Office of the Academic Dean: Records of the Department of Electrical Engineering, 1921-1987: Finding Aid
Published in December 2019
Summary Information
- Publisher: United States Naval Academy. Special Collections & Archives.
- Publisher Address:
589 McNair Road
Annapolis, Maryland 21402-5029, USA
Phone: 410-293-6922
https://www.usna.edu/Library/sca/index.php - Call number: RG 405.4 Entry 201d
- National Archives Identifier:
- Location: Special Collections & Archives Department - Archives
- Title: Office of the Academic Dean: Records of the Department of Electrical Engineering
- Dates: 1921-1987
- Size: 4 linear feet
- Container Summary: 4 records center cartons
- Creator: United States Naval Academy. Department of Electrical Engineering
- Language(s) of material: English
- Abstract: The Records of the Department of Electrical Engineering, comprising 4 linear feet of documentation, span from 1921-1987. The collection consists of three series. The first series consists of Roll Books kept by Department instructors documenting course and enrolled midshipman grade and average data. The second series consists of general correspondence addressing personnel and resource administration, midshipman major selections and issues related to academic performance, academic curricula and organization, as well as internal and external activities and events. The third series comprises the office records of Professors Emeritus Earl W. Thompson and Edward J. Cook that relate primarily to the Department of Electrical Engineering's civilian faculty personnel, academic curricula and administrative organization, academic facilities and grading systems, and the Academy's early television system.
History of the Department of Electrical Engineering
The first organization of the Naval Academy in 1845 provided for six professorships, one of them Natural Philosophy, held by Professor Henry H. Lockwood, and another that of Chemistry, held by Surgeon John A. Lockwood. The course of instruction of Natural Philosophy included the various branches of physics, including magnetism and electricity. In 1850, a reorganization of courses resulted in chemistry being included with instruction in mechanics, steam and marine engineering, heat, electricity, light, mineralogy, and geology in the Department of Natural and Experimental Philosophy. In 1865 steam instruction was segregated into the Department of Steam Engineering. In 1871 the Department of Natural and Experimental Philosophy was retitled the Department of Physics and Chemistry.
Toward the end of the nineteenth century, the U.S. Navy began installing electrical devices in ships. As a result, it became evident that instruction at the Naval Academy should include increasing emphasis on both the theory of electricity and magnetism and hands-on experience with shipborne devices. Instruction in what is now called Electrical Engineering was introduced as courses in the Physics Department into the Naval Academy curriculum in the early 1900s. During the 1907-1908 academic year the Department of Electrical Engineering was established. During the 1912-1913 academic year it was retitled the Department of Electrical Engineering and Physics. During the 1933-1934 academic year Physics was removed from the departmental title. When construction was completed in 1903, the Departments of Marine Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Ordnance and Gunnery were housed in Dahlgren Hall, also known as "the Armory." The instructors were almost exclusively naval officers, and most instruction occurred in Isherwood, Melville, and Griffin Halls during the midshipman's second and first class years. Subjects in the early curriculum included: operation of the ship's telephone system, use of a Direct Current (DC) Ward-Leonard system for training gun turrets, and schemes for firing guns individually or in salvos. Beginning in 1923 and continuing until 1961, all midshipmen took a four-semester Electrical Engineering course in the second class and first class years. In addition to courses in chemistry and physics, the Department of Electrical Engineering instructed midshipmen in DC and Alternating Current (AC) circuits, rotating machinery, communications and electronics. These courses met for three hours of class and two hours in the laboratory each week.
During the 1959-1960 academic year the academic organization went through a major revision. The Division of Engineering and Science, and thereunder the Departments of Engineering, Mathematics, and Science were established. Instruction in electrical engineering was split between the Department of Engineering, and the Department of Science. The Department of Engineering encompassed practical instruction in electrical, mechanical, marine, and aeronautical engineering, while the Department of Science taught courses in "electrical science" to the first and second classes. From 1959 to 1968 the Electrical Engineering classrooms, offices, and laboratories were scattered among three buildings: Sampson Hall, Mahan Hall, and Griffin Hall. In 1968, construction on a new science studies building was completed and in 1969 dedicated as Michelson Hall, in commemoration of Naval Academy alumnus, Nobel-prize winner, and renowned physicist Albert A. Michelson. The Science Department and all Electrical Engineering activities were housed in Michelson Hall.
During the 1970-1971 academic year the academic organization underwent yet another major reorganization. Electrical Engineering became one of five departments in the new Division of Engineering and Weapons. In August 1970, the Engineers Council for Professional Development (ECPD), now known as the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), evaluated the Naval Academy's engineering curricula, facilities, and faculty and accredited the Electrical Engineering major. During the 1970s Electrical Engineering offices were moved to a refurbished Maury Hall, with laboratories and classrooms remaining in Michelson Hall. The first 35 midshipmen with Electrical Engineering majors graduated in 1975.
During the 2008-2009 academic year, the Department was retitled the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Presently the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering's classrooms and laboratories are located in the basements of Rickover and Mahan halls. The Department's facilities include a Biometrics/Digital Signal Processing Laboratory, Fiber Optics Laboratory, Microfabrication Laboratory, and Power Laboratory. The Department's mission is to prepare midshipmen to be leaders in today's technologically advanced Navy and Marine Corps by providing them with a firm understanding of the fundamentals of electrical and computer engineering.
Description of Contents
The records of the Department of Electrical Engineering, comprising 4 linear feet of documentation, span from 1921-1987. The collection consists of three series. The first series consists of Roll Books kept by Department instructors documenting course and enrolled midshipman grade and average data. The second series consists of general correspondence addressing personnel and resource administration, midshipman major selections, and issues related to academic performance, academic curricula and organization, as well as internal and external activities and events. The third series comprises the office records of Professors Emeritus Earl W. Thompson and Edward J. Cook that relate primarily to the Department of Electrical Engineering's civilian faculty personnel, academic curricula and administrative organization, academic facilities and grading systems, and the Academy's early television system.
Arrangement
The Records of the Department of Electrical Engineering are organized into the following three series:
- Series 1: ROLL BOOKS, 1969-1976
- Series 2: GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE, 1972-1982
- Series 3: RECORDS OF PROFESSORS EMERITUS EARL W. THOMSON AND EDWARD J. COOK, 1921-1987
Access and Use
Access
Restricted - Partly. These records must be screened for personal privacy and law enforcement information under 5 U.S.C. 552(b) prior to public release. Per review, select records may be withheld or redacted in accordance with FOIA (b)(6) Personal Information, and FOIA (b)(7) Law Enforcement.
Copyright and Permission
Generally, materials produced by Federal agencies are in the public domain and may be reproduced without permission. Any non-government publications held herein may still be subject to copyright. For further information, consult the Head, Special Collections & Archives.
Acquisition and Appraisal
Custodial History
RG 405 Records of the United States Naval Academy is the property of the National Archives and Records Administration. The materials are housed at the United States Naval Academy, William W. Jeffries Memorial Archives, an affiliated archive, as per a Memorandum of Agreement between the National Archives and Records Administration and the United States Naval Academy.
Related Materials
Related Archival Material
For records originating out of the Division of Engineering and Weapons, and the Departments of Weapons and Systems Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering, see entries 201b, 201c, and 201e respectively. Photographs collected and donated by Professor Emeritus Earl W. Thomson are available in Photo Album 69: Naval Academy and Department of Electrical Engineering Photographs.
Materials Cataloged Separately
No materials have been removed from this collection and cataloged separately.
Processing and Other Information
Preferred Citation
Office of the Academic Dean: Records of the Department of Electrical Engineering, RG 405.4 Entry 201d
Special Collections & Archives Department
Nimitz Library
United States Naval Academy
Selected Bibliography
The following sources were consulted during preparation of the historical note:
United States Naval Academy. 150th Anniversary - Brief History of the Electrical Engineering Department. Annapolis, Maryland: United States Naval Academy, 1995.
United States Naval Academy. Electrical and Computer Engineering Department Homepage. Annapolis, Maryland: United States Naval Academy, 2019, https://www.usna.edu/ECE/index.php
"Biography of Professor Earl W. Thomson." Photo Album 69: Naval Academy and Department of Electrical Engineering Photographs, Volume 2 Special Collections and Archives, Nimitz Library, United States Naval Academy.
Processing Information
This collection was processed by Samuel Limneos in November 2019. Finding aid written by Samuel Limneos in November 2019.
Subject Headings
Name and Subject Terms
- Cook, Edward J., 1917-
- Foster, Hugh F., 1918-2004
- Naval education -- United States
- Thomson, Earl W.
- United States Naval Academy
- United States Naval Academy -- Curricula - History
- United States Naval Academy -- Entrance examinations
- United States Naval Academy -- Faculty
- United States Naval Academy -- Faculty -- Handbooks, manuals, etc.
- United States Naval Academy -- Guidebooks
- United States Naval Academy -- History -- 20th century
- United States Naval Academy -- Officials and employees -- Performance
- United States Naval Academy -- Students -- Performance
- United States Naval Academy. Department of Electrical Engineering
- United States Naval Academy. Department of Electrical Engineering and Physics
- United States Naval Academy. Division of Engineering and Weapons -- Curricula
- United States Naval Academy. Science Department
Genre Terms
- Administrative regulations
- Charts (graphic documents)
- Congressional committee records
- Correspondence
- Directories
- Examinations (documents)
- Fieldwork (research)
- Instructional materials
- Job applications
- Journals (periodicals)
- Lesson plans
- Manuals
- Memorandums
- Minutes (administrative records)
- Newspaper clippings
- Orders (military records)
- Pamphlets
- Photographs
- Promotional materials
- Questionnaires
- Registers (Lists)
- Reports
- Schedules (time plans)
- Surveys (documents)
- Transparencies
Contents List
Series 1: ROLL BOOKS, 1969-1976 Box 1
Series DescriptionThe first series, ROLL BOOKS, consists of books kept by instructors detailing semester data for specific courses and sections. Each book contains a list of midshipman names, alpha number, and counselor and minor codes for all midshipmen enrolled in the course. Included are columns containing annotations for each day of the week. Some books contain columns detailing each midshipman's mid-term, 4-week exam, 8-week lab/quiz, and 8-week exam average and grade; 12-week, and final laboratory and quiz average; Major quiz score; mid-term and 12-week grade; total 12-week average and grade; 16-week exam and week grade; final exam average and letter grade; and semester final grade. Some of the roll books also include associated documents including copies of final examinations; course background forms listing biographical information about enrolled midshipmen; and occasional copies of correspondence regarding the course.
Series ArrangementArranged chronologically, thereunder by Instructor, and thereunder by course and section.
Series 2: GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE, 1972-1982 Boxes 1-2
Series DescriptionThe second series, GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE, consists of endorsements, memoranda, letters, surveys, lists, applications and minutes. The majority of the records are from the chairman of the Electrical Engineering Department; however, there is correspondence originating from civilian faculty and military instructors of the Electrical Engineering Department, the chairmen and faculty of other Divisions and Departments, and the heads of various boards and committees. The records relate to a variety of subjects including revisions to instructions; professional competency objectives; professional societies and associations; Plebe Summer details and officer duties; procurement of equipment; academic advisers, majors and specific engineering curricula; officer escorts; the Trident Scholar Program; budgets and accounting; boards and committees; civilian faculty pay, position openings, promotions, professional development, tenure, research proposals and projects, travel, and leave; and midshipman academic major selection and major changes, research and projects, automobile privileges, grades, and absences. The correspondence also addresses activities and events including Parents' Open House Weekend, graduation exercises and commissioning ceremonies, and visits by distinguished persons. Also included are some letters of recommendation, fellowship program applications, and end of course reports from instructors and faculty. The majority of the materials from 1978 to 1982 are related to midshipman academic major changes.
Series ArrangementArranged chronologically.
Series 3: RECORDS OF PROFESSORS EMERITUS EARL W. THOMSON AND EDWARD J. COOK, 1921-1987 Boxes 2-4
Series DescriptionProfessor Emeritus Earl W. Thomson, affectionately referred to by midshipmen as "Slip Stick Willie," came to the Department of Electrical Engineering and Physics in June, 1919, after serving in World War I as Captain, Coast Artillery Reserve, largely as instructor in material and gunnery at the Coast Artillery School at Fort Monroe, Virginia. From 1919 to 1922 he served at the Naval Academy as an Instructor; from 1922 to 1927 as Assistant Professor; from 1927 to 1937 as Associate Professor; as Professor from 1937 to 1942; and Senior Professor from 1942 until his retirement in 1959, at which time he was honored with the title Professor Emeritus, Senior Professor of Physics. From 1942 to 1945 Professor Emeritus Thomson served in the Army as Colonel, General Staff Corps, and on the Headquarters Staff of the Army Air Force. In the 1920s Professor Emeritus Thomson taught all subjects in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Physics, including chemistry, physics, and D.C. and A.C. electricity and radio. From 1930 to 1941 he was senior civilian on the Physics Committee and did practically all of the lecturing in physics. From 1948 to 1959 he was a member of the Academic Council, and was its Chairman from 1953 to 1958. He was also a member of the Committee on Curriculum.
Professor Emeritus Edward J. Cook came to the Department of Electrical Engineering as an Ensign in 1940. During his time on active duty from 1940 to 1946 he taught chemistry, physics, electrical engineering and electronics primarily to the Class of 1945. When released from active duty as a Lieutenant in 1946, Professor Emeritus Cook was asked to join the civilian faculty, starting out as an Instructor in Chemistry from 1946 to 1947. He served as a Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering from 1947 to 1959; as Professor in the Science Department from 1959 to 1961, and as the Department's Senior Professor from 1961 to 1970. During the 1970 to 1971 academic year, he served as Professor in the Division of Mathematics and Science teaching chemistry. From 1971 to 1972 he served as the acting Academic Dean, and as Associate Dean for Research from 1973 until his retirement as Professor Emeritus, Associate Dean in 1981. Professor Emeritus Cook retired as a Captain from the United States Naval Reserve in 1977. He was a member of the Academic Council from 1960 to 1966, and the Curriculum Review Board from 1959 to 1964. Professor Emeritus Cook was awarded the Secretary of the Navy's Distinguished Civilian Service Award in 1969 for involvement in the design, construction, and outfitting of Michelson Hall.
The third series, RECORDS OF PROFESSORS EMERITUS EARL W. THOMSON AND EDWARD J. COOK consists of reports; studies; minutes; memoranda; correspondence; charts; lists; orders; instructions; regulations; directories; manuals and guidebooks; surveys and questionnaires; examination samples; academic materials including lesson assignment sheets; schedules; some journal and newspaper articles, photographs and presentation transparencies; and ephemera including pamphlets, and copies of congressional committee hearings and acts. The records relate to the Academy's academic and administrative organization; the academic curriculum; academic facilities and budgets for their maintenance; academic grading/marking systems and requirements; the academic terms and semester system; the Electrical Engineering Department's experimental educational closed-circuit television system; and civilian faculty rosters, instructor and professorship requirements, privileges, leave, retirement, pay, life insurance, benefits, travel, research, schedules, summer employment and graduate work, prior and active military service, participation in academic processions, personnel conduct, performance ratings, and inclusion in academic directories. Other materials include new civilian instructor onboarding checklists, military instructor personnel tours of duty, and committees to investigate personnel issues.
Series ArrangementArranged alphabetically by subject.
Civilian Faculty - Committee 8: Civilian Faculty Affairs, 1956-1960
Contains copies of agendas, memoranda, and minutes from various committees (not just committee 8: Civilian Faculty Affairs Committee) whose objectives were to debate and address civilian faculty issues including but not limited to promotions, pay, tenure, seating at events, professorship requirements, life and medical insurance, travel, research, and children tuition assistance.
Civilian Faculty - Committee 6: Policy / Pay and Promotion, 1928-1958
Includes an oversize chart listing order of precedence of members of the civilian faculty of all academic departments that documents the faculty members name, date of birth, present salary, precise dates of appointment, date of present rank, assigned department, normal date of separation, and any active or reserve military service dates.
Curriculum Review Board, 1957-1964
Sometimes referred to as the Folsom Curriculum Review Board. In addition to reports, surveys, memoranda, and studies this folder also contains a compilation of letters from, and questionnaires completed by Naval officers who have been either Superintendent, Commandant, Academic Board Secretary or Department Heads regarding the state of and improvements to the Naval Academy academic curriculum.
Lesson Assignment Sheets, 1921-1961
Contains lesson assignments from various courses including but not limited to physics, chemistry, electricity and magnetism. The lesson assignment sheets are largely course syllabi and include the class number, term, weekly subjects, and assigned textbook readings and problems.
Major Hugh F. Foster, U.S. Army - Pranks, 1950-1951
Major Hugh F. Foster, U.S.A. was a Army officer attached to the military faculty of the Department of Electrical Engineering Department. He was the subject of collegial hazing by the military faculty of the Department, primarily because of his status as an Army officer attached to the Naval Academy. This folder contains mock-special orders from the Department of Electrical Engineering admonishing Major Foster, an esoteric telegram poem from Foster to Earl W. Thomson mocking the Navy in the context of the Army-Navy Football game; as well as normal, and staged photographs of Major Foster with his colleagues.
Marking Systems, 1955-1963
The two folders addressing Marking Systems contain primarily studies, reports, correspondence, and memoranda. Scattered throughout the folder are journal articles, Naval Academy studies and briefs, instructions, and a May, 1963 copy of Trident magazine. The records generally relate to proposed changes to the Academy's academic grading system.