We recently installed a new exhibit about the Engineers Club of Dayton in the Alumni case on the first floor of Dunbar Library.
This exhibit contains a subset of items from the larger Engineers Club of Dayton exhibit created by Public History graduate students Adam Becker and Jordan Countryman as part of the Club’s centennial celebration.
Many of the items currently on exhibit in the Alumni case are original materials, an unusual treat for exhibit viewers, since we usually do not use originals due to preservation concerns such as exposure to light.
Another reason that the entire exhibit was not recreated in the Alumni case was sheer lack of space. For instance, we did not have room for the life-size cut-outs of Edward Deeds or Orville Wright, but these can be seen diligently keeping watch over hardworking library-goers from the fourth floor balcony. (The life-size cut-out of Charles Kettering wished to remain downtown for a while longer, but he cheers on the students in spirit!)
The gallery below includes several more photographs of the Engineers Club exhibit, which can be seen in the Alumni case (near the Circulation Desk) on the first floor of the Dunbar Library through the end of the summer. (Click on an individual photo to view it larger.)
- Engineers Club of Dayton Exhibit, May 2014
- Exhibit creators, Jordan Countryman and Adam Becker, with life-size cutouts of Edward Deeds, Charles Kettering, and Orville Wright
- Engineers Club History
- Engineers Club exhibit
- Orville Wright
- Original programs and illustrations
- By-Laws of the Engineers’ Club of Dayton
- Original programs, ribbon, dish
- Images of Kettering, Deeds, and Wright
- Original letter from Orville Wright to George B. Smith
- Original minutes, programs, and illustrations
- Life-size cutouts of Deeds and Wright on the Dunbar Library’s fourth floor balcony.
Please stop by to have a closer look, and feel free to visit the Archives on the fourth floor — or comment, call, or email — if you have any questions. You can also view the online PDF finding aid for the Engineers Club of Dayton Records (MS-420) to learn more about the Club and the collection.