ME Hall of Fame
About the Awards | Submit a Nomination
Inaugural inductees into the Mechanical Engineering Hall of Fame were honored, along with donors to the department, at a Centennial Kickoff Dinner on September 14, 2006.
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Inductees who received their awards at the dinner were (L–R): Roderick Kirkwood, president of Graham & Co. (retired); Professor Emeritus James Morrison (’54); Donald Petersen (’46), chairman and CEO of Ford Motor Co. (retired); and Professor Emeritus Albert Kobayashi (’52). |
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2006 INDUCTEES |
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| Paul Anderson | James Morrison |
| Everett Owen Eastwood | Donald E. Petersen |
| Albert Kobayashi | Frank D. Robinson |
| Roderick Kirkwood | Karsten C. Solheim |
| Paul M. Anderson Chairman and CEO, Duke Energy |
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Born and raised in Richland, Washington, Paul Anderson received a BS (’67) in mechanical engineering from the University of Washington and an MBA from Stanford University. Paul began his professional career in 1969 at the Ford Motor Company, where his work was related to product engineering, manufacturing, marketing, and finance. He then joined the energy firm PanEnergy in 1977. Paul ascended through various leadership positions, eventually becoming chairman, president, and chief executive officer. PanEnergy merged with Duke Energy in 1997, and for the next year Paul served as president and chief operating officer at Duke Energy, a diversified company with a portfolio in the natural gas and electricity sectors. He then joined BHP Billiton, a natural-resources group operating in both Australia and the United Kingdom, serving as managing director and chief executive officer until 2002. He then returned to Duke Energy in his current position as chief executive officer and chairman of the board.
Paul is an outspoken advocate for corporate policies that strike the right balance between profitability, social responsibility, and environmental stewardship. He is an industry leader in calling for measures to mitigate the effects of global warming, including comprehensive federal programs to promote alternative energy sources and conservation.
| Everett Owen Eastwood Professor & ME Chair (1905–47) |
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Everett Eastwood received a BS in Naval Architecture in 1902 from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He joined the University of Washington in 1905 and was the founding head (now called the “chair”) of the UW Mechanical Engineering Department. He served as ME chair for 42 years (1905–1947), more than twice as long as any other person who has since filled that role. In 1929 he also helped found the UW Aeronautical Engineering Department, and served as chair of both departments from 1929 until his retirement in 1947. He guided development of the ME undergraduate curriculum and the first graduate curriculum, the master's in mechanical engineering degree, first awarded in 1921. Professor Eastwood had a major role in shaping not only the ME Department, but also the University of Washington. He served as the university's engineering consultant and helped develop the first master plan for the UW campus.
| Albert S. Kobayashi ME Professor Emeritus |
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Albert Kobayashi received a BSME (’47) from the University of Tokyo, an MSME ('52) from the University of Washington, and a PhD ('58) from Illinois Institute of Technology. He began his academic career as an assistant professor at the University of Washington in 1958 and was promoted to associate professor and professor in 1961 and 1965, respectively. He has made many fundamental contributions to the fields of experimental stress analysis, finite element analysis, biomechanics, and fracture mechanics, and has authored more than 500 publications related to these topics.
Albert is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, an honorary member of the Society for Experimental Mechanics (SEM), a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), and a member of the Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers (JSME) and of the American Academy of Mechanics. He has held numerous offices within SEM and ASME and was president of SEM for 1989–90. In addition to many major awards from the SEM, ASME, and JSME, Albert received the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon, from the Emperor of Japan in 1997.
| Rod Kirkwood Former President, Graham & Co. Architects & Engineers |
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Rod Kirkwood spent most of his youth in Montana, growing up during the Great Depression. He studied mechanical engineering at the University of Washington in the early 1940s and was about to complete his BS degree when World War II intervened. Rod joined the army, and by the end of the war had started a family, so returning to the UW was not an option. Rod enrolled part-time at Seattle University to take the few courses he needed to complete his BS degree, and simultaneously began his professional career.
In 1952 he joined John Graham & Co. Architects and Engineers as a mechanical engineer. Over the next 46 years, Rod became director of operations, partner, and president of Graham. His imprint is all over Seattle, as he led the engineering design team on many major projects, including the iconic Seattle Space Needle, the Westin Tower and Hotel, and Northgate Mall. A registered professional engineer in 15 states, Rod was also president of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), and initiated the ASHRAE Standard 90-75, “Energy Conservation in New Building Designs,” responsible for major energy reductions and emissions in the U.S. Standard 90 is now an ANSI standard providing savings throughout the world.
| James B. Morrison ME Professor Emeritus |
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James Morrison was raised in Virginia and received a BSME from Virginia Polytechnic Institute in 1943. He joined the US Army Air Force immediately after graduation and during World War II served as a B-29 flight engineer, receiving a Purple Heart for his valor and bravery. After the war he visited the University of Washington campus in 1946, intending to pursue graduate study, but instead was immediately hired as an instructor by ME Chair Everett Eastwood. He pursued his graduate degree while teaching undergraduate engineering courses, and received an MSME degree from the UW in 1954. He was promoted to assistant professor, associate professor, and professor in 1949, 1955, and 1961, respectively. As part of his research activities Jim developed the “Morrison seal,” which today is widely used to seal underwater cables and connectors.
During his 36-year academic career Jim Morrison was an inspirational and beloved teacher to multiple generations of UW Mechanical Engineering students. In 2004 one of his former students, Henry Schatz (BSME ’64), endowed the Morrison Undergraduate Scholarship Fund and the Morrison Chair in Mechanical Engineering, both of which were named in Jim’s honor.
| Donald E. Petersen Former Chairman & CEO, Ford Motor Company |
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Donald Petersen received a BSME (’46) from the University of Washington and an MBA (’49) from Stanford. In 1949 he began a lifelong career with the Ford Motor Company. Initially hired as a product planner and developer, Don rose through the ranks to positions of ever-increasing responsibility. In 1977 he was named a director and in 1980 he became president and chief operating officer at a time when Ford had “fallen apart.” By making teamwork and quality his top priorities, he turned the company around. Don was named chairman of the board and chief executive officer in 1985, positions he held until retiring in 1990 and leaving the company in vigorous shape.
Don was internationally lauded for his inclusive, team-oriented management style. Among many honors, in 1989 he was named “CEO of the Year” by Chief Executive magazine and “Manager of the Year” by the National Management Association. Don described his management philosophies in the best-selling book, A Better Idea: Refining the Way Americans Work. He has also served on the boards of directors of several major companies, including The Boeing Company, Hewlett-Packard, and Dow Jones & Co. Don is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, the Society of Automotive Engineers and the Engineering Society of Detroit. He has been involved in a wide array of volunteer activities, and in 2004 received the Gates Volunteer Service Award, given annually to recognize outstanding volunteers who have advanced the UW through dedication and personal involvement. During the awards ceremony, Don remarked that his student days at the UW “really did get me very well started—though I didn’t know it at the time—toward a life I’ve truly enjoyed.”
| Frank Robinson President & Chairman, Robinson Helicopter Co. |
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Frank Robinson was raised on Whidbey Island and has had a lifelong passion for aviation, particularly helicopters. He began his studies in mechanical engineering in the late 1940s, but with no student loans or scholarships in those days, it took him nine years to work his way through the UW. He took odd jobs to finance his education, including sailing the South Pacific in the merchant marine, and completed his BSME in 1957. After graduation Frank joined Cessna Aircraft, working on the CH-1 Skyhook helicopter. He then spent one year working toward certification of the Umbaugh gyroplane, followed by nearly five years at McCulloch Motor Co. He then joined Kaman Aircraft Co. (now Kaman Aerospace) to work on rotorcraft. A year later he joined Bell Helicopters, where he spent two years in R&D. He joined Hughes Helicopter in 1969 and worked on a variety of R&D projects.
With a vision to build a light and inexpensive helicopter for the general aviation market, he founded Robinson Helicopter Co. in 1973. The advanced design and engineering of his R22 and R44 helicopters have led to speed and altitude records for their weight class. They are the world’s top-selling civilian helicopters, and his company now employs more than 1200 people. Frank is a Fellow of the American Helicopter Society and a member of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots. He has received many major aviation awards, including induction in 2000 as a Laurels Hall of Fame “Legend” by Aviation Week & Space Technology. The UW College of Engineering honored him with the Distinguished Alumnus Award in 1991. Frank has established two UW undergraduate scholarship funds for students from Whidbey Island. One fund assists students in any field, while the second assists promising engineering students.
| Karsten Solheim Inventor, Ping Golf Clubs |
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Karsten Solheim was born in Norway but at age two immigrated with his parents to Seattle. His lifelong goal was to become a mechanical engineer. He attended the UW for one year (1933–34), but the Great Depression and lack of money interrupted his studies. He married Louise Crozier in 1936 and for several years supported his family as a shoe repairman, following in the family tradition. Upon the outbreak of World War II, he resumed his engineering studies via University of California extension courses and joined the defense industry, working at Ryan Aeronautical. After the war he initially worked as a salesman, but then returned to engineering with positions at Convair and General Electric.
Karsten became an avid golfer in 1954, and in 1959 invented a new type of putter, which he called the “Ping.” He left General Electric in 1967 to found Karsten Manufacturers, producers of Ping golf clubs. Karsten’s clubs have since revolutionized the game of golf. He was the first to use investment casting to improve the consistency of irons. He developed the concept of perimeter weighting to achieve more consistent ball-striking and the high-lofted club now known as a “lob wedge.” Karsten received numerous awards from both engineering and sporting organizations during his career. He passed away in 2000, but Louise Solheim has since established an undergraduate scholarship fund and the Solheim Manufacturing Labs within the ME Department in memory of her late husband.
