The Department of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics has been recognized by the University’s History and Traditions Committee for its 1992–93 annual report, which includes a written and pictorial history of the department from 1868 to the present.
Chair Panos Y. Papalambros accepted the citation at a ceremony held last week.
“A knowledge of our heritage enriches our understanding and appreciation of the achievement of this institution over the years,” the citation reads. “The Department of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics has illuminated and preserved an important part of our history.”
The award is the first of what committee chair Robert M. Warner, dean emeritus of the School of Information and Library Studies, hopes will be many more.
The History and Traditions Committee also recently accepted items from descendants of George W. Pray, a member of the University’s first graduating class. The items include a student trunk, blankets and a diary covering two years of Pray’s student life that were presented in December by Pray’s granddaughters.
The committee was appointed by President James J. Duderstadt to help “identify, preserve and transmit the University’s history and traditions.”