7 minute read
RES History - April - May 1975
A Sampling from the Archives of the Rochester Engineering Society. 1897 - 1975 by Lee M. Loomis
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, 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. 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, the Korean Conflict, and the Vietnam War are now history. These experiences have changed the face of and will, no doubt, influence the future of the community. The Rochester municipal leadership and the industrial community have become immersed in the cold-war, growth economy.
In an article from the National Observer (March 29, 1975, re-printed by permission), entitled, “Natural Resources…A City Discovers Expert Close to Home”, author Daniel Henninger describes Rochester, Monroe County and the RES’ on-going effort, beginning with Operation RESOURCE, to offer technical support to meeting the needs of the Communities in/ around Monroe County. The article concludes with a quote from RES President, Dr. Richard A. Kenyon, “Politics has been our excuse for not doing this sort of thing, in the past. We’d be making a bigger mistake, though, if we didn’t do it, now.” This issue introduces the concept of the RES Technical Skills Bank and provides a questionnaire wherein interested RES Members, and others, are invited to list their professional and technical qualifications and interest areas, including Building Resources, Land Use Planning Environment, Energy Conservation, Consumer Affairs, Government Services, Public Utilities, and Community Services. Recognizing the current impact of the on-going Arab oil embargo, this issue features an article, “The Nuclear Alternative”, by Richard D. Kelley, Manager Special Projects, RG&E. In this article, Mr. Kelley provides an overview and projection for the next 10 – 20 years, beginning with the oil embargo, projected growth in US energy needs, recent (Winter 1974) natural gas supply curtailments, and the new Federal program called, “Project Independence”. Recognizing that developments in alternate energy technologies, especially solar and wind, cannot offer significant energy resource relief in the immediate future, Mr. Kelley describes the benefits of continued development and application of nuclear power to meeting the nation’s energy needs. He concluded his article by saying, “RG&E totally endorses the national effort to explore and utilize ALL our energy resources. I am confident that today’s research will ensure a healthy energy supply for the 21st Century, but engineers are well aware that, while we seek these new technologies for tomorrow, we must use existing technologies for today.” In a departure from traditional RES magazine articles on current and developing technologies, this issue provided part one of a two-part series, ”The Survival of the Bark Canoe”, by John McPhee (1975 New Yorker magazine, re-printed by permission). It narrates the considerable experiences of Henri Vaillancourt, a Maine woodsman who, in the 1960’s, at age 24, had already built 33 birch-bark canoes. It goes into extensive detail on the arduous process by which Vaillancourt cut, split, hewed and constructed his canoes. The article goes on to describe the numerous designs and shapes of native American canoes, along with step-by-step details of construction of birch-bark canoes. It also describes a camping trip taken by the author, led by Vaillancourt, and provides extended detail of what can only be called a total “roughing-it” experience, in the wilderness of Maine. Editor’s note: The “uniqueness” of this article became a topic of discussion, comment, and concern for the RES Board (see following BoD minutes). Finally, this issue announced a “Request for Applications” for the newly-established position of Monroe County Director of Pure Waters, to report directly to the County’s Director of Public Works. The RES had established a committee of qualified, experienced volunteers to advise the County on their selection of a candidate for this position.
May 21, 1975 (Board Meeting, Chamber of Commerce)
The Budget Committee reported that it anticipated an $18k year-end budget deficit for 1974-75, due primarily to the continued increasing costs for publishing The Rochester Engineer. 1st VP, John Schickler, said that he and the RES Publications Committee had recently been examining the financial status of the magazine, and were ready to recommend an increase in its res news - history price, to RES Affiliates and Members. Mr. Schickler said he estimated current (1975) cost for producing the magazine was $.50/issue, and that a proposal for a price increase would be made at the June Board meeting. Several comments were made in opposition to a price increase for the magazine, including complaints about its “lack of relevance” to certain groups of engineers. Edwin Stevens, Editor, explained why he put certain items into the magazine. He commented specifically on the birch-bark canoe article (May 1975 issue), saying that it showed how a young man still cared enough to construct beautiful and durable canoes out of natural materials. Dr. Richard A. Kenyon expressed pleasure that people were interested enough to discuss the magazine and said that he hoped such discussions would continue and be constructive. Two applications, for a Junior and an Associate Membership were approved, raising a question of why a non-engineer would be allowed to become an Associate Member, as stated, only for the purpose of joining the Society’s Blue Cross-Blue Shield medical insurance plan. It was pointed out that several non-engineers had already joined the RES. It was agreed that membership requirements would be reviewed, toward addressing this issue. Editor’s note: Continuing in that spirit, a motion was then approved to discontinue the annual giving of a “free” luncheon ticket to each RES Member. 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 continuing prosperity of the second-half of the 20th Century.
We welcome your questions and comments on this series.
