon, Dean of the RIT College of Engineering said that more than 260 students were now enrolled, at seven different Rochester area industries, including Kodak, Xerox, Stromberg-Carlson, General Railway Signal, Gleason Works, Rochester Telephone Corporation and Sylvania Electric. Demand for this on-site educational program was expected to level out at 10 to 12 companies, and eventually include 1000 students. The RES announced two new evening seminars for February 1974, including “Environmental Impact” by Dr. Herman Forest of SUNY Geneseo and “Appraisal of Professional Performance” by the NY School of Industrial and Labor Relations, at Cornell University. 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.
JUNE 2021 The ROCHESTER ENGINEER | 5
