New inductees range from stadium architects to designers of aircraft and international bridges

Troy, N.Y. — Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute honored the achievements of seven extraordinary alumni by inducting them into the Alumni Hall of Fame on Sept. 7. With talents spanning a variety of disciplines including architecture, aircraft and bridge design, geology, chemical engineering, and communications, the 2007 Hall of Fame inductees continue the exceptional heritage of Rensselaer’s distinguished graduates.

Class of 1880 alumnus Frank C. Osborn founded Cleveland’s oldest engineering firm, Osborn Engineering, in 1892. Together with his son, Kenneth H. Osborn, Class of 1908, he led the organization to become the nation’s foremost designer of major-league, municipal, and collegiate stadiums and ballparks. Osborn Engineering was the designer of the Polo Grounds in New York City, Tiger Stadium in Detroit, Boston’s first Fenway Park in 1912 and the rebuilt Fenway Park in 1934, and Yankee Stadium — America’s first three-tiered stadium. They also provided design and construction monitoring for college stadiums at Michigan, Notre Dame, and Indiana, among others.

Aircraft designer Robert H. Widmer, Class of 1938, was a significant contributor to the design of many highly successful American military aircraft from World War II until the end of the last century. He was the creator and designer of the B-58 — the world’s first long-range aircraft capable of sustained supersonic flight — as well as the B-36, F-111, and F-16. Widmer has served as a consultant to the military and government agencies concerned with aeronautical matters, and is an honorary life member of the Air Force Association and the Association of the United States Army. As an undergraduate, he was a recipient of Rensselaer’s Ricketts Award, which recognizes an outstanding aeronautical engineer.

Additional 2007 Hall of Fame inductees include: geologist Ebenezer Emmons, noted for his work in identifying the Taconic sequence and naming the Taconic and Adirondack Mountains, Class of 1826; William Pitt Mason, major contributor to the world’s knowledge and understanding of the need for pure municipal water supplies and creator of Chemical Engineering at Rensselaer, Class of 1874; John Alexander Low Waddell, international bridge designer responsible for bridges in Canada, Mexico, Russia, and Japan, among others, Class of 1875; and communications pioneer Hermann A. Haus, one of the world’s foremost authorities on optical communications, Class of 1951.

In addition to a formal induction ceremony, the accomplishments of the members of the Hall of Fame are celebrated in etched windows that line Thomsen Hall in Rensselaer’s Darrin Communications Center on campus.

“Since its founding in 1824, Rensselaer has graduated alumni whose achievements through the years have had important and far-reaching effects, and have helped shape and change our world,” said Director of Alumni Relations Jeff Schanz. “The 2007 alumni inductees have forged frontiers in industry, science, education, and engineering. We are proud to welcome them into the Rensselaer Alumni Hall of Fame, and to permanently preserve, celebrate, and communicate their incredible accomplishments.”

The Rensselaer Alumni Association established the Rensselaer Alumni Hall of Fame in 1995 to document the long tradition of excellence shared by Rensselaer’s graduates. This year’s inductees to the Alumni Hall of Fame bring the total number of members to date to 60. For more information on the inductees, visit: http://www.alumni.rpi.edu/ and click on “Alumni Hall of Fame.”

Contact: Amber Cleveland
Phone: (518) 276-2146
E-mail: clevea@rpi.edu