Public Service

From its earliest days, the College of Engineering and its faculty have inspired graduates to serve public interests.

Alexander Winchell

Professor Alexander Winchell, who taught the first engineering course at the University of Michigan in 1854, volunteered his skills to help the surrounding community do surveys for a regional railroad. In 1860, faculty contributed a study on road construction. In the early 1900s, they consulted on bridge-building throughout Michigan. The Electrical Engineering department helped build and operate the first of three radio stations in the area. And in 1910, the Regents of the University of Michigan enacted a resolution encouraging teachers of engineering to involve themselves in public service. Following these examples, Michigan Engineering graduates have been tireless contributors in the public arena.   

Henry Earle Riggs

Public utility projects were a vital, highly visible part of America's growing infrastructure. The famous Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe railway lines crisscrossed the country. New bridges went up throughout Michigan. And utility plants and water works sprang up around cities. Henry Earle Riggs (D.Eng. '10, D.Eng. hon. '37) was the backbone of these projects. In 1896, he cemented a place for himself in industrial engineering history by co-founding an Ohio-based engineering consulting firm that designed and constructed inter-urban railway lines, harbor improvements, bridges, sewer systems and steam railroads.

Irwin Chase

National defense has had its share of famous fighting machines. During World War II, PT boats, such as John F. Kennedy's famous PT-109, helped turn the tide of major battles in the Pacific and the Aleutians, as well as in the Mediterranean and the English Channel. The PT boat was the brainchild of Irwin Chase (BSE Marine Engineering '06), a designer who also served for 37 years in the U.S. Navy and earned a Silver Star. Airpower has also been a hallmark of American military might.

Clarence "Kelly" Johnson

Two of World War II's most honored planes -- the Lockheed P-38, the first American aircraft capable of speeds of 400 mph, and the Hudson bomber -- were the creations of Clarence "Kelly" Johnson (BSE AA '32, MSE '33, D.Eng. hon. '64). He later took control of the Skunkworks, a special division of the Lockheed Corporation that designed advanced aircraft such as the F-80 Shooting Star, the F-104 Starfighter, the U-2 reconnaissance plane, the C-140 transport and the B-37 bomber. Johnson received the National Medal of Science from President Johnson, and the National Security Medal from President Reagan.

Jim Goodrich

Jim Goodrich (BS NAM '37) guided Bath Iron Works Corporation, which designed 245 military ships for the U.S. Navy. He also served as UnderSecretary of the U.S. Navy.

Murray D. Van Wagoner

At the request of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Murray D. Van Wagoner (BSE CE '21) spearheaded the development of the "Arsenal of Democracy" by constructing an expressway that linked Detroit and Ypsilanti to support the Willow Run bomber plant. He also launched the civilian defense program and the expansion of the home guard and worked to see that labor strikes didn't disrupt the production of essential war materials.  Government called again on Van Wagoner to serve as Michigan's Oakland County drain commissioner, Michigan state highway commissioner, and governor (1941-1942). President Harry S. Truman appointed him U.S. Military Governor of Bavaria, and then land commissioner of Bavaria for the U.S. State Department.

Richard Balzhiser

Richard Balzhiser, (BSE ChE '55, MSE NERS '56, PhD ChE '61), who put in a lot of time as a fullback for coach Bennie Oosterbaan, jumped into government service in the late 1960s, becoming a member of the Ann Arbor City Council. He followed that with a tour of duty in the Defense Department, first under Robert McNamara, then under Clark Clifford. He soon became an integral part of the Electric Power Research Institute, rising to president of the non-profit organization in 1988.

Gloria Jeff

Gloria Jeff (BSE CE '74, MSE '76, MUP '76) has broken ground in two areas. In 2003, she became the first woman -- and the first African American -- to lead the State of Michigan Department of Transportation.