Courtesy Photo | Gen. Bernard Schriever, commander of the Air Force Systems Command, sixth from left,...... read more read more
ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, Tenn. – Before the throngs gathered at Arnold Air Force Base to witness him dedicate the Air Engineering Development Center in honor of the late Air Force Gen. Henry “Hap” Arnold on June 25, 1951, then-President Harry Truman made a pledge.
“Never again will the United States ride the coattails of other countries in the progress and development of the aeronautical art,” Truman stated during his address.
Now, the partnering academic institution established to help ensure the fulfillment of Truman’s commitment has reached a significant milestone in its storied history.
A celebration to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the University of Tennessee Space Institute will take place Sept. 27 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at UTSI. The event is free and open to the public.
The first UTSI classes began on Sept. 24, 1964, in offices provided by the Air Force at AEDC as the institute was under construction at the time. When these inaugural lessons began, the UTSI staff was comprised of five full-time professors and eight part-time faculty members. Its enrollment consisted of eight full-time students and 266 part-time students.
In his book “Web to the Stars: A History of The University of Tennessee Space Institute,” author Weldon Payne wrote that on June 1, 1950, Dr. Frank Wattendorf, in his capacity of deputy chief scientific adviser of the Air Engineering Development Division, signed a “memorandum of record” recommending that AEDC have a complementary education institution to attract scientific personnel. Wattendorf further suggested this institution be named the “Arnold Research Institute” and that it be located near AEDC.
“He visualized this institute being organized and operated by an association of universities similar to the Institute of Nuclear Study at Oak Ridge, site of the Atomic Energy Commission’s laboratories,” Payne wrote. “Wattendorf said such an institute could be sponsored and promoted by the Air Force, or it might be proposed and promoted independently by a private or state foundation with the Air Force’s encouragement.”
Prior to AEDC beginning operations in the early 1950s, efforts were made to affiliate the center with universities, according to Payne. In May 1951, the officials considered drafts of a proposed contract with the University of Tennessee. They recommended the development of a program to provide qualified AEDC personnel university-level courses leading to advanced degrees in physical and engineering sciences.
The following month, the Air Force awarded to the University of Tennessee a letter contract to study these recommendations. After completing this study, the university submitted a report in December 1952 that recommended the establishment of a program of residence graduate courses and degrees for AEDC employees. Also recommended was lecture and symposia programs to put AEDC personnel in contact with leaders in aviation, industry and science.
But most significantly, according to Payne, the UT study recommended that an Institute of Flight Sciences be established at AEDC.
“The proposal rested on the expectation that activities of the institute would become a valuable factor in attracting and retaining scientific personnel required for the full development of AEDC,” Payne wrote.
The University of Tennessee began offering graduate classes in selected engineering fields at AEDC in June 1956. However, it would be the better part of a decade before UTSI came to fruition.
According to longtime University of Tennessee employee and author Betsey Creekmore, B.H. Goethert in 1958 proposed to the Air Force that a Tennessee aerospace institute be located near AEDC. In 1963, the state legislation authorized the University of Tennessee’s creation of a separate graduate space institute offering master’s and doctoral degrees.
Goethert would go on to become the first full-time director of UTSI in 1966.
The first convocation of UTSI occurred at Arnold on Sept. 25, 1964, one day after the first classes were held. Gen. Bernard Schriever, then-commander of the Air Force Systems Command, was the main speaker for the event and referred to the then-under construction UTSI as “the first of its kind.”
“The Space Institute here represents a unique educational establishment,” Schriever said. “It does not attempt to imitate the conventional university pattern. It is loosely associated with the Air Force, an association that benefits the Air Force, the University of Tennessee and the state.”
A little more than a month later, on Oct. 28, 1964, cornerstone ceremonies were held for UTSI. Inclement weather prevented the festivities from being held at the site of the then-under construction institute, so the event, which was attended by several hundred state and local officials, military personnel, educators and members of the public, was instead held at the Tullahoma National Guard Armory.
During the ceremonies, then Lt. Gov. James L. Bomar unveiled a simulated cornerstone which represented the one to be placed in the UTSI building to be named in honor of then-Gov. Frank Clement.
Those who spoke during the ceremonies emphasized the importance of UTSI to the state of Tennessee, the nation and the aerospace industry. Goethert credited Clement for recognizing the significance of UTSI as a “key element in opening the way” for the state’s entry into the national space program and in further vitalizing industrial activities in Tennessee.
“You may be assured that faculty and students will strive relentlessly to make this Tennessee Space Institute an academic-industrial center which will rank among the best in this country and form the sparkplug for scientific and industrial progress, not only in this area of Tennessee, but throughout our entire country and abroad,” Goethert said.
Schriever said UTSI could be of great value in helping the nation take advantage of new technical opportunities identified at the time, particularly such opportunities in the aerospace field.
“The Tennessee Space Institute is uniquely situated to make a major contribution to the advancement of aerospace technology,” Schriever said. “[UTSI] will be a facility and a capability unmatched in the world for research into propulsion, design and operation, advanced computer theory, and research in nuclear power because of our location near Oak Ridge.
“We in the Air Force will support the institute right down the line to see that we not only succeed, but that we succeed in the biggest way possible.”
Bomar referred to UTSI as a significant step in the forward progress of the state.
“The University of Tennessee is today putting Tennessee in the vanguard of the aerospace age, inviting space-related industries to be part of our future,” he said. “This space institute means just as much to the people of Bristol and Memphis as it does to those in the local area.”
The institute continued to take shape over the ensuing year, and the first classes were held in the new UTSI building in November 1965. At that time, only the administrative wing, one wing for classrooms and some faculty offices were complete. The laboratory wing and a second classroom-faculty office wing were mostly completed by the point, with those areas finished by Feb. 1, 1966.
Construction of the UTSI auditorium and conference room wing was completed by that summer.
A dedication for the Frank G. Clement Administration Building, the first building completed at UTSI, took placed on July 11, 1966.
Dorm rooms were built six years later.
Today, UTSI is situated on 365 acres of property.
Neary 2,500 graduate degrees, including nearly 320 doctorates, have been awarded through UTSI. More than 500 AEDC employees have earned graduate degrees at UTSI.
UTSI alumni include astronauts, engineering managers, chief scientists, company presidents, and renowned scholars and scientists.
UTSI is located at 411 B.H. Goethert Parkway in Tullahoma. For more information on the celebration, contact Meghan Morris at mmorris@utsi.edu or 931-393-7318.
Disclaimer: The University of Tennessee Space Institute is not part of the Department of Defense or any of its components and has no governmental status.
| Date Taken: | 09.23.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 09.23.2024 17:00 |
| Story ID: | 481563 |
| Location: | ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, TENNESSEE, US |
| Web Views: | 12 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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