Highlights of my 70 Years
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Note: Mentions of images are preserved for archival purposes. However, the original images from Charlie Adams' paper are missing.
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This is about the highlights from my 70 years of membership in the Engineers Club of Dayton. First I will show you a brief video of the early years of the Club. I would like you to see and hear Charles F. Kettering, Col. Edward A. Deeds and Orville Wright. They will be in the Library. You will also see the Ivory Room, now the Wright Room. I want you to see the pool tables, as that is another highlight in my early years. The Ivory Room got its name from the huge tusks on either side of the fireplace. I understand they were from an elephant shot by Col. Deeds.
I joined the Engineers Club September 8, 1937. I was working at Delco Products in the Process Engineering Department. Several of us belonged to the Club. We would rush to the Club at noon, grab a bite to eat in the dining room, and go to the Ivory Room. There we would spend about 20 minutes playing billiards. Several older members had a lock on the pool tables. Woe betide anybody else trying to use the pool tables.
I have to mention my work again for several reasons. After graduating from the University of Cincinnati, I was working at Delco on a large drafting board designing large special machines. Milt Feldstein, Master Mechanic, came to my board one morning and said the engineer processing resistance welding machines, suddenly left for California without giving prior notice. Milt said that since I was the only Electrical Engineer in the department, I was elected to be the Welding Engineer. Here is my Professional Engineers plaque in the branch of Electrical Engineer. I spent many hours in the Library of the Engineers Club reviewing our electrical engineering texts, and catching up to date on circuitry and parts in Resistance Welding Controls. This was the start of my career in the welding industry.
I have forgotten the specific date, but early on, the Board of Governors decided to build an adjacent building, for the primary purpose of having a place to bring students to hold engineering meetings and meet older engineers. You can see from my name on the plaque on the wall in this building, that I was one of the major contributors to the cost of this building. Several of us were really upset when the Board decided and did sell this building to the Wright State University Medical Department. This is a recent picture of that building.
While taking that picture, I was close to another highpoint in my 70 years. This is a picture of the aluminum sculpture of the Wright B Flyer with Orville aboard, mounted on a pylon with Wilbur running alongside, now between the Wright State building and the Engineers Club. I had nothing to do with this sculpture being put there. It is great that it is there, and will be even better after the bigger one is mounted on a higher stand at the intersection of I-70 and 1-75.
I spent a lot of time on the Library Committee of the Club. At one time, the technical book explosion took place. We were not able to keep pace with all the books coming out. We had to let our librarian go, I was asked to see if we should get rid of some of our older books. Together our committee determined what we should dispose of. I knew Dr. Ed Garten, Director of Libraries at the University of Dayton. He was happy to take these to augment what they have, as seen here. Now our members have to depend on computers and the Public Library.
Chuck Dempsey was the prime mover in converting the Ivory Room to the Wright Room. The Reception and Dedication of the Wright Room was held November 18, 1988. It contained a sculpture of Orville Wright by Chuck Dempsey, and other Wright Brothers artifacts. Chuck made a small model of the Wright B Flyer, and hung it from the ceiling. It has been missing since the building was refurbished. The dedication notice is shown here.
In 1972, the Engineers Club Foundation was established to assist the Engineers Club to carry the Club’s heritage forward through programs that encourage young people to choose engineering and science careers. I was on the Foundation Board of Trustees. In 1993, the foundation gave a sizable grant to J.E. Prass Elementary School in Kettering to help establish a science laboratory. Here is a picture of students in that Laboratory.
In 1992, Tom Sheets, Chuck Dempsey, Wilson Charbonneaux, and I started the present Barn Gang. I think it was Tom Sheets idea. He was Protocol Officer retired from WP AFB. He is a great idea man. As you will hear later, the Wright B Flyer “Look-a-like” was his idea. As you know, the name "Barn Gang" is a throwback to Kettering and Deeds “Barn Gang,” so called because they developed the ignition system and self-starter in Col. Deeds barn behind his home on Central Avenue in Dayton.
In 1993, General Motors and the Department of Energy sponsored a competition to help promote the electric car. That is one of my main interests. So I got a group from the Barn Gang to enter this competition. It required a large board on which we had to list and show our ideas about promoting the use of electric cars. This is a picture of the board we submitted. Chuck Dempsey and I did most of the work on preparing and submitting our entry. Electric cars at that time had a maximum distance of about 50 miles per charge. We drew a map of Dayton with a 25-mile radius, showed a means of recharging automatically, and travels inside department stores. The judges were artists, so we didn't win anything. But we learned a lot.
On May 3, 1994, the Barn Gang made a trip to Wright State University to see the electric racecar the students were building. This is a picture of some of our group surrounding the unfinished car. I saw this car race other schools’ cars on a track at Indianapolis. It was a little strange watching these cars going around the track without making any noise.
In 1994, 1995, and 1996, I co-chaired with Larry Dussault, head of the Global Electric Auto Association, Three Alt-Fuel Symposiums at the Engineers C1ub promoting electric cars and alt-fuel vehicles. We had sample cars, including GM’s EV-1, Cedarville College's ICE converted to propane, and electric bicycles. We had well known speakers, including Paul Flanagan, Delphi, Nicole LeBlane, Argonne National Lab, Jim Dunn, NASA-CTC, Jim Cannon, author of "Hydrogen ... ", and Brett Williams, Rocky Mountain Institute, pushing composite, lighter, stronger cars with electric motors powered by hydrogen fuel cells. In 1996, we displayed the cars in Triangle Park, to help promote Five Rivers Metro Parks. All three symposiums were huge successes. This is a picture of the Dayton Engineer for November 1996.
I was awarded the Deeds - Kettering Memorial Award April 9, 1994, for outstanding contributions to the Engineers Club. Although not stated, I believe that was because of my leadership in the Alt-Fuel, Electric Car Symposiums.
On October 26, 1995, the Engineers Club made a trip to the Armstrong Laboratory, WPAFB, to see several projects in operation in their several laboratories. We saw Computerized Anthropometric Research and Design, Tactical High Off-Boresight Research, Night Vision Operations, Synthesized Immersion Research Environment, and Virtual Environment Interface Laboratory. This shows the page listing these. I confess I was a bit confused.
In 1996, Marvin Olinsky, Director of the Five Rivers Metro Parks, and on the Board of Governors of the Engineers Club, bought three Amphibian Army Trucks, called “Ducks”, for use by the Parks. Our Barn Gang made a trip to see one of these being reconditioned for this use. Here is a picture of one surrounded by our Barn Gang. Marvin said to me “Wouldn't it be great if we could convert it to an electric drive.” I wrote Ballard Power Systems, Vancouver, B.C., Canada, builder of Fuel Cell Systems, for a quote. They wrote back that their engineering department was too busy to give us a quote. My granddaughter gave me a ride on Marvin's “Duck” through downtown and on the Great Miami River.
In 1996, I retrieved from our third floor the original Articles of Incorporation of the Engineers Club of Dayton. I repaired the frame and hung it in our Barn Gang room. Here is a picture of this document.
About 1996, the Foundation Board decided to change their meeting time from noon to 7:30 a.m. in the morning. Loraine, my wife, was seriously ill. It was impossible for me to get to the Club that early in the morning. So I had to resign from the Foundation Board of Trustees.
On September 6, 2001, a Replica of the 1903 Wright Flyer was hung from the ceiling in the Library Of Wright State University. It was dedicated to Wilkinson “Wick” Wright, and a Dedication Service was held on that date with Marion Wright being one of the guest speakers. Several of us from the Barn Gang attended that service. This is a picture of the program and of the original Wright B. Flyer.
On May 22, 2002, the Engineers Club held a reception in memory of Dr. Hans von Ohain. This reception honored Hanny von Ohain, her family and friends, celebrating the publication of Dr. von Ohain's life and works written by Margaret Conner. Quite a few of us from the Barn Gland attended this reception. This is a picture of the invitation.
The Wilson Charbonneaux Awards are presented to persons “For Contributing to Public Understanding Of Science and Technology”. On September 7, 2002, at the Engineers Club, the Awardees were Howard Dufour, Fred Fisk, Marlin Todd, Melba Hunt, Mary Ann Johnson, and Rosamond Young. Roz was ill and could not attend. Hardy Trolander and I took it to her at Bethany Lutheran Village. This is a picture of the program for that meeting.
Sometime in 2002, Hardy Trolander was asked to tell the Barn Gang about the Yellow Springs Instrument Company, of which he was the founder and President for many years. He had customers all over the world, and frequently had to travel all over the world to see his customers and assess their needs. I was privileged to introduce him. In getting ready for this I learned a great deal about the company and its products, many kinds of sensors. This is a page from a publication on this.
The Barn Gang toured the General Electric Jet Engine Manufacturing Plant in Evendale, Ohio, August 13, 2002. This was a very interesting tour. Our group is pictured in front of the air intake ring of the largest aircraft jet engine they have ever made. We had some guests with us on this tour.
Founder's Night Celebration, May 3, 2003, honored John Bosch by inducting him as a Fellow of the Engineers Club. He joins Ermal Fraze, Lt. Gen. James Stewart, Dr. Hans von Ohain, Dr. Fritz Russ, William Lockwood, Hardy Trolander, Dr. Ervin Nutter, Charles Abramovitz, Virginia Kettering, and Harold Shaw. The invitation is shown in this picture.
The highest highlight, to me, of my 70 years in the Engineers Club, was my ride on the Wright B Flyer Look-a Like, in 2003, seen here. It was arranged by John Bosch and Hardy Trolander. The undulations of the plane and the wind in my face gave me a better appreciation of what the Wright Brothers did in 1903. This is the newspaper account. It also gives me the opportunity to tell you how the Wright B Flyer Look-a Like came to be. Tom Sheets, retired Protocol Officer from WPAFB, suggested it to Chuck Dempsey, in 1976. Chuck said, “Let's do it.” Seven years later it was an accomplished fact. It is too long a story to include in this talk. It should be a separate talk to the Barn Gang.
Chuck Dempsey took Bob Overman and me to the Wright Brothers Airport to see the Wright B Look-a-Like. It was down for repairs, but we did get to see it up close. This is a picture of Chuck in front of the Wright B Flyer hanger.
He also took Rev. Bill Blake and me to the small Franklin airport to see the same model trainer on which he took his primary flight training. A friend of his had one at that airport, and flew it around the airport to give us a look at it in the air. This is a picture of Chuck sitting on the edge of the cockpit of the plane on which he got his primary training.
The Barn Gang made a bus trip to Millville, Indiana, to see the birthplace of Wilbur Wright. Wilbur's birthplace has had a “rocky” history. It has been torn down and then rebuilt. There is now a place for food preparation, dining room, a museum with a full-scale model of the Wright Flyer, and space for meetings of groups like ours. This is a picture of the booklet prepared to explain all this for the Centennial of Flight Festival, June 20-22, 2003.
I received a Certificate of Appreciation for my talk on Orville Wright, Col. E.A. Deeds, Charles Kettering and Arthur Morgan, August 12, 2003. Since I knew each of these men, It was appropriate that I talk about some of their accomplishments.
The Barn Gang toured Cedarville University April 6, 2004. We were impressed with how this school has grown, and the up-to-date facilities they have. Chuck Allport is to be commended for his part in this upgrading. This shows the pamphlet we received on the visit to Cedarville.
The Barn Gang toured Springfield, Ohio, August 15, 2006. It was a real good history lesson. We saw vintage homes, including one by Frank L. Wright, and the large museum right in the center of town. During lunch we had a talk by an attorney from the firm that took care of getting the patent for the Wright Brothers on their control features of their 1903 Flyer. All in all, it was a worthwhile day of getting history. I have to thank Karl and Sandy Ayers for taking me. This shows the folder we received about The Heritage Center of Clark County. This is a good time to express my appreciation for faithful help from Hardy Trolander for bringing me to the Bam Gang every week. Since I am no longer driving, this is a great help.
August 17, 2006, Commander Aero held an open house to celebrate their 25th Anniversary. It is always a special event to go to the Wright Brothers Airport and visit Commander Aero.
I hope these happenings have interested you as much as they have me.
—Charles O. Adams
I joined the Engineers Club September 8, 1937. I was working at Delco Products in the Process Engineering Department. Several of us belonged to the Club. We would rush to the Club at noon, grab a bite to eat in the dining room, and go to the Ivory Room. There we would spend about 20 minutes playing billiards. Several older members had a lock on the pool tables. Woe betide anybody else trying to use the pool tables.
I have to mention my work again for several reasons. After graduating from the University of Cincinnati, I was working at Delco on a large drafting board designing large special machines. Milt Feldstein, Master Mechanic, came to my board one morning and said the engineer processing resistance welding machines, suddenly left for California without giving prior notice. Milt said that since I was the only Electrical Engineer in the department, I was elected to be the Welding Engineer. Here is my Professional Engineers plaque in the branch of Electrical Engineer. I spent many hours in the Library of the Engineers Club reviewing our electrical engineering texts, and catching up to date on circuitry and parts in Resistance Welding Controls. This was the start of my career in the welding industry.
I have forgotten the specific date, but early on, the Board of Governors decided to build an adjacent building, for the primary purpose of having a place to bring students to hold engineering meetings and meet older engineers. You can see from my name on the plaque on the wall in this building, that I was one of the major contributors to the cost of this building. Several of us were really upset when the Board decided and did sell this building to the Wright State University Medical Department. This is a recent picture of that building.
While taking that picture, I was close to another highpoint in my 70 years. This is a picture of the aluminum sculpture of the Wright B Flyer with Orville aboard, mounted on a pylon with Wilbur running alongside, now between the Wright State building and the Engineers Club. I had nothing to do with this sculpture being put there. It is great that it is there, and will be even better after the bigger one is mounted on a higher stand at the intersection of I-70 and 1-75.
I spent a lot of time on the Library Committee of the Club. At one time, the technical book explosion took place. We were not able to keep pace with all the books coming out. We had to let our librarian go, I was asked to see if we should get rid of some of our older books. Together our committee determined what we should dispose of. I knew Dr. Ed Garten, Director of Libraries at the University of Dayton. He was happy to take these to augment what they have, as seen here. Now our members have to depend on computers and the Public Library.
Chuck Dempsey was the prime mover in converting the Ivory Room to the Wright Room. The Reception and Dedication of the Wright Room was held November 18, 1988. It contained a sculpture of Orville Wright by Chuck Dempsey, and other Wright Brothers artifacts. Chuck made a small model of the Wright B Flyer, and hung it from the ceiling. It has been missing since the building was refurbished. The dedication notice is shown here.
In 1972, the Engineers Club Foundation was established to assist the Engineers Club to carry the Club’s heritage forward through programs that encourage young people to choose engineering and science careers. I was on the Foundation Board of Trustees. In 1993, the foundation gave a sizable grant to J.E. Prass Elementary School in Kettering to help establish a science laboratory. Here is a picture of students in that Laboratory.
In 1992, Tom Sheets, Chuck Dempsey, Wilson Charbonneaux, and I started the present Barn Gang. I think it was Tom Sheets idea. He was Protocol Officer retired from WP AFB. He is a great idea man. As you will hear later, the Wright B Flyer “Look-a-like” was his idea. As you know, the name "Barn Gang" is a throwback to Kettering and Deeds “Barn Gang,” so called because they developed the ignition system and self-starter in Col. Deeds barn behind his home on Central Avenue in Dayton.
In 1993, General Motors and the Department of Energy sponsored a competition to help promote the electric car. That is one of my main interests. So I got a group from the Barn Gang to enter this competition. It required a large board on which we had to list and show our ideas about promoting the use of electric cars. This is a picture of the board we submitted. Chuck Dempsey and I did most of the work on preparing and submitting our entry. Electric cars at that time had a maximum distance of about 50 miles per charge. We drew a map of Dayton with a 25-mile radius, showed a means of recharging automatically, and travels inside department stores. The judges were artists, so we didn't win anything. But we learned a lot.
On May 3, 1994, the Barn Gang made a trip to Wright State University to see the electric racecar the students were building. This is a picture of some of our group surrounding the unfinished car. I saw this car race other schools’ cars on a track at Indianapolis. It was a little strange watching these cars going around the track without making any noise.
In 1994, 1995, and 1996, I co-chaired with Larry Dussault, head of the Global Electric Auto Association, Three Alt-Fuel Symposiums at the Engineers C1ub promoting electric cars and alt-fuel vehicles. We had sample cars, including GM’s EV-1, Cedarville College's ICE converted to propane, and electric bicycles. We had well known speakers, including Paul Flanagan, Delphi, Nicole LeBlane, Argonne National Lab, Jim Dunn, NASA-CTC, Jim Cannon, author of "Hydrogen ... ", and Brett Williams, Rocky Mountain Institute, pushing composite, lighter, stronger cars with electric motors powered by hydrogen fuel cells. In 1996, we displayed the cars in Triangle Park, to help promote Five Rivers Metro Parks. All three symposiums were huge successes. This is a picture of the Dayton Engineer for November 1996.
I was awarded the Deeds - Kettering Memorial Award April 9, 1994, for outstanding contributions to the Engineers Club. Although not stated, I believe that was because of my leadership in the Alt-Fuel, Electric Car Symposiums.
On October 26, 1995, the Engineers Club made a trip to the Armstrong Laboratory, WPAFB, to see several projects in operation in their several laboratories. We saw Computerized Anthropometric Research and Design, Tactical High Off-Boresight Research, Night Vision Operations, Synthesized Immersion Research Environment, and Virtual Environment Interface Laboratory. This shows the page listing these. I confess I was a bit confused.
In 1996, Marvin Olinsky, Director of the Five Rivers Metro Parks, and on the Board of Governors of the Engineers Club, bought three Amphibian Army Trucks, called “Ducks”, for use by the Parks. Our Barn Gang made a trip to see one of these being reconditioned for this use. Here is a picture of one surrounded by our Barn Gang. Marvin said to me “Wouldn't it be great if we could convert it to an electric drive.” I wrote Ballard Power Systems, Vancouver, B.C., Canada, builder of Fuel Cell Systems, for a quote. They wrote back that their engineering department was too busy to give us a quote. My granddaughter gave me a ride on Marvin's “Duck” through downtown and on the Great Miami River.
In 1996, I retrieved from our third floor the original Articles of Incorporation of the Engineers Club of Dayton. I repaired the frame and hung it in our Barn Gang room. Here is a picture of this document.
About 1996, the Foundation Board decided to change their meeting time from noon to 7:30 a.m. in the morning. Loraine, my wife, was seriously ill. It was impossible for me to get to the Club that early in the morning. So I had to resign from the Foundation Board of Trustees.
On September 6, 2001, a Replica of the 1903 Wright Flyer was hung from the ceiling in the Library Of Wright State University. It was dedicated to Wilkinson “Wick” Wright, and a Dedication Service was held on that date with Marion Wright being one of the guest speakers. Several of us from the Barn Gang attended that service. This is a picture of the program and of the original Wright B. Flyer.
On May 22, 2002, the Engineers Club held a reception in memory of Dr. Hans von Ohain. This reception honored Hanny von Ohain, her family and friends, celebrating the publication of Dr. von Ohain's life and works written by Margaret Conner. Quite a few of us from the Barn Gland attended this reception. This is a picture of the invitation.
The Wilson Charbonneaux Awards are presented to persons “For Contributing to Public Understanding Of Science and Technology”. On September 7, 2002, at the Engineers Club, the Awardees were Howard Dufour, Fred Fisk, Marlin Todd, Melba Hunt, Mary Ann Johnson, and Rosamond Young. Roz was ill and could not attend. Hardy Trolander and I took it to her at Bethany Lutheran Village. This is a picture of the program for that meeting.
Sometime in 2002, Hardy Trolander was asked to tell the Barn Gang about the Yellow Springs Instrument Company, of which he was the founder and President for many years. He had customers all over the world, and frequently had to travel all over the world to see his customers and assess their needs. I was privileged to introduce him. In getting ready for this I learned a great deal about the company and its products, many kinds of sensors. This is a page from a publication on this.
The Barn Gang toured the General Electric Jet Engine Manufacturing Plant in Evendale, Ohio, August 13, 2002. This was a very interesting tour. Our group is pictured in front of the air intake ring of the largest aircraft jet engine they have ever made. We had some guests with us on this tour.
Founder's Night Celebration, May 3, 2003, honored John Bosch by inducting him as a Fellow of the Engineers Club. He joins Ermal Fraze, Lt. Gen. James Stewart, Dr. Hans von Ohain, Dr. Fritz Russ, William Lockwood, Hardy Trolander, Dr. Ervin Nutter, Charles Abramovitz, Virginia Kettering, and Harold Shaw. The invitation is shown in this picture.
The highest highlight, to me, of my 70 years in the Engineers Club, was my ride on the Wright B Flyer Look-a Like, in 2003, seen here. It was arranged by John Bosch and Hardy Trolander. The undulations of the plane and the wind in my face gave me a better appreciation of what the Wright Brothers did in 1903. This is the newspaper account. It also gives me the opportunity to tell you how the Wright B Flyer Look-a Like came to be. Tom Sheets, retired Protocol Officer from WPAFB, suggested it to Chuck Dempsey, in 1976. Chuck said, “Let's do it.” Seven years later it was an accomplished fact. It is too long a story to include in this talk. It should be a separate talk to the Barn Gang.
Chuck Dempsey took Bob Overman and me to the Wright Brothers Airport to see the Wright B Look-a-Like. It was down for repairs, but we did get to see it up close. This is a picture of Chuck in front of the Wright B Flyer hanger.
He also took Rev. Bill Blake and me to the small Franklin airport to see the same model trainer on which he took his primary flight training. A friend of his had one at that airport, and flew it around the airport to give us a look at it in the air. This is a picture of Chuck sitting on the edge of the cockpit of the plane on which he got his primary training.
The Barn Gang made a bus trip to Millville, Indiana, to see the birthplace of Wilbur Wright. Wilbur's birthplace has had a “rocky” history. It has been torn down and then rebuilt. There is now a place for food preparation, dining room, a museum with a full-scale model of the Wright Flyer, and space for meetings of groups like ours. This is a picture of the booklet prepared to explain all this for the Centennial of Flight Festival, June 20-22, 2003.
I received a Certificate of Appreciation for my talk on Orville Wright, Col. E.A. Deeds, Charles Kettering and Arthur Morgan, August 12, 2003. Since I knew each of these men, It was appropriate that I talk about some of their accomplishments.
The Barn Gang toured Cedarville University April 6, 2004. We were impressed with how this school has grown, and the up-to-date facilities they have. Chuck Allport is to be commended for his part in this upgrading. This shows the pamphlet we received on the visit to Cedarville.
The Barn Gang toured Springfield, Ohio, August 15, 2006. It was a real good history lesson. We saw vintage homes, including one by Frank L. Wright, and the large museum right in the center of town. During lunch we had a talk by an attorney from the firm that took care of getting the patent for the Wright Brothers on their control features of their 1903 Flyer. All in all, it was a worthwhile day of getting history. I have to thank Karl and Sandy Ayers for taking me. This shows the folder we received about The Heritage Center of Clark County. This is a good time to express my appreciation for faithful help from Hardy Trolander for bringing me to the Bam Gang every week. Since I am no longer driving, this is a great help.
August 17, 2006, Commander Aero held an open house to celebrate their 25th Anniversary. It is always a special event to go to the Wright Brothers Airport and visit Commander Aero.
I hope these happenings have interested you as much as they have me.
—Charles O. Adams
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Dayton Innovation Legacy is a multimedia website and educational resource about Engineers Club of Dayton members who represent a living history of innovation for over 100 years. Dayton Innovation Legacy was made possible in part by the Ohio Humanities Council, a State affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. |
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