Engineering Memory of the Month

Stanford Engineering’s peace dividend

Research equipment is essential but expensive, so universities are always eager to find people and organizations that can donate equipment or provide it at low cost. In the years immediately following World War II, the U.S. military became a major benefactor. A huge variety of surplus war material found their peaceful purpose in the School of Engineering.

The electrical engineering department received radars, gun turrets (watch out Cal?), dozens of oscilloscopes and other instruments, and miles of wire. The civil engineering department received exotic machines for material strength testing. Aeronautics professors received surplus airplane controls. In all, the government sold Stanford Engineering about $300,000 worth of equipment for between a nickel and a dime on the dollar. It also loaned the school another $200,000 worth of equipment.

The school received so many surplus machine tools that in the summer of 1947, it was able to build, furnish, and staff a big new machine shop to make custom equipment. Above is an image from that new shop in 1948.

You are invited to share your "surplus" memories with us. Scan and send your old school photos to David Orenstein, manager, Communications and P.R.