1865-1914 – WPI 150 Years

Graduate Degrees

egallagher — Mon, 05 Jan 2015 19:40:59 +0000

The Board of Trustees approves the awarding of graduate degrees, including the master of science and the doctor of science. The first master’s degrees are awarded that year; the first doctorate isn’t awarded until 1904. In 1958 the trustees agree that WPI’s highest degree should be designated the Doctor of Philosophy. WPI’s first PhD is awarded at Commencement in 1960.

WPI Journal

egallagher — Mon, 05 Jan 2015 19:39:06 +0000

The WPI Journal premieres. Early issues carry long, technical stories about the innovative work of alumni and faculty, along with news about the Institute and alumni notes. After being published for 109 years, the name is changed to Transformations. The magazine reverts to its original name in 2012. It is one of the oldest alumni magazines in the nation.

Gas-Powered

egallagher — Mon, 05 Jan 2015 19:37:05 +0000

Elwood Haynes, Class of 1881, drives his “horseless carriage” outside of Kokomo, Ind. One of the first gasoline-powered automobiles built in the U.S., and the oldest American-made vehicle still in existence, the car is in the Smithsonian Institution. A monument in Kokomo commemorates the town as “the birthplace of a new era of transportation.”

1st Fraternity

egallagher — Mon, 05 Jan 2015 19:34:55 +0000

The Pi Iota Chapter of Phi Gamma Delta is established as WPI’s first fraternity with eight charter members. The original chapter house is located at 7 Highland Street, where the old Worcester County Court House now stands. In 1899, construction begins on the fraternity’s current house, at 99 Salisbury Street.

Kimball’s Seal

egallagher — Mon, 05 Jan 2015 19:32:48 +0000

WPI’s official seal is adopted. Alonzo Kimball, head of the Physics Department, creates the design. The open books and an arm and hammer represent theory and practice, respectively. At the base is the coat of arms of Worcester. Professor Kimball proposes an interesting interpretation for “Lehr und Kunst,” the school’s motto, as “Learning and Skilled Art.”

Magnetic Lab

egallagher — Mon, 05 Jan 2015 19:30:32 +0000

The Magnetic Lab is constructed without any metal to permit studies in electromagnetism, until a trolley line is laid along Boynton St. The building has housed a large transformer used for research in electrical engineering; the student newspaper, Tech News; and the rocketry lab of Robert Goddard. Since 1921, it has been the home of Skull, the senior honorary society.

The WPI

egallagher — Mon, 05 Jan 2015 19:27:26 +0000

The first edition of The WTI, the first student newspaper published at WPI, rolls off the presses. Though the administration considers it frivolous, the paper, renamed The WPI in 1887, continues to be published until it runs out of funds in 1896.

Gompei Kuwada

kjhudgins — Wed, 05 Nov 2014 19:21:32 +0000

One of its first international students, Japanese-born Gompei Kuwada is an accomplished academic and athlete at WPI. He good-naturedly accepts the job of goat keeper for the school’s mascot. When he returns to Japan, Kuwada is in charge mechanical engineering operation of the Osaka Gas Company. The school mascot is still affectionately called Gompei in his honor.

Salisbury’s Legacy

kjhudgins — Mon, 03 Nov 2014 16:40:29 +0000

Stephen Salisbury III funds the construction of Salisbury Laboratories, in memory of his father who donated most of the land that WPI occupies today. Salisbury Labs provides space for mechanical engineering, chemistry, and physics. American innovation is flourishing, and deeply influences the imagination and ambitions of the newly renamed Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

Alumni Pride

kjhudgins — Mon, 03 Nov 2014 16:39:00 +0000

The students of the first graduating class apply what they’ve learned to help reverse the impact of the Civil War on the local economy. Demonstrating the pride of WPI alumni to come, they found the Alumni Association in 1873. One of its first influences is making sure that future classes receive degrees at graduation. The Association also creates a student loan fund.