My personal connection to engineering would have to come from my grandfathers. One of them taught engineering courses at the University of Maryland and the other was a professor of mathematics there as well. Unfortunately one of them died before I could spend a lot of time with him intellectually, but he spent a lot of time with me when I was younger. He and my grandmother built their own house and they both had many hobbies. He built the grandfather clock that I now own. He was a shining example of having an education, and being able to do things around the house. I never got a chance to discuss engineering with him, but he showed me that you can be talented in many aspects of life, including living honestly.
I spent more time with my other grandfather (the mathematician) later in life. He had retired and his hobby was 1/8th scale model railroads. The engines were still large enough (300-1000 pounds each) that when we built the track through his property we had to survey, engineer, worry about slope and elevation, and make sure that the boilers wouldn't explode. He also had a lathe and vertical mill with which he built one of his engines from castings. With real steam engines operating at 100 psi, I learned about safety and testing and failures. He never called it engineering, he just called it fun. A friend still operates his website in his memory (www.wcrr.org)
Corbin - I love that your grandfather never what he did "engineering" but just called it fun! Thanks for sharing your personal connection - what a gem!
ReplyDeleteCorbin,
ReplyDeleteWhat a nice tribute to your grandfathers. I think we should all remember that fun is an important part of what we do with our students.
Corbin,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your personal connection to engineering , I can see how fun and passion married for your grandfather, since I just took the opportunity to visit his website, wcrr.org. Your grandfather’s memory is truly honored. I just watched the first of many videos listed on the site, I felt as though I was on a train ride, with a bit of acceleration here and there. We have 4 grandson’s between 11 and 7 years of age, who will enjoy watching , when they arrive for a visit August 4. Are there ever times when the property is open to the public for viewing?
Unfortunately it isn't open to the public. We do have a "steam day" once a year that the public can come to, but that is subject to my uncle's work schedule. Unfortunately, that schedule cuts out August every year.
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