James Rhyne Killian
James Killian | |
|---|---|
President of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology | |
| In office 1948–1959 | |
| Preceded by | Karl Compton |
| Succeeded by | Julius Stratton |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 24, 1904 Blacksburg, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Died | January 29, 1988 (aged 83) Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Education | Duke University Massachusetts Institute of Technology (BS) |
| Awards | Vannevar Bush Award (1980) |
James Rhyne Killian Jr. (July 24, 1904 – January 29, 1988) was the 10th president of the
Early life and education
Killian was born on July 24, 1904, in Blacksburg, South Carolina. His father was a textile maker. He attended The McCallie School in Chattanooga, Tennessee[3] later studied at Duke University (formerly Trinity University) for two years until he transferred to MIT, where he received a Bachelor of Business Administration and engineering administration in 1926.[4] While there, he was a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity.
Career
Leadership at MIT
In 1932, while serving as the editor of MIT's alumni magazine
Advisor to the President of the U.S.
On leave from MIT he served as Special Assistant for Science and Technology to President Eisenhower from 1957 to 1959, making him the first true Presidential
Killian described an environment of "widespread discouragement" facing scientists and, in particular, scientists of the Technological Capabilities Panel, which had been convened by U.S. President
Awards and autobiography
In 1956 Killian was awarded the
Death
Killian died on January 29, 1988, in Cambridge, Massachusetts.[4]
Legacy
Two locations on MIT's campus bear the name Killian: Killian Court, a tree-lined courtyard with views of MIT's Great Dome, and Killian Hall, a concert hall (actually named after Killian's wife, Elizabeth Parks Killian, a Wellesley College alumna).
See also
- List of presidents of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- List of institute professors at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- List of Mount Holyoke College people
- List of Sigma Chi members
- List of Unitarians, Universalists, and Unitarian Universalists
- List of Peabody Award winners (1960–1969)
- List of Peabody Award winners (1970–1979)
References
- ^ James Rhyne Killian, 1904-1988
- ^ James Rhyne Killian
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-02-21.
- ^ a b Stein, George (January 31, 1988). "Obituaries : James Killian; Educator, Adviser to Two Presidents". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
- ^ Monte Reel, "A Brotherhood of Spies: The U2 and the CIA's Secret War," (New York: Anchor Books, 2019), pp. 28-29
- ^ "Public Welfare Award". National Academy of Sciences. Archived from the original on 29 December 2010. Retrieved 17 February 2011.
Further reading
- ISBN 0-309-08411-3.
External links
- Killian, James Rhyne, "The Obligations and Ideals of an Institute of Technology", The Inaugural Address, Tenth President of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, April 2, 1949
- Official MIT biography
- Welzenbach, Donald E., "SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY: ORIGINS OF A DIRECTORATE", March 15, 1953. Discussion of Killian's involvement with the C.I.A.and Pres. Eisenhower
- Records of the White House Office of the Special Assistant for Science and Technology, Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library
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