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RES History - September - October 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.
As part of his Treasurer’s report, Howard Jaquith expressed concern for the growing deficit due to The Rochester Engineer. He proposed reducing some of the mailing expenses of the magazine, and he announced that he would present a proposal, with alternatives, for managing the Kate Gleason Fund, at the next Board meeting. The Board approved seventeen new applications for Regular Membership, along with one Junior Membership and one Student Membership. RES Director, Ludwig Boehringer, announced that beginning with this meeting he would be bringing a senior officer of an RES Affiliate, as a guest, to each RES Board meeting. Lee Loomis, Chair of the Engineers' Week Committee, announced that he had begun searching for a Principal Speaker for the February 1976 dinner. RES Director, John Robertson, introduced Earl Svendsen as the new Chair of the RES Luncheon Committee, and announced that a return to a two meetings per month format was underway. Luncheon speakers for the next three luncheons included Monroe County Director of Planning, Don Martin, WHEC Meteorologist, John Hambleton, and gliding and soaring expert, Edgar Seymour. The Board approved the expenditure of $213 for advertising the RES “Technical Skills Bank” in Andrew Wolfe’s two newspapers, City East and City West.
by Edgar S. Farrar, a community activist, was a six-page critique on the current protocol, and reasoning, for NY State utilities (not just RG&E) to seek and justify electric rate increases. Mr. Farrar contended that the organization of which he was a member (GVPPC) had been recently established (in 1974) to address concerns for, “energy conservation, affordable utility rates, equitable rate structures, responsive elected officials and regulatory agencies, safe and clean alternative energy sources, and community control of utility services.” Along with strong criticism of utility profit motivation, growth rate projections and electric rate structure, this article offered recommendations for remedies to current rate structure that would encourage and incentivize customers to alter their usage of electricity to times of lower demand and also to reduce their consumption of electric energy. Further, Mr. Farrar offered suggestions for more efficient use of energy, such that excess thermal energy, generated in the production of electricity, be put to subsequent use in the heating of nearby commercial and residential buildings. (Editor’s note: The topic and tone of this article, and its subsequent re-publication in other media, would raise concerns with the RES Board of Directors.) The National Institute for the Deaf (NTID) was originally legislated into existence in 1965, and the next year, Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) was selected as its sponsoring institution. Students began arriving in 1968, and NTID graduated it first class in 1971. This issue of The Rochester Engineer featured a first-time advertisement, by NTID, for faculty positions in engineering technologies and pre-professional programs in engineering and computer science. Reprinted with permission from Science Magazine, this issue featured an interview with Dr. Dixy Lee Ray, former Chair of the US Atomic Energy Commission, as she resigned from her recently-appointed position as Asst. Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, after only six months under Secretary of State, Dr. Henry Kissinger. Dr. Ray shared that, despite having been told by President Ford that she would become, “the principal voice and forum of sciencerelated matters”, new funds and staff had been regularly denied, and Dr. Kissinger’s staff seemed to only want her concurrence with their views on res news - history science and international policy. Editor’s note: In 1977, Dr. Ray became the first woman Governor of the State of Washington.
In a letter dated 10/01/75, RES Treasurer, Howard R. Jaquith, detailed his recommendations for improving the management of the RES Investment Account, the Kate Gleason Fund, including the employment of the professional services of a local bank. At this juncture, the value of the Fund was approximately $315,000. The Board approved the proposed budget, with the treasurer’s recommendations, and appointed James Clark, Mark Sluis and John Schickler as overseers of this process. The Board extended RES Honorary Membership to the presidents/chairmen of all RES Affiliates (32) and also approved applications for two Regular Members. The Board decided to send an official letter of protest to the Genesee Valley People’s Power Coalition regarding the use(s) to which the GVPPC was putting Edgar Farrar’s article in the September 1975 issue of The Rochester Engineer. A similar letter was sent to the Rochester Times-Union and the Democrat and Chronicle. Steps were proposed to the Board to establish copyright of the RES magazine articles and the front cover, going forward.
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.
