Stevens Institute of Technology - Link Yearbook (Hoboken, NJ)

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941

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Franklin DeRonde Furman, M.E. X, 4 R RANKLIN DDR PURMAN was born August 30 1870, in Ridgely Caroline County ' - l ' ' ' 4 - ' ' 1 0' 1 1 ' 1 Md. His ancestors were among the early settlers of the southeastern part of New .sg 0 York State, coming from France and Holland. While he was still very young his family . f , moved to Monsey, Rockland County, N. Y., and from there to Jersey City, N. J. His early education was obtained in the schools of Monsey and Jersey City, I Q I 3 and for three years he attended the Hasbrouck Institute of the latter city. After his graduation from here he obtained valuable experience in ofhee and factory work in New York City, and in 1889 entered Stevens Institute, from which he was graduated in 1893 with the degree of Mechanical Engineer. During his four years there he had been very prominent in college activities, being in his Freshman year, one of the organizers of the Stevens Life,' in his Junior, president of his class, and also served on the IviINK'BOLL1'Cl, and at the commencement exercises of his class, delivered the valedictory address. While a student he had assisted in the Drawing Department and after graduating returned as an Assistant in the same. He also aided the work in Surveying, a part of the course of the Department of Mathematics, and had charge of the Mechanical Drawing in the Stevens School. While there he developed an elementary course in drawing which has since been used in a number of High Schools. In 1897, in connection with his other work, he took the position of managing editor of the Stevens Institute Indicator, and brought it up to its highest state of eflicieney. In 1899 he received the appoint- ment as Assistant to Professor MacCord in the work of the upper classes. The next year he was relieved of the work in the lower classes and in Stevens School, leaving him more time in which to develop his new work. In 1902 his rank was changed from Assistant Professor of Mechanical Drawing to Associate Professor of Mechanical Drawing and Designing. In 1904 he received his full professorship. It would be well to lay special stress upon the work which Prof. Furman has done along the lines of Institute publications and the preparation of instruction notes for the students. He was for three years business manager of the Stevens Life, and in the same capacity for the LINK of 1892 made a financial success of it, quite a record for that annual. In accepting the office of managing editor of the Stevens Indicator in 1897 he had a hard proposition to meet. The publication had an accumulated debt of 351,600 When he turned it over to his successor in 1902 it had a surplus of over 31,500, and had really earned in five years more than 84,600 The Alumni Association, recognizing what he had done for the Indicator increased the remuneration of the editor to include one-half the net profits in addition to the flat salary of 35200 per year which had previously been paid. Not the least satisfaction that Prof. Furman feels in connection with this work is the fact that during his entire administration of five years each edition appeared on time. In 1900 he arranged and introduced a system of notes directing the students of the upper classes in their work in the draughting-rooms. Later the work of instruction in Valves, Valve Diagrams, and 8

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Valve Gears was transferred to him. None of the text books on this subject being suitable to the course, he prepared an entirely new and extensive set of notes for the class-room, treating the subject along original lines. He also largely revised the draughting-room notes on this subject. In 1902-3 he made several changes in the course in the draughting-room so as to get more proficiency in the reading of working drawings by the use of blue prints from prominent manufacturers. In the same year he issued notes for a complete engine design, and in the next year introduced notes on the principles involved in the calculations for columns, girders, beams, etc., and general directions for the laying out of founda- tions, and superstructures for buildings, towers, bridges, etc. In the preparation of all these notes he gave special attention to the proportioning of the mechanical parts for strength, the kinematics of mechanism having been treated by Prof. MacCord in his text books. Subsequently the class room study of the general designing of machine parts was transferred, and introduced into the Department of Mechanical Drawing and Designing by Prof. Furman. He has also made a tabulated review of his observations in regard to the methods pursued and practices followed in the shops and draughting- rooms of prominent manufacturers in this country. He visited Europe during the summer of 1902. In 1900, upon the urgent request of President Morton, he took over the work, which so far had been done on the Twenty-fifth Anniversary Volume. The matter was in a very incomplete state and necessitated a large amount of labor to put it into proper form. After the death of President Morton in 1902, the direct responsibility of the work of publishing the book fell upon Prof. Furman. He then suggested that the name be changed to the Morton Memorial Volume which, along with the other necessary changes, was approved by those interested in the book. In about six months after this change had been decided upon he had the book rearranged and rewritten and ready for the printer. The change from a Twenty-fifth Anniversary Volume to a Morton Memorial Volume, involved an increase in expenditure of from 552,500 to 5i57,000. This difference was more than raised by Prof. Furman, and when the book appeared it was a success financially, and artistically as attested by the many and unanimously fiattering comments. It has no superior in any book of its character ever published. He is a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the Tau Beta Pi fraternity, and the Roseville Golf Club. He was Corresponding Secretary of the Alumni Association of Stevens Institute of Technology from 1895 to 1898 and then Director of the same for two years. On November 3, 1894, he married Minnie Adelaide Thompson, daughter of the late Col. William H. Thompson, of Brooklyn, N. Y. 9