WPI Historical Overview
Margaret Anderson, WPI Assistant Archivist
Julie Hitchcock, ME 2010,
Student Alumni Society Chair
In the beginning…
• WPI was founded in 1865
• Purpose: Educate young men to work in the industries
of Worcester County
• Founders – John Boynton and Ichabod Washburn
• Boynton Hall designed by Stephen Earle
• Washburn Shops designed by Elbridge Boyden & Son
• Original landscape designed by Calvert Vaux,
associate of Frederick Law Olmstead
• Motto – “Lehr and Kunst” – Theory and Practice
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Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Early Campus View
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Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Founders
John Boynton
Ichabod Washburn
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Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Deed of land from
Stephen Salisbury
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Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Boynton Hall
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Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Washburn Shops
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Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Historical Timeline
•
•
•
•
1865 – WPI founded
1868 – School Opens; Dr. Thompson is President
1871 – First Class Graduates
1915 – WPI celebrates its 50th anniversary;
corner stone for Alumni Gym set;
Dr. Booker T. Washington in attendance
• 1940 – Earle Bridge links original campus to expanded
campus and Alden Memorial Auditorium
• 1941-1945 – World War II and V-12 Program
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Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Historical Timeline, Contd.
• 1968 – First Women Students
• 1971 – WPI Plan Implemented
• 1972 – First Degrees in fields outside science and
engineering: Economics, Business Management,
Humanities
• 1974 – Opening of Washington Project Center
• 1980s-present – Expansion of Global Project Program
• 2007 – Opening of Gateway Park
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Worcester Polytechnic Institute
 Graduated
in 1901
 Head of Experimental Department at Deere
& Co.
 Diary collection available at
http://theo.wpi.edu/
 Graduated
1908
 Launched first liquid-fueled rocket
March 16, 1926
 Father of Modern Rocketry
 Graduated
in 1921
 Developed Negative-Feedback Amplifier in
1927 and stabilized it in 1934
 Amplifier has a wide application thus
considered one of most useful breakthroughs
in electronics during 20th century
 WPI’s
first undergraduate woman to graduate
 Class of 1972; BS in Mathematics
 Original Ratio 74:1
Jayne Rosetti and Leslie Small
 Dropped
out of WPI twice
 Became a prominent radio manufacturer
 Patented modern automobile ignition coil in
1921
 WPI building named after him
 Dropped
out of WPI
 Founded AutoSyringe, Inc. and DEKA Research
and Development Corp.
 Co-founder of FIRST Robotics
 DEKA developed the IBOT and Segway
 Scavenger

First hands-on experience with WPI history
 Bridge

Hunt
Crossing
Tech Bibles and Beanies
 Trophy
and Rivalry started with Class of 1893
 Named after Gompei Kuwada (initials were
GK for “goat keeper”)
 Five events during the year: Rope Pull,
Celebrity Squares, Eskimo Relay, Traditions
Day, Junior-Senior Mystery Event
 Celebrates
first day of classes
November 11, 1868
 Highlight one of nine founders each year
 Hand out t-shirts
 Goat petting at the fountain
 Celebrity Squares rivalry event