EDUCATION = OPPORTUNITY

Terman taught at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), then moved west to Stanford University. Terman left the dour snowfalls of the east for sunny northern California.

Frederick was engineer, educator, savvy businessman and administrator. As Stanford's Vice President, he made the university's surrounding farmland available for lease. In doing this, Terman essentially invented Silicon Valley, the concept of a university surrounded by R & D (Research and Development) spinoffs, capitalizing on the good ideas and implementing them commercially. He ramped up Stanford's statistics, engineering and sciences to go for government grants. His Ph.D. advisor was undoubtedly an influence, for the gentleman was Vannevar "The Memex" Bush, the coordinator of technology efforts in World War Two and founder of the National Science Foundation.

One can't discount the role of a sharp and observant professor in stimulating industry, putting people together. With a comfortable tenured place to sit, and generally refinable routine requiring small improvements, the mind can turn to societal needs, and systems of their implementation.

The library of my late father, MIT '29, contained several of Terman's textbooks, like his 1938 Radio Engineering. Pop moved from New England to teach at a midwestern university, and never liked the midwest. Now I look at the programs of my own small midwestern university's and contemplate what influence I have to see them ramped up, raising all boats while feathering my own nest of research and art.

Reference consulted:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Terman

previous

next