The University of Chicago Laboratory Schools

Engineering Club, 1916-1922

Descriptions of the meetings of U-High Engineering Club.

Engineering Club Scrapbook 1916-22

First meeting reported in newspaper clipping 10/11/16

Divided Club into three sections: chemical, aviation and electro-mechanical section, each to give a program every six weeks. Trip comm to have two members from each section, the pres to cast vote in case of tie. Tickets for outsiders? Report of trip to Naval Training station comments that the trip was well attended considering the alternative of the football game, The only disappointment was that the two girl members did not show up.

Other trip to motor company, pullman company, bottle works (12 plus advisor went on this trip). Talks on boomerangs, gyroscopes, balloons, astronomy - sun, moon, seasons, stars, distances between. In 1917 had talks on producing high temperatures, liquid air, oils.

First meeting of 1917-18 year includes a talk by Mr. Kappius who was advisor two seasons ago and told of how successful it was, recommending that the members themselves should give talks on subjects that interested them. VP Weil mentioned a talk by Vacin on "Electrical Discharge in Gases as an instance of this two years ago. Mr. Pieper felt outside lecturers knew their subjects better than members and that the member preparing the talk received more benefit than the ones listening. He said meetings will probably alternate talks with trips and thaat talks will probably alternate between members and outsiders. Although the club voted to rename itself Engineering Club last year, the trips will be broader and more along science lines. Undated report cites 12 members as interested in trip to Harvester Works. Talk on mathematical tricks. Undated report of third meeting cites presence of a few girls. This years' first girl members voted in, Misses Marks and Stahl.

Trips and Meetings

Oct 10, 1919

1st meeting Chouteau Stahl eleccted VP Subject: X-Rays, Speaker: General Discussion.

1st Trip Oct 18, 1919 - Sears-Roebuck and Company.

2nd meeting Oct 24, '19 Constitution adopted. Subject: Explosives, Speaker: Chouteau Stahl.

2nd trip Nov 1, '19 Armour and Company.

3rd meeting Nov 14, '19 Subject: artillery, Speaker: Major Lewis,

4th meeting Dec 5 '19 Subject: Coal, Speaker: Mr. V.C. Lohr.

5th meeting Dec 19, '19 Discussion of ways to improve the club.

3rd trip Jan 10, 1920 Aeronautical Show.

6th meeting Jan 16, '20 Subject High Temperatures, Speaker: Mr. C.J. PIEPER,

4th Trip Jan 24, 1920 Master Truck Company, Feb 13, 1920 "Radio", Speaker: Mr. Kannenstine.

5th Trip Feb 21, 1920 Western Electric Company. 8th meeting Feb 27, 1920 "Eyes of the Army", Speaker: Mr Wm Spurgin.

9th meeting March 12, 1920 "Electrical Conductivity in Gases", Mr. Otto Koppius.

10th meeting March 19, 1920 Club Business Discussed.

6th trip April 3, 1920 Pullman Car Works. 11th meeting April 9, '20 Practice for Liquid Air Demonstration.

7th trip April 17, '20 Illinois Steel Works. Assembly April 19, '20 Liquid Air Demonstration, Parents' Assn April 20, '20 Liquid Air Demonstration.

12th meeting May 7 1920 Aeroplane Expedition.

13th meeting May 14. '20. Election of officers (to have been in school one year and in club one semester.) Three committees: Program, Trip and Publicity. Rm 213

Trips 1920-21

Elgin Motor Co. Works Oct 23 '20 8 members present.

Oct 30 '20 Ford Motor Co. 6 members present. Clipping from end of previous year shows that getting girls in the club is desired but somewhat futile.

Minutes of first meeting show Rm 113 setting for first meeting Friday, Oct 8. Harold Lanski and Russel Mooney. Proposed and adopted that the Engineering Club take over the "U-High Scientist".

3rd meeting on Wednesdaay, Oct 27 1920 at 3:45 PM, sixteen present. Meeting adjourned at 5:10 after short talk by Mr. Lohr.

5th meeting, Nov 17 1920 27 people present. 7 new members including 2 girls voted in. Suggested that club publish a mimeograph paper to supplement talks.

6th meeting Dec 1, 1920 Pres gave his recommendations for a new constitution, discussed the old constitution and voted on the articles one by one, then took up new one one by one.

Meeting Dec 8 new constitution accepted, 8 committeemen elected. Harold Lanski gave a talk on "Phenomena in the Movies". 8th Meeting Wed Jan 19, 1921Joseph Strauss voted into club. Voted to reimburs e Warren Gorrell $4.00 for printing outfit. Pres Connor spoke on "the Elements of Electricity."

9th meeting We Feb 9 1921 Louise Klein, William Witten and Robert Faris voted into club. Russel Mooney spoke on "Telegraphy". Ernest Kahn spoke on "The Telephone".

10th meeting Wed Feb 23, 1921. Robert Hutchinson spoke on "Wireless". 11 meeting Wed March 9, 1921 Robert Harding voted into the club. Prof Gale spoke on "Wave Motion".

12 meeting Wed March 30, 1921 Robert Lyon voted into the club. Thanked Richard Klein for his successful management of the Sears-Roebuck trip. Warren Gorrell spoke on "Telescopes"

13th meeting Wed April 13 votted one new member in. Miss Pottle spoke on "Colors".

14th meeting Wed April 27, 1921 Discussed Engineering Club "News" voted 7 to 5 to discontinue the paper and to reimburse publishers for money already expended.

15 meeting Wed May 18, 1921 Held in Clay room rather than Physics Lab. Meeting turned over to Mr. Whitford who spoke on "Ceramics"

16th meeting Wed May 25, 1921 Last of year 14 of clubs 15 active members present. Paul Nitze nominated for president but withdrew. After electing officers withdrew to the Boys' Club where ice cream and cake were served.

1921-22 1st meeting Room 113 New Wireless plan explained to the Club by one of the members. Nitze, Hutchinesoon, Klein, Ash, Mooney and Kahn are members of the wireless comm, remain so. Trip and Program committees united having 5 members. Members of publicity comm to be elected by club and they elect their chairman. 10 new members .

5th meeting of club moved to impeach the members of the committees, modified to ask chairen of each committee to give a report on the work of the members of committees. Mr. {iep[er spoke on "Petroleum Products".

The 6th meeting, DeCosta, chr of trip comm (members Rosenthal, Hirtenstein, H, Kahn and Chadwick)reported on his committee and Rosenthal was impeached. Mr. Bailey talked on "The Work of a Mechanical Engineer in a Steel Plant".

7th meeting John Laurie, chr of publicity comm will leave school, Hutchinson elected to fill his place. Several members gave talks illustrated by experiments.

8th meeting DeCosta moved the club be conducted in an orderly manner, referring to the roughouse occurring after the adjournment of the last meeting, the motion carried. Levy moved constitution be amended so a member can be impeached by a vote of 3/4th members present. Carried unanimously. Mr. Kennicott gave a talk on the "purification of Water".

9th meeting Pres announced about booths at Mandel Hall which Engineering Club might take over. Ash and Hutchinson would represent the club in talk on wireless at the next parents- teachers meeting at Ida Noyes Hall. Mr. Busch talked on "Westinghouse Electrical Company".

10th meeting Hirstenstein talked on "Copper Plating from the Electron Theory".

12th meeting Mr. Frank spoke on "Biology".

1922-23 First meeting, Mr. Pieper announced that a radio set would be secured for the club and the science classes consisting of a simple crystal set, a vaum tube set and two step amplified. Mr Pieper gave a tolk on the elementary principles of radio.

2nd meeting Nov 22, 1922

Mr Lohr announced that the members should not handle articles belonging to the physics classes, to watch restlessness and inattention during talks, and spoke of proper procedure in handling club business. Mr. DeLay of Commonwealth Edison then gave a very interesting talk on radio, explaining different types of sets.

3rd meeting Voted that Robert Harding should appoint two assistants to aid him in writing the U-High Scientist. Mr. Woods of Illinois Radio Club gave a talk on Eliminating Interferences.

4th meeting Voted that a "Question Box" be used to give members a chance to get information on Radio. radio contest to close on Jan 25. Charles Barrett spoke on crystal sets, thier hook-ups and cost. Jack Kuhns spoke on bulb sets and hookups. Robert Harding talked about transmitting sets.

6th meeting had announcement of winner of Radio Contest - Dorothy Philibert. Mr. Gorsline continued the speech he began in assembly on the slide rule.

7th meeting Ta talk on advertising was given by Mr. Jackson the advertising manager of Walgreen Drug Company. Held in conjection with Sketch Club.

OFFICERS

1914- Jack Guerrin, 1915- Dennison Hull, Ira Mathiesson VP , Allison James

1916- Ernest Zeisler, Robert Felsenthal VP , Edw Weil secy treas

1917 - Robert Felsenthal, Alexander Findlay VP, Edward Ash secy treas

1918 - Harold Powell, Alan Johnston VP, Edw Ash secy treas

1919 - Clark Millikan, Maurice Coke, Harold Leightton secy tr

1920 - William Rosenwald, Chautear Stahl VP, George Shambaugh

1921 - Ronnor Connor, Warren Gorrell VP, Benjamin Washer secy tr

1922 Richard Klein, Ernest Kahn VP, Robert Levy secy tr

1923 Buel McNeil, Howard Kahn VP, Erle Baker.

Loose page meeting called to order by Pres Smith in Rm 142. A talk given by Mr. Woellner on the purpose of the club and the benefits derived from it. All hte new members present were voted into the club by the old members. The secy read the clubs constitution and the following changes were made1. The VP is chairman of the publicity committee, chr program comm apptd by pres. 3 comm chosen by chairman, approved by club.

Source: from notes taken by Alice Karl, the Lab School Archivist from 1990-1997.