Burgard Vocational High School - Craftsman Yearbook (Buffalo, NY)

Page 11 text:

MECHANICS At the present tume Burgard has a large faculty who are well acquannted wnth the fleld of automohve mechanics ln 1955 Mr Doebert left hns posntuon as head of the de partment to orgamze and coordmate the Dnver Trammg Program for the secondary schools of the clty Mr Thomas Chad the dean of the automotnve faculty was ap pomted as the new department chaarman To day Burgard stands on the threshold of Amerlcas largest lndustry as the leadmg school of Its type and wnth the constant de mand of the lndustry for our graduates and the mcreased spnrnt of the student body for proper trammg and school ochvmes Burgard wnll reach the peak of nts long and magmfl cent history XQYQ

Page 10 text:

Burgard Vocational High School s Automobile Depart ment started at Elm Vocational in 1915 Year by year as the department expanded ten annexes were opened Mr Martin Doebert and Mr Mike Steffan were the first teachers in the auto courses Mr Doebert taught electrical repair and Mr Steftan taught engme repair Equipment consisted chiefly of one Pierce Arrow engme Later six mounted engines were obtained for student work At that time all engines were hand started and many a sore wrist was suffered by student and teacher alike. A model T Ford and a Pierce truck chassis were used fo big advantage as the course grew to take in body and chassis work. ln 1926 the first dreams of a new and larger school were discussed. With opening of the new building in 1930 the automobile course of Burgard was en- larged to become one of the most complete in the nation. The new school with its ramps making possible the use of all fioors for actual work on stock automobiles was an innova- tion which few schools could boost. Separate shops for engine tune-up, collision and painting, welding and machine shop practice made the course at Burgard the envy of the educa- tional world.

Page 12 text:

The story of Burgard s Avlatlon Department ns a hlstory of highest qualnty traumng and expert mechanlcal craftsman s up lt was an September of 1928 that the Avaatuon Depart ment had nts humble begmnmg with one mstructor Mr Alvm Lunes The shop equlpment at that tame consisted of an Orlole fuselage wnth a Curtnss OX 5 power plant ln 1929 the Avuatnon Department moved to the attlc of old Elm Vo cahonal and under the dnrectlon of Mr Make Steffan the first Department Chanrman In 1930 the Avlahon Department along with the rest of the school moved to the new buuldmg whnch ns now known as Burgard Vocatlonal Hugh School Here the course was ex panded to Include many new phases of avuatnon work ln 1940 the Defense Tralmng Program was started and the Avuatuon Department was put on a twenty four hour basls lt was also In 1940 that school 3355 was opened as an Avsatlon Annex 8 AVIATICN