Virginia Military Institute - Bomb Yearbook (Lexington, VA)

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THE DEPARTMENT OF J COLONEL J. A. ANDERSON Professor ■HE CIVIL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT is as old as the Institute itself. When John T. J . Preston and other members of the first Board of Vi sitors planned the organization of V. M. I., they made provisions for two professorships, one of these to be held by the Commandant, or Principal Professor. According to a letter from Mr. Preston to General Francis . Smith, then a professor at EHampden-Sidney College, this Principal Professor must be capable of giving instruction in the Military Art, and also in Mathematics with particular reference to its application to Civil Engineering. ' The course in Mathematics at that time included such subjects as Descriptive Geometry, Surveying, and Mechanics, all now classed as strictly engineering subjects. Colonel Claude Crozet, noted soldier, graduate of the Ecole Polytechnique of France, and Chief Engineer of Virginia, was president of the Board of Visitors and conducted the examinations. As the Institute grew, it was necessary to expand academic facilities. In 1858 General Smith went to Europe to visit their educational institutions, and upon his return made a report the following year accompanied by a suggestion concerning modifica- tion of the academic work at the Institute. F e suggested three special Schools of application, one of them being Civil Engineering . The plan was readily adopted by the Board of Visitors and the General Assembly, thus marking the organization of the department of Civil Engineering as a separate and distinct unit in the academic scheme of the Virginia Military Institute. This organization of academic departments was kept the same, even through the trying days of the reconstruction. The purpose of the organization of the School of Civil Engineering as stated in General Smith ' s proposal was to elevate the grade of engineers who leave it, and to increase the reputation of this institution, already reflecting high credit upon it. And the original purpose of the School of Civil Engineering has continued to be the purpose of the department of Civil Engineering during the seventy-five years that have elapsed between that time and this. As the standards have been raised in instruction of a purely theoretical nature, the facilities for practical application of this theoretical knowledge received in the classroom have also necessarily been enlarged. The construction of the Nichols Engineering FHall, completed early in 1932, might stand as one of the outstanding events in the history of Civil Engineering at V. M. I. With this building, the oppor- tunity for advance both in theoretical and practical sides of an engineering education was greatly increased. The equipment in the building is modern and complete. The materials testing labora- tory has had equipment added until it now stands as up to date as corresponding laboratories of any technical school of this size in the country. There is additional space in this laboratory for a large Southwark-Emer testing machine, which when obtained will place the equipment for testing materials superior to that of LIEUT COLONEL H. P. BOVKIN most technological institutions whether here or abroad. F ydraulics Associate Professor

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A A A A A A A MAJOR GENERAL JOHN A. LEJEUNE Marine Corps, Retired The Superintendent IN SEPTEMBER of 1929 General John A. Lejeune, retired, United States Marine Corps, I assumed his duties as fifth Superintendent of the Virginia Mihtary Institute. Since that time the Corps has come to realize that beneath the gruff exterior of the former Commandant of the Marine Corps there lies a spirit of justice and of fairness that is the burning light of his character. A gentleman and a fighter, his own ideals are those to which every cadet aspires. There is in him that wealth of sincerity which automatically dravvs men and makes them strive to follow after him. The molding of youth is now in his care, and the youth that passes through his hands bears all the marks of character that it is his to impart. h e has filled his duties not too seriously, nor too lightly, but with the proper mean that exists between the two extremes, hie has realized how sacred is his trust; let his own words reveal hat the Institute means to him — If I can do anything to help these young men to climb a little nearer to the crest of the heights than they otherwise would do, I shall remember the years I am living here as years that were full of happiness and joy.

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CIVIL ENGINEERING LIEUT. COLONEL R. A. MARR, Jr Associate Processor testing laboratories in which the nature of the flow of water may be studied carefully from model dams and other equipment occupy much of the First Classman ' s time. Since structural design plays such a large part in the curriculum of the civil engineer, a model room containing many varied types of structural models has been initiated. Many of the model bridges and trusses have been built by cadets during their spare time, and in this manner they have gained some familiarity with certain details of structural design that would have escaped them had they relied solely on their classroom instruction. An important feature in connection with the study of materials of construction is the materia Is ' museum, built up by Colonel Marr. The various materials discussed during the classroom course drz arranged in this room so that their application to engineering work may be easily understood by the student. To further carry out the aim of linking the practical with the purely theoretical work, field trips of inspection to engineering projects nearby are arranged each year by the department. Cadets are shown application of subjects that they are studying at the time. In conjunction with their courses in highv ay engineering and water supply engineering, the members of the First Class visited several State roads in construction and made an inspection of the Charlottesville filter plant. The instructors in this department realize fully the importance of preparing a student in a general way, and the folly of specialization to the extreme as is practiced by many other technical schools of today. Consequently the student engineer in his Fourth and Third Class years is made familiar with such subjects as literature and languages as well as mathematics, physics and surveying. The broad preparatory course thus offered provides an excellent foundation for the work which is to follow. Again in his First Class year, he is given courses in public and corporation finance, business law, and public speaking. Not only must the engineer know his own field, but he must also be well trained in the principles of business, and be able to express himself clearly and effectively. In addition to the many V. M. I. men who have reached a position in technical fields, civil graduates have done well in the fields of general business, executive, and administrative work. Quite a number of successful lav yers and even one promising theologian are numbered among graduates of this department. It is necessary, therefore, that the student engineer have a general knovv ledge of business law, and the economics of business. Specialization, such as it is at V. M. I., is not begun until the end of the Second Class year. Beginning with this year the advanced mathematical and technical courses are given. They consist of analytical mechanics, advanced physics, resistance of materials, materials of construction, differential equations, geology, theory of structures, and advanced surveying, descriptive geometry, and topographical drawing. During the First Class year, work is specialized to a great extent, and those courses dealing with MAJOR J H C MANN phases of engineering with which the practicing engineer must be Assistant Professor familiar are taught. The courses followed during this year are