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Blake Ragsdale Van Leer (August 16, 1893 – January 23, 1956) was an engineer and university professor who served as the fifth president of
Georgia Institute of Technology The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...
from 1944 until his death in 1956.


Early life and education

Van Leer was born in
Mangum, Oklahoma Mangum is a city in and county seat of Greer County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 3,010 at the 2010 census. It was originally part of Old Greer County in the Texas panhandle. The community was named for A. S. Mangum, who owned t ...
to Maurice Langhorne Van Leer and Mary McKee Tarleton. After his father's death in 1897 he grew up in a
Masonic Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...
Orphanage in
Fort Worth Fort Worth is the List of cities in Texas by population, fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the List of United States cities by population, 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, T ...
,
Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
from the age of 4. He graduated with honours from
Purdue University Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and mon ...
in 1915 with a degree in Electrical Engineering and later an M.S. While working at Berkley, He received an M. S. in mechanical engineering from here in 1920. Also studied at the University of Caen in France and the University of Munich He was awarded two doctorates, one from Washington and Jefferson College and the other from Purdue. In 1924 he married
Ella Lillian Wall Ella Lillian Wall Van Leer (''née'' Ella Lillian Wall; November 11, 1892 – August 8, 1986) was an American artist and architect, women's rights activist, and the first woman to serve in an office of the American Legion in California. She was ...
in
Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and Em ...
.


Dean and officer

Van Leer was an U.S. Army officer and began his career as an engineer. During the World War I, he led engineering teams who built bridges in front of the main infantry to cross rivers and fought in 5 different battles. On one occasion his unit held an island for two days against enemy forces and several members of his unit were killed in action. From 1932 to 1937, Van Leer was a Dean at the
University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...
. In 1937 he became the Dean of the School of Engineering at
NC State University North Carolina State University (NC State) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina system, it is the largest university in the Carolinas. The university ...
. While there he initiated as an honorary of the NCSU chapter of
Theta Tau Theta Tau () is a professional engineering fraternity. The fraternity has programs to promote the social, academic, and professional development of its members. Today, Theta Tau is the oldest and largest professional engineering fraternity and h ...
Professional Engineering Fraternity. Around 1940, with the permission of Dean Harrelson, Van Leer gave half his time towards the North Carolina Office for Defense orders. He resigned his post as Dean in 1942 to take a military leave. During the war he served as a
U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, ...
officer (attaining the rank of
colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge ...
), after which he returned to lead the school.


Georgia Tech

After World War II Van Leer returned to become the President of
Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part o ...
. During his tenure the school admitted women for the first time. McMath, p.282 He began allowing women to enroll in night school, after a failed vote to allow women into Georgia Tech, he attempted a second try and succeeded by split decision. Faculty member Robert B. Wallace was quoted "Van Leer was a fighter who battled to the bitter end for what he believed" and nowhere would this trait serve him well in late 1955. The first step towards integration was made during support for the
1956 Sugar Bowl The 1956 Sugar Bowl featured the 7th ranked Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, and the 11th ranked Pittsburgh Panthers. The game was played on January 2, since New Year's Day was a Sunday. Much controversy preceded the 1956 Sugar Bowl. Segregationists a ...
game. During his time in office tech also became the largest engineering institute in the South and the third largest in the US and Canada. Van Leer also had a focus on making Atlanta the " MIT of the South." throughout his career by lobbying major companies like
Lockheed Corporation The Lockheed Corporation was an American aerospace manufacturer. Lockheed was founded in 1926 and later merged with Martin Marietta to form Lockheed Martin in 1995. Its founder, Allan Lockheed, had earlier founded the similarly named but ...
to expand to Atlanta. In 1946 Van Leer was appointed as a member to The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization who had a focus to work against racism through influential statements on race. Van Leer might be best known for events centered around the
1956 Sugar Bowl The 1956 Sugar Bowl featured the 7th ranked Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, and the 11th ranked Pittsburgh Panthers. The game was played on January 2, since New Year's Day was a Sunday. Much controversy preceded the 1956 Sugar Bowl. Segregationists a ...
. Van Leer who was recorded giving frequent commence speeches at the all Black Morris Brown College, stood up to Georgia governor Marvin Griffin's demand to bar Bobby Grier from participating in the 1956
Sugar Bowl The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in New Orleans, Louisiana. Played annually since January 1, 1935, it is tied with the Orange Bowl and Sun Bowl as the second-oldest bowl games in the country, surpassed onl ...
game between Georgia Tech and Grier's
University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the univer ...
. Leading up to the game, Georgia governor Marvin Griffin, sent numerous telegrams to state's Board of Regents and press explaining why Georgia should not engage in racially integrated events which had blacks either as participants or in the stands. The governor also called on the "Tech boys" to be punished. Coach Bobby Dodd and students left the whole affair up to Van Leer, Griffin to battle, and the Board of Regents. Van Leer would be summoned by The Board of Regents who commended Griffin for his stand on segregation. Van Leer was publicly quoted: Van Leer stuck to his statement, even receiving a standing ovation in the faculty senate and the game went on as planned. Four years after his death an overwhelming majority of the 2,741 students present voted to endorse integration of qualified applicants, regardless of race. Van Leer advocated women get into engineering later in his career as well.Today the building that houses Tech's school of
Electrical and Computer Engineering Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems which use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...
bears his name. Van Leer also founded Southern Polytechnic State University while president of Georgia Tech. The university merged into
Kennesaw State University Kennesaw State University (KSU) is a public research university located in the state of Georgia with two different campuses in the Atlanta metropolitan area, one in Kennesaw and the other in Marietta on a combined of land. The school was fou ...
in 2015. Van Leer died of a heart attack on January 24, 1956, at the Atlanta Veterans Hospital.


Personal life

All of Van Leer's children would graduate as engineers. Van Leer's daughter Maryly V. Peck also became an engineer and college president. His son Blake Wayne Van Leer also became a high ranked officer for the
United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
who was also an engineer. His youngest son Samuel Van Leer graduated from Georgia Tech and was headmaster as several private schools. Sam was quoted stating his dad "could imagine a Ramblin' Wreck from Georgia Tech being anyone, he did not concern himself with race or gender, he was always progressive."


See also

* History of the Georgia Institute of Technology *
List of members of the American Legion This table provides a list of notable members of American Legion, The American Legion. A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P R S T U V W Y Z References External links * {{DEFAULTSORT:Americ ...
*
1956 Sugar Bowl The 1956 Sugar Bowl featured the 7th ranked Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, and the 11th ranked Pittsburgh Panthers. The game was played on January 2, since New Year's Day was a Sunday. Much controversy preceded the 1956 Sugar Bowl. Segregationists a ...


References


Works cited

* * * Lewis Ferry Moody; Fifty Years’ Progress in Hydraulics. *


External links


Van Leer family archives
*
GIT profile
from library
Georgia Tech celebrates 50 years of women

Official Army Register – 1956
{{DEFAULTSORT:Van Leer, Blake Ragsdale 1893 births 1956 deaths 20th-century American engineers American civil rights activists American Episcopalians Burials in Oklahoma California city council members Male feminists North Carolina State University faculty People from Atlanta People from Eastland County, Texas People from Mangum, Oklahoma Presidents of Georgia Tech Purdue University alumni Purdue University College of Engineering alumni United States Army colonels United States Army personnel of World War I University and college founders University of Florida faculty Van Leer family