ECE Students Benefit From Generosity of Harold Fry and Family
Current and future electrical engineering students at Colorado State are benefiting from the generosity of Harold Fry, a 1937 electrical engineering graduate, and his wife, Dorothy.
"As tuition and other expenses increase, it becomes increasingly difficult for students with limited financial means to be able to attend college," shares Fry. "My three older brothers also attended Colorado State, and each of us was fortunate enough to receive a scholarship."
The impact of those long-ago scholarships became far-reaching when Fry decided to establish a scholarship to assist electrical engineering students now and in the future.
Fry notes, "Our son, Lawrence Harold Fry, once commented that if there
was any funding left when we were gone, he would make a contribution to CSU
on our behalf. So we decided to beat him to the punch." As a result, the
Fry Family Electrical Engineering Scholarship was established in 2000.
In addition to his degree from Colorado State, Fry earned an ME degree from the University of Wyoming in 1950, and in 1957 received a master's of science degree in ME from the University of Colorado. He completed additional courses at the University of Pittsburgh, Kansas State University, and the University of Virginia.
Fry reflects on the many ways in which times have changed since his days as an engineering student. He shares, "Most campus jobs I worked paid just 20 to 25 cents per hour. During my last two years at CSU, I was extremely fortunate to work for the Head of the Math Department. I graded calculus papers and did stenographic work for 35 cents per hour; the second year, the rate increased to 40 cents per hour."
When Fry began working for Westinghouse Electric in June 1937 the starting pay was 68 cents per hour, which was considered one of the best paying jobs available. He was employed there as an Induction Motor Design Engineer, specializing in industrial applications of single and multi-speed motors.
Fry spent the summer of 1942 working with the United States Bureau of Reclamation as an electrical and mechanical engineer. From 1944-1946 while on leave from the University of Wyoming, he worked at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (now NASA) at Langley Field, Virginia, as an Electrical Engineer in the Induction Aerodynamics Laboratory.
From 1940-1942, Fry was a member of the Machine Design Management faculty at Kansas State University. From 1942-1958 he was a mechanical engineering faculty member at the University of Wyoming, and he then spent 21 years at Arizona State University as a faculty member in the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department.
While a student at Colorado State, Fry was a member of the Euclidian Club, Kappa Kappa Psi, Sigma Tau, and Phi Kappa Phi. He became an honorary member of the Sigma Gamma Chapter of Pi Tau Sigma at Arizona State University in 1979. He was recognized by Who's Who in Engineering, Who's Who in American Education, and American Men of Science. In 1974 he received the Ralph R. Teetor Award from the Society of Automotive Engineers. He was a Registered Professional Engineer of Colorado from 1958 to 1989 and a lifetime member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. He was also active with the American Society for Engineering Education.
When asked what words of advice he would like to share with our current students as they pursue an engineering education at Colorado State, Fry suggested that students obtain as much practical background as possible from course work, as well as from part time and summer jobs. "The main concern of many interviewers is the lack of practical background," Fry notes. "It is very difficult to design a machine or component if the designer does not know how the parts are produced."
The Fry family resides in Tucson, Arizona.
To learn more about our mission, our students, and our cutting-edge programs and research, please visit www.SupportEngineering.colostate.edu or call (970) 491-7028.