|
Items in cart [0] |
Questions? Call 888-624-8373 |
| Copyright © 2009. National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. Terms of Use and Privacy Statement |
Below are the first 10 and last 10 pages of uncorrected machine-read text (when available) of this chapter, followed by the top 30 algorithmically extracted key phrases from the chapter as a whole.
Intended to provide our own search engines and external engines with highly rich, chapter-representative searchable text on the opening pages of each chapter.
Because it is UNCORRECTED material, please consider the following text as a useful but insufficient proxy for the authoritative book pages.
Do not use for reproduction, copying, pasting, or reading; exclusively for search engines.
OCR for page 113
GEORGE ANDREW HAWKINS
1907-1978
BY JOHN C. HANCOCK
GEORGE ANDREW HAWKINS, former Dean of Engineering and
former Vice-President for Academic Affairs at Purdue University,
died in his sleep at his home in West Lafayette, Indiana, on April 6,
1978. He had retired in 1974, after forty-four years of service to
the University. He was seventy years old at the time of his death.
Dr. Hawkins' lifelong career was largely in the field of engineer-
ing education as a student, researcher, teacher, and administrator.
His early research on high-temperature, high-pressure steam was a
noteworthy contribution to the technology of that field. This re-
search prompted his advanced postdoctoral study of theoretical
thermodynamics and heat transfer and led to his coauthoring a
book in this field. He was cited at that time as the nation's outstand-
ing young man in the field of heat transfer.
As a faculty member of Purdue University, he was an innovative
teacher and administrator, having a significant impact on engineer-
ing education. He was Dean of Engineering during the years
following World War II and was one of the first in the nation to
lead his faculty in incorporating into their programs the new
knowledge and techniques that evolved from research conducted
during the war. He was cochairman of the 1968 "Goals Report"
study, which did so much to establish national directions for
engineering education at that time. All through his academic
career, be he teacher or administrator, he remained actively in-
volved in research and consulting in his area of thermodynamics
113
OCR for page 114
and heat transfer. He, with his graduate students, made many
contributions to the technology and the understanding of this area.
George Andrew Hawkins was born in Denver, Colorado, on
December 11, 1907. He received his grade school education first in
Denver and continued it in Long Beach, California. Following
grade school, his family returned to Denver, where he attended
Byers`Junior High School. He then enrolled in and was graduated
from East High School, Denver, Colorado, in 1926. He began his
university work with two summer terms, and the full year between,
at the Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colorado. At that
point, he transferred to Purdue University, where he completed his
work and received his Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical
engineering in June of 1930. After graduation, he joined the
Purdue University staff as an Assistant in Applied Mechanics, while
pursuing graduate study that earned him his Master's Degree in
mechanical engineering in 1932 and his Doctor of Philosophy
degree in 1935. During the summer of 1933, while still working on
his doctorate at Purdue, he studied advanced mathematics at the
University of Denver.
joining the Purdue faculty as an Assistant Professor following
the Ph.D. award, he taught in the School of Mechanical Engineer-
ing. In 1938-39, still intrigued by phenomena not completely
understood, he took a year's part-time leave of absence to study
theoretical thermodynamics and heat transfer under Dr. Max
Jacob, who had just come to this country from Germany. This work
led to the book, Elements of Heat Transfer and Insulation, jointly
authored by Jacob and Hawkins ~ 1942), and which led to Dr.
Hawkins being cited as the nation's outstanding young man in the
field of heat transfer. In 1940, at the annual meeting of the
American Society of Mechanical Engineering, he was awarded the
Pi Tau Sigma gold medal.
Dr. Hawkins advanced steadily through the professorial levels
and was made a full Professor of Mechanical Engineering at
Purdue University in 1942. One year later he was named Westing-
house Research Professor of Heat Transfer. For many years he
was also on the staff of the Engineering Experiment Station and
was named its Associate Director unduly 1, 1950. In his research
114
OCR for page 115
capacity, he performed a number of noteworthy investigations. He
collaborated with Dean A. A. Potter and Dr. H. L. Solberg in
studies of high-pressure and high-temperature steam. During
World War II he was chosen to direct the U.S. Army Ordnance
Research Project located at Purdue. The work carried out under
his direction brought a special citation to Purdue University for
developments leading to improved automatic weapons. For his own
personal contributions, he received the War Department's Certifi-
cate of Appreciation.
At Purdue in 1947, he was made the Assistant Dean of the
Graduate School and for fifteen months of that appointment, he
served as Acting Dean. From`July 1, 1949, to~lune 20, 1950, he was
given leave from Purdue to be a Visiting Professor of Engineering
at the University of California at Los Angeles. On`July 1, 1953, he
assumed the position of Dean of Engineering and Director of the
Engineering Experiment Station, succeeding Purdue University's
famous Dean of Engineering, Dr. A. A. Potter. For the period
1961-63, in addition to his responsibilities as Dean of Engineering,
he was given the administrative responsibilities for the Department
of Mathematical Sciences at Purdue University.
During the early years of his term as Dean of Engineering,
educational programs were being impacted heavily by the informa-
tion explosion that followed the release of information generated
by research carried on during World War II. Assessing the impor-
tance of these developments, Dr. Hawkins was convinced that the
next generation of engineers would have to be steeped in the
physical and engineering sciences if they were to be able to design
the complicated systems being envisioned by American industry.
With imagination and courage, he took the steps required to
sensitize the faculty to these developments and they, in turn, acted
to achieve a major revision of the engineering curriculum at
Purdue. Purdue's engineering curriculum was a model for other
schools to I'ollow thus assisting the change to spread all across the
nation.
Dr. Hawkins worked with faculty, using faculty seminars, per-
sonal contacts, and invited scholars to challenge them to familiarize
themselves with the new concepts and the new technology that was
115
OCR for page 116
emerging. He stressed the need to be prepared for change. He also
believed that contemporary engineers should have a better under-
standing of the social sciences and the humanities if they were to
respond to society's needs and demands. His ideas about a dynamic
and changing curriculum were challenged and resisted by some;
but with patience and sincerity, he pressed his points. Younger
members of the faculty rallied to his cause, and he, in turn,
encouraged them to absorb themselves in the work at the scientific
frontier of engineering. This they did with a sense of pride and
dedication; and curricula changed to reflect an emphasis on
applied science rather than the "art" of engineering. Despite his
administrative responsibilities, he, himself, devoted as much time
as he possibly could to remain at the research forefront of his own
specialty heat and mass transfer.
On the national scene in the early 1960's, Dr. Hawkins was asked
to be cochairman of the American Society of Engineering Educa-
tion's goals study. This study was undertaken at the request of the
Engineers Council for Professional Development and was finan-
cially underwritten by the National Science Foundation. Once
more he made clear his beliefs in a scientifically oriented engineer-
ing curriculum, heavily bolstered by advanced graduate study. He
was joined in this by many educators who contributed to this study;
but again he ran into opposition from some educators across the
country. However, as time went by, the view expressed in the Goals
Report, was, by and large, accepted nationally.
On July 1, 1967, Dr. Hawkins was appointed Vice-President for
Academic Affairs; and, at a meeting of the Board of Trustees in
September 1971, he was designated Vice-President Emeritus for
Academic Affairs. Following his retirement, he served the Univer-
sity in several postretirement positions, among which was one year
as Acting Dean of Engineering, Acting Head of Aeronautical
Engineering, Interim Provost, Special Assistant to the Provost, and
others. He finally retired in July 1974, retaining the titles of
Professor Emeritus of Thermodynamics, Westinghouse Research
Professor Emeritus of Heat Transfer, and Vice-President Emeritus
for Academic Affairs.
Dr. Hawkins was elected to membership in the National
116
OCR for page 117
Academy of Engineering (April 1967). He was a Life Fellow and
Honorary Member of the American Society of Mechanical En-
gineers, a Fellow of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers,
and an Honorary Member of the American Society for Engineer-
ing Education (ASEE). In 1969-70 he was President-Elect and in
June 1970 he became President of this latter organization. In June
1974, Dr. Hawkins was honored by being awarded the Lamme
Gold Medal by ASEE. He also held memberships in the National
Society of Professional Engineers, Scabbard and Blade, Sigma Xi,
Tan Beta Pi, Pi Tau Sigma, Phi Kappa Phi, and Sigma Pi Sigma.
Dr. Hawkins is the author of five college textbooks and the
author of approximately 240 articles and abstracts on engineering
and related subjects, a number stemming from his own research
work. He served as a consultant to a number of industries and to
governmental and other organizations.
His hobbies included rifles and pistols, collection of selected
categories of stamps, and wood carving (using both machine and
hand tools—especially in the making of decorative water fowl and
the Hopi Indian Kachina dolls). In this last category he was
considered an expert, both as a craftsman with a knife and as a
curator of the legends that surround each of the more than 280
varieties of these Kachina figures.
Until his death, George Hawkins was a scholar, artist, artisan,
engineer, and friend. He leaves behind a rich heritage in the field
of engineering education, both at Purdue University and through-
out the nation.
117
OCR for page 118
: ::~::::~:::
i: me .:. ~~ ~ -I -A ~ -at i~ ~~ ~~ ~ ~~ ~~ At:
~ ~ - < ~ ~~T ~~ ~~ ~
.... - ~~ ~~ ~~-~.-~- ~~ ~~ ~~ ~.~:~ ~~ ~~ a::: ~~ :
:~ ~'~ At': i, -. ,.,~'~2~:~ ~ ~~'~'~,~ ~~ ~~.~ ~~ ' ~ ~ ~ ~ i::: :::: :::
::..~,~-:~':~..~ ~:~-,:.~2--~ ~-~:~:-~:~: ~~:::~:~:
I'll ~~:~'~'~ ~-~:'~'~: : T:::~: T: :
::::::: ~:~:~:~-~::~ ~~ ~ :: ~ ::~ :
::~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~::~ :~ ~ ~:~:~: ~ ~ ~ :
~ ~ :~ ~ ~ ~-~:~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ :~ ~~ T
::::::::::: :::: :: :: :: ::~::~: ::::::::::::::::::::~
: ~ :::: ::: :: :
:~ ::: ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ : i:
::::: : ':: ~ ::
:: ~ :~: ~ :
: :::: :: :::::: ::::::::::: : :~ ::
:: :~ ~'~ ~ ~~ ~ :~: :~: ~ :
: ::: ::::: :~ :~: I:::::::: ::~:: ::: :: :::
A:: :~ ~:~ ::::~:~:~:~:::~:~:~ i, a: ~~: ~~ ~ 'a: ~ it:: i::::::::
:: ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ,:-- ~ : ~~
T: i:: :: :~:~:~:~:~:~:~::~::~'~ I:::::::: ::~:::
:: ::: '~'~:~'~'-~.~':~'~''~:.,~'~.'~:~'~ ~~:~ ~ i:
::: ~:~ :~ ~~--~-2W'~2~: ~.2..' it: ~~.'~-:~:.~:~ ~:~:~:~:
:: ~~:~ ,-,,. ,-. ~.~.'~ ...'~...'.. ~.2,.~-~:~-',,~:~:~
~ ::::':::' ': ~ . 2. . .~ ..-'- ".::.2,.: In'.'' -...' -""- -. .. 2::i::~:. ~::~
.; -. 2.' .. :.'~. ~ ~''~,:~: ~~ ~-~:'~ ~ -'-' ~ ~ :~ ~~:~ i,: ~ :~ ~ ~ ~ I'll ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~~ :~: i:: i': ~ :~ i: ~ : i: i: ~ I'd::: it:::: i:::::
~:~ ~ ., . . ~ in. ant,,.,, ~~, ~:~ ~ ~~:,~ ~~ ~ ~~:~ ~::~:~.~:~,~ ~~ ~ ~ aft:: ~~ ::: ~
, ,.:, . - , -,~.- '-.~.,~,.,~ ~~:~.'~.~-~'~ ~.~ ~~ ~
: . - ,.- ,,.,.-, -:: -., ::: ,.,. ~ ~~:~:~ ~~
: : ........
: -::)
-
-..,,,~..,.~.. ,, .~.-2.-.'~..'..'.~:" ~',~ ~'~,~ ~:~:~:~ :~:~
,. ,.,, .....'....~.. :':.,: .'-2: .,:2::~:~ -::.::,", :~'~.~:~ ~~ i: ~ :~ ~ ::: :~:
. . 2.; '.; '.'2"" ' '-a': .-''' '::'': - : :~
I, . ,: ~ ~ i, ~ it, '.' ~~.~ ~~.~ ~~-~ ~~:~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~<
. ..: . .~ :~ ~:~ :::::
. .: i: ~~:~r~
...j
::::
..:::::: ::::~::~::~ ~:~:~:~:~ :::
L- :::
-
h :::~: : ~
do:
:.
D
-
-
-
Representative terms from entire chapter:
purdue university
