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{{Short description|American engineer and university president (1893–1956)}}
{{Infobox officeholder {{Infobox officeholder
|name = Blake R. Van Leer | name = Blake R. Van Leer
|image = Blake Ragsdale Van Leer.gif | image = Dean Blake Van Leer.jpg
| order = 5th | caption =
|caption =
| title = ] of the ] | title = ] of the ]
| term_start = 1944 | term_start = 1944
Line 9: Line 9:
| predecessor = ] | predecessor = ]
| successor = ] | successor = ]
| order1 = | order1 =
| title1 = Dean of Engineering ] | title1 = Dean of Engineering ]
| term_start1 = 1932 | term_start1 = 1932
Line 16: Line 16:
| term_start2 = 1937 | term_start2 = 1937
| term_end2 = 1941 | term_end2 = 1941
| office3 = ]
|branch={{Army|United States}}
| term_start3 = 1924
|rank=] Colonel
| term_end3 = 1932
|serviceyears = 1917–1953
| birth_date = August 16, 1893
|commands=] ]
| birth_place = ]
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1956|1|23|1893|8|16}}
| death_place = Atlanta, Georgia
| alma_mater = ]<br />]<br />]<br />]
| occupation = ]
| branch = ]
| rank = ]
| serviceyears = 1917–1953
| unit = ]
| battles = ]<br />] | battles = ]<br />]
| mawards = ]
| alma_mater = ]<br />]<br />]
|awards=]
|office4 = ]
|term_start4 = 1924
|term_end4 = 1932
|birth_date = August 16, 1893
|birth_place = ]
|death_date = {{Death date and age|1956|1|23|1893|8|16}}
|death_place = Atlanta, Georgia
|occupation = ] and ]

| spouse = ]
| children = ], ], Samuel Van Leer

}} }}
'''Blake Ragsdale Van Leer''' (August 16, 1893 – January 23, 1956) was an engineer and university professor who served as the fifth president of ] from 1944 until his death in 1956.
'''Blake Ragsdale Van Leer''' (a.k.a. '''Blake Van Leer''') (August 16, 1893 &ndash; January 23, 1956) was an orphan who became the fifth president of ], founder of ], former dean of ] and ]. He was also a United States Army officer, inventor, played a crucial role in Atlanta's economic growth and civil rights movement. During his 12-year tenure at Georgia Tech, women were admitted for the first time, steps were made towards integration, Tech changed its name from Georgia School of Technology to the Georgia Institute of Technology and went through a dramatic change.


==Early life and education== ==Early life and education==
Van Leer was born in ] to Maurice Langhorne Van Leer and Mary McKee Tarleton.<ref name="auto"/> After his father's death in 1897 he grew up in an all-girls ] orphanage in ], ] from the age of 4.<ref>{{cite web |title=Beyond the Chain Link Lay the Kingdom of the Mighty Mites |url=https://hometownbyhandlebar.com/?p=1283 |website=Hometownbyhandlebar.com |access-date=2 July 2022}}</ref> At an early age he decided he wanted to be an engineer.<ref>{{cite web |title=Oral-History:Maryly Van Leer Peck |url=https://ethw.org/Oral-History:Maryly_Van_Leer_Peck |website=ETHW |language=en |date=10 June 2016}}</ref> He graduated with honors from ] in 1915 with a degree in electrical engineering and later an M.S. in mechanical engineering while working at the ] in 1920. Van Leer also studied at the ] in France and the ].<ref>{{cite journal |title=Campusonalities |journal=The Georgia Tech Alumnus |date=1951 |issue=January–February |page=9 |url=https://issuu.com/gtalumni/docs/1951_29_3/9 |access-date=2 July 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=United States. Congress. House. Committee on Armed Services |title=Full Committee Hearings on Universal Military Training |date=1947 |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |page=4333 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lNdEAQAAMAAJ&dq=purdue+university+blake+r+van+leer&pg=PA4333}}</ref> He was awarded two doctorates, one from ] and the other from Purdue.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://issuu.com/gtalumni/docs/1951_29_3/9 | title=Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine Vol. 29, No. 03 1951 by Georgia Tech Alumni Association - Issuu | date=2 July 2013 }}</ref> In 1924 he married ] in ].<ref name="auto">{{cite web |title=Biography of Van Leer Family |url=https://finding-aids.library.gatech.edu/repositories/2/resources/445 |website=Georgia Tech Library |access-date=2 July 2022}}</ref>
Van Leer was born in ]. After his father's death in 1897 he became an orphan without family and grew up in an ] Orphanage in ]. The same orphanage was subject to a book by ], ''Twelve Mighty Orphans'' and later adapted into a film, '']'', in 2021. He graduated with honours from ] in 1915 with a degree in Electrical Engineering. After ], he studied at University of Caen in France and returned to Berkeley where he received an M.S. in mechanical engineering. He later received a second master's degree from Purdue. Van Leer would also receive two honorary doctorates from ] and Purdue. In 1924 he married women right's advocate ] in ]. He was awarded a traveling scholarship from ] to study at ]. In the 1920s Van Leer was a student and then professor at Berkley. At the time some of the brightest engineers such as ] taught or attended here. Later ] recruited Van Leer for his fellowship program, which sent promising students and professors to cutting edge hydraulic labs with a focus on exposing them to practices he believed would be useful in solving river problems.<ref>{{cite magazine|year=1937|title=Research and development in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers|url=https://usace.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p16021coll4/id/177/rec/5386|magazine=Improving the Common Stock of Knowledge|pages=54}}</ref> While working for the ], he would invent the California pipe method for measuring water.<ref>{{cite magazine|year=1937|title=NC State Alumni News |url=https://ocr.lib.ncsu.edu/ocr/ua/ua010_200-001-bx0001-011-004/ua010_200-001-bx0001-011-004.pdf|magazine=NC State|pages=7}}</ref> Van Leer also served as a member of city council of ].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1928-07-15/ed-1/seq-13/|title = Evening star. &#91;volume&#93; (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, July 15, 1928, Image 13|date = 15 July 1928|page = 13}}</ref> Van Leer also co wrote the book Fifty Years’ Progress in Hydraulics with ] who created the ].<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://www.osti.gov/pages/servlets/purl/1339294|doi=10.1115/1.4033976|title=History of the Fluids Engineering Division|year=2016|last1=Cooper|first1=Paul|last2=Samuel Martin|first2=C.|last3=O'Hern|first3=Timothy J.|journal=Journal of Fluids Engineering|volume=138|issue=10}}</ref> In 1930 Van Leer also lobbied congress to fund a National Museum of Engineering and Industry.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/To_Establish_a_Commission_on_a_National/usNFAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=blake+%22van+leer%22&pg=PA21&printsec=frontcover|title = To Establish a Commission on a National Museum of Engineering and Industry. Hearing Before a Subcommittee... On S. 454. May 27, 1930. (71-2).|year = 1930}}</ref>

==Dean==
From 1932 to 1937 he was a Dean at the ].<ref>{{cite web|title=History of the ECE Department: 1930-1939|url=http://www.ece.ufl.edu/about/history/1930s.htm|publisher=UFL|access-date=2009-06-11|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100603131920/http://www.ece.ufl.edu/about/history/1930s.htm|archive-date=2010-06-03}}</ref> Van Leer was hired as Dean to expand the engineering program, oversee all applications for federal funding and chair the Advanced Planning Committee. During his tenure at Florida, he also worked with the Florida State Planning Board and directed a number of engineering institutes in the state. In 1937 he became the Dean of the School of Engineering at ]. While there he started the graduate program for engineering. Later, he was initiated as an honorary of the NCSU chapter of ] Professional Engineering Fraternity. In 1940 Van Leer was chairman of the ] and led the federal governments focus on research, prompting SPEE to form the Engineering College Research Association (ECRA), which was more concerned with research than SPEE had ever been. The ECRA spoke for most engineering researchers, sought federal funds, and collected and published information on academic engineering research.<ref>https://sites.asee.org/se/wp-content/uploads/sites/56/2021/01/1940.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=March 2022}}</ref> Around 1940, with the permission of ], Van Leer gave half his time towards the North Carolina Office for Defense orders. In 1942, Van Leer successfully encouraged NC State's first women to pursue an engineering degree, 4-5 women would enroll and the first women graduated in 1941. He was interviewed by ] and stated there was particular demand for more women engineers in the U.S Navy and most defense departments were starting considerably late on recruiting women engineers.<ref>{{cite web|title=Defense demands women engineers |url=https://digitalcommons.winthrop.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1036&context=thejohnsonian1940s|publisher=thejohnsonian|date=1942-03-20}}</ref> One of his first women engineering students ] became the ]'s first female engineer. He resigned his post as Dean later in 1942 to take a military leave.<ref>{{cite web|title=Guide to the North Carolina State University College of Engineering Annual Reports|url=http://library.ncsu.edu/findingaids/ua105_002/#History|publisher=NCSU|access-date=2009-06-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140425024348/http://library.ncsu.edu/findingaids/ua105_002/#History|archive-date=2014-04-25|url-status=dead}}</ref>


==Dean and officer==
==Officer==
Van Leer's military career started with his appointment as second Lieutenant Engineer in the ] for the ] in July 1917. He was promoted after ] and became a Captain. During the war, 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.<ref name="google.com">{{Cite book|url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Full_Committee_Hearings_on_Universal_Mil/lNdEAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=world+war++Blake+%22Van+Leer%22&pg=PA4333&printsec=frontcover|title=Full Committee Hearings on Universal Military Training|year=1947|publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office}}</ref> Van Leer was awarded the French ].<ref>{{cite web|title=History of the ECE Department: 1930-1939|url=https://issuu.com/gtalumni/docs/1944_22_4_8f851169a7a6f9|publisher=Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine|access-date=2013-07-09}}</ref> He was reappointed in 1925 as a Major for the ] and later became Lieutenant Colonel in October 1942 for the Army Specialized Training Division. At a hearing with congress, Van Leer defended Admiral ]'s plan for training and education for naval officers.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GSUtv6QbNI0C&dq=Princeton+University+Blake+%22Van+Leer%22&pg=PA3222 | title=Hearings | last1=House | first1=United States. Congress | year=1947 }}</ref> ] the following year and would later be appointed to the visitor board of the ] by President ].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/57/Annual_register_of_the_United_States_Naval_Academy_%28IA_annualregisterof1011unit%29.pdf |title=Naval Academy visitor board | access-date=June 7, 2015}}</ref> Van Leer would remained active during several periods of his life, until he retired in 1953.<ref>{{cite web|title= Georgia Tech Library|url=https://finding-aids.library.gatech.edu/repositories/2/resources/445}}</ref> While being stationed in DC, he was a lecturer at ]. While in active duty, he frequently lobbied congress for Universal Military Training due to its positive results on youth.<ref name="google.com"/> Van Leer was an ] and began his career as an engineer. During ], 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.<ref name="google.com">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lNdEAQAAMAAJ&dq=world+war++Blake+%22Van+Leer%22&pg=PA4333 |title=Full Committee Hearings on Universal Military Training |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |year=1947}}</ref> From 1932 to 1937, Van Leer was a dean at the ].<ref>{{cite web|title=History of the ECE Department: 1930–1939|url=http://www.ece.ufl.edu/about/history/1930s.htm|publisher=Ece.ufl.edu|access-date=2009-06-11|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100603131920/http://www.ece.ufl.edu/about/history/1930s.htm|archivedate=2010-06-03}}</ref> During the ] alongside educator and civil rights activist ], he lobbied for federal funding for Florida institutions.<ref>{{cite web |title=Who Was Mary Jane McLeod Bethune? |url=https://www.historyhit.com/who-was-mary-jane-mcleod-bethune/ |website=History Hit}}</ref> In 1937 he became the dean of the School of Engineering at ]. During his tenure at both universities, numerous departments were established, and the first graduate engineering programs were created.<ref>{{cite web |title=Guide to the North Carolina State University College of Engineering Annual Reports, 1889-2005 UA 105.002 -- NCSU Special Collections |url=http://library.ncsu.edu/findingaids/ua105_002/#History |date=25 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140425024348/http://library.ncsu.edu/findingaids/ua105_002/#History |archive-date=2014-04-25 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Van Leer, Blake Ragsdale, 1893- |url=https://d.lib.ncsu.edu/collections/names/2648-van-leer-blake-ragsdale-1893 |website=NC State University Libraries |access-date=2 July 2022}}</ref> While at NC State he advocated for women and encouraged many to pursue engineering degrees. The first 5 women would enroll in NC State's engineering programs and become the first to graduate in 1941. One of his students was ], co-founder of ] and the ]'s first female engineer.<ref>{{cite web|title=Defense demands women engineers |url=https://digitalcommons.winthrop.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1036&context=thejohnsonian1940s|publisher=thejohnsonian |date=1942-03-20}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Guide to the North Carolina State University College of Engineering Annual Reports|url=http://library.ncsu.edu/findingaids/ua105_002/#History|publisher=NCSU|access-date=2009-06-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140425024348/http://library.ncsu.edu/findingaids/ua105_002/#History|archive-date=2014-04-25|url-status=dead}}</ref> While here, he was also initiated as an honorary of the NCSU chapter of ] Professional Engineering Fraternity.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Georgia Tech's Auditorium Gymnasium |title=Col. Van Leer and Dr. Brittain Elected by Regent Board – Cont'd. |journal=The Georgia Tech Alumnus |date=1944 |volume=March–April |page=66 |url=https://issuu.com/gtalumni/docs/1945_23_4_ffd8cea792f293}}</ref> Around 1940, with the permission of ], Van Leer gave half his time to the North Carolina Office for Defense orders. He resigned his post as dean in 1942 to take military leave.<ref>{{cite web|title= Guide to the North Carolina State University College of Engineering Annual Reports|url=http://library.ncsu.edu/findingaids/ua105_002/#History|website=Library.ncsu.edu|access-date=2009-06-11}}</ref>
During the war, he served as a ] officer (attaining the rank of ]), after which he returned to lead the school.<ref name="auto"/> In 1945 Blake was appointed to the Board of the ] by President ] and helped expand its curriculum.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/57/Annual_register_of_the_United_States_Naval_Academy_%28IA_annualregisterof1011unit%29.pdf |title=Naval Academy visitor board |access-date=June 7, 2015 |archive-date=10 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220610141205/https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/57/Annual_register_of_the_United_States_Naval_Academy_(IA_annualregisterof1011unit).pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>


==Georgia Tech== ==Georgia Tech==
After ] Van Leer returned to become the president of ]. During his tenure the school admitted women for the first time.<ref name="auto1">{{cite magazine|title=Women: 30 Years at Tech|magazine=Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine|publisher=]|volume=58|number=1|year=1982|pages=9–13}}</ref><ref name="ens282">]</ref> He began allowing women to enroll in night school, and after a failed vote to allow women into Georgia Tech, he tried again and succeeded by split decision.<ref>{{cite book |last1= |title=The Campus History Series|date=2018 |publisher=Georgia Tech |page=9 |isbn=9781467129602 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fP9fDwAAQBAJ&dq=blake+van+leer+vote+allow+women+into+georgia+tech&pg=PA9}}</ref> Faculty member Robert B. Wallace was quoted "as saying Van Leer was a fighter who battled to the bitter end for what he believed," a trait he would show very clearly in late 1955.<ref name="fromtherumbleseat.com">{{cite web | url=https://www.fromtherumbleseat.com/2019/11/14/20914927/rearview-revisited-segregation-and-the-sugar-bowl-georgia-tech-pittsburgh-bobby-grier-1955-1956-game | title=Rearview Revisited: Segregation and the Sugar Bowl | date=14 November 2019 }}</ref> The first step towards integration was made during support for the ] game. During his time in office Georgia Tech also became the largest engineering school in the South and the third largest in the US and Canada.<ref name="auto1"/><ref name="ens282"/> Van Leer also had a focus on making Atlanta the "] of the South." Throughout his career he lobbied major companies like ] to expand to Atlanta.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Hair |first1=William I. |year=1985 |title=Engineering the New South: Georgia Tech, 1885–1985 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/40581436 |journal=The Georgia Historical Quarterly |volume=69 |issue=4 |pages=509–517 |jstor=40581436 |access-date=2020-11-29}}</ref> In 1946 Van Leer was appointed as a member to ] who had a focus to work against racism through influential ]<ref>{{cite web |title=UNESCO. (1950). Statement by experts on race problems. Paris, 20 July 1950. UNESCO/SS/1. UNESDOC database |url=http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0012/001269/126969eb.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120407030543/http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0012/001269/126969eb.pdf |archive-date=7 April 2012 |access-date=8 June 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3N_KlLQISQMC&dq=blake+%22van+leer%22&pg=PA35 |title=Summary Minutes of Meeting |publisher=United States National Commission for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. |year=1956}}</ref>
]]]
After ] Van Leer returned to become the President of ]. During his tenure the school, significantly expanded Georgia Tech, admitted women for the first time and began steps toward integration. Tech also became the largest engineering institute in the South and the third largest in the US and Canada.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Women: 30 Years at Tech|magazine=Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine|publisher=]|volume=58|number=1|year=1982|pages=9–13}}</ref><ref name="ens282">]</ref> Women being admitted to colleges and male dominated fields was a topic of debate in the 1950s. Van Leer advocated for women to join tech in 1948 and was met with immediate resistance by local officials. The board objected with concerns that women may suggest dress making classes or seek out husbands instead of serious careers. Van Leer stated he had been associated with coeducational institutions all his life and felt it wrong to discriminate against a student just because she's a woman. He began allowing women to enroll in night school and extension courses while waiting for the board of regents to vote.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Removing_Barriers/4ne1eNyUnwwC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=blake+%22van+leer%22&pg=PA48&printsec=frontcover|isbn=9780253111739|title=Removing Barriers: Women in Academic Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics|date=20 March 2006|publisher=Indiana University Press}}</ref> Following a failed attempt, In 1952 Van Leer narrowly pushed through a vote to allow women into Georgia Tech and his wife Ella would compliment this victory with setting up support groups for future female engineers. The victory would be met with protests from locals and media, The Atlanta Constitution ran a cartoon showing lingerie drying on clothesline from the main campus tower.<ref name=chambliss>{{cite news|last=Chambliss|first=John|title=Maryly Van Leer Peck, Former PCC President, Dies at 81|url=http://www.theledger.com/article/20111104/NEWS/111109708|access-date=26 March 2018|newspaper=TheLedger.com|date=November 4, 2011|archive-date=23 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140223080116/http://www.theledger.com/article/20111104/NEWS/111109708|url-status=dead}}</ref> Van Leer would later advocate women be allowed in other colleges while urging more women to become engineers at various conferences.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1955/01/24/83349730.html?pageNumber=26|title=Pay in Engineering Viewed as Lagging}}</ref>


]]]
=== Atlanta and Georgia Tech growth ===
Van Leer might be best known for events centered around the ]. Known for giving frequent commencement speeches at the all-Black Morris Brown College, he stood up to Georgia governor ]'s demand to bar ] from participating in the 1956 ] game between Georgia Tech and Grier's ].<ref>{{cite news |title=Film to Focus on Georgia Tech, fight against segregation at 1956 Sugar Bowl |url=https://www.ajc.com/sports/georgia-tech/georgia-tech-segregation-at-forefront-of-coming-film-about-1956-sugar-bowl/K3JNAKSA55EPHKWRMWTAOA4SVY/ |access-date=6 July 2022 |publisher=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution |date=5 July 2022}}</ref> Leading up to the game, Griffin sent numerous telegrams to Tech's Board of Regents and the press saying 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 to battle Griffin and the Board of Regents.<ref name="fromtherumbleseat.com"/> Van Leer was summoned by the Regents who commended Griffin for his stand on segregation.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.jbhe.com/latest/news/1-12-06/gtech.html|title=A Half Century Ago, Georgia Tech Made a Racial Stand That Changed College Football Forever|website=Jbhe.com|access-date=17 July 2022}}</ref>
Van Leer also had a focus on making Atlanta the "] of the South."<ref>{{cite journal | url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/40581436 | title=Engineering the New South: Georgia Tech, 1885–1985 | journal=The Georgia Historical Quarterly | jstor=40581436 | access-date=2020-11-29| last1=Hair | first1=William I. | year=1985 | volume=69 | issue=4 | pages=509–517 }}</ref> In the mid 1940s, Van Leer was a member of the ] and also represented 10 Georgia colleges at the time, where he lobbied congress to not tear down student housing after the war and instead expand it.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Diposition_of_Temporary_War_Housing_Hear/gXHHvOPcqSMC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=blake+%22van+leer%22&pg=PA29&printsec=frontcover|title = Diposition of Temporary War Housing. Hearings ... On H.R. 5710 and H.R. 5022|year = 1948}}</ref> In 1946 Van Leer was appointed as a member to ] who had a focus to work against racism through influential ] starting with a declaration of anthropologists (among them was ]) and other scientists in 1950<ref>{{cite web |url = http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0012/001269/126969eb.pdf |title = UNESCO. (1950). Statement by experts on race problems. Paris, 20 July 1950. UNESCO/SS/1. UNESDOC database |access-date = 8 June 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120407030543/http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0012/001269/126969eb.pdf |archive-date = 7 April 2012 |url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Summary_Minutes_of_Meeting/3N_KlLQISQMC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=blake+%22van+leer%22&pg=PA35&printsec=frontcover|title=Summary Minutes of Meeting|year=1956|publisher=United States National Commission for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.}}</ref> Georgia Tech secured about $240,000 annually in sponsored research and purchased an ] for $13,000 ({{Inflation|US|13000|1946|r=-4|fmt=eq|cursign=$}}), the first such instrument in the ] and one of few in the United States at the time.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://smartech.gatech.edu/handle/1853/26051|title=New Microscope For Experiment Installed at Tech|work=]|date=1946-01-19|access-date=2010-01-26}}</ref> In May 1946 Van Leer lobbied government and business for funds for new facilities. The Research Building was expanded, and a $300,000 ({{Inflation|US|300000|1947|r=-6|fmt=eq|cursign=$}}) ] ] was given to Georgia Tech by ] in 1947.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gtri.gatech.edu/gtri75/our-75-years/ees-installs-"electro-mechanical-brain"|title=EES Installs "Electro-Mechanical Brain"|publisher=]|access-date=2010-01-26}}{{Dead link|date=June 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> A new $2,000,000 library was completed, new Textile and Architecture buildings completed and at the time the most modern gymnasium in the world was built.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://hnoc.minisisinc.com/thnoc/catalog/3/15417|title=THNOC Online Catalog}}</ref> In 1953, Van Leer assisted with helping ] establish a ] and production line in Marietta. Later in 1955 he helped set up a committee to assist with establishing a nuclear research facility, which would later become the ].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://web.stanford.edu/dept/HPS/TimLenoir/SiliconValley99/ScientificAtlanta.pdf |work=Stanford|title=THE CASE OF SCIENTIFIC ATLANTA|author=Richard S Combes|date=1999-02-26}}</ref> When the ] ruled that all money received in a year had to be spent that year; this was problematic because most government contracts span multiple years. Van Leer created a solution, a non-profit corporation that would manage contracts for research services and subsequently hire the Engineering Experiment Station to perform the research. The new organization would also handle patents garnered through research, and distribute funds garnered from contracts and patents as needed.<ref name="growth">{{cite web|url=http://www.gtri.gatech.edu/gtri75/our-75-years/solution-long-term-growth|title=A Solution to Long-Term Growth|publisher=]|access-date=2010-01-26}}</ref> Van Leer was instrumental in making the school and Atlanta the first major research center in the ]. Van Leer was also chairman of the ] where he helped increase international trade by almost 200 percent from Georgia while the country as a whole was down 5 percent. His plan for this was to continue to encourage foreign students to enroll. At the time as many as 250 students from other countries have graduated.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1954/11/27/84440679.html?pageNumber=29|title=GEORGIA REPORTS WORLD TRADE RISE; District Leads All Others in Southeast in Rate of Gain on Value of Goods Shipped}}</ref> The building that houses Tech's school of ] bears his name.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ece.gatech.edu/about/ece-buildings|title=Campus Map: Van Leer Building|access-date=2007-05-20}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/12/30/sports/how-to-get-to-bowl-games-and-then-win-them.html |work=New York Times|title=Bobby Dodd Interview|author=Bobby Dodd|date=1984-12-30}}</ref>


Van Leer was publicly quoted: {{blockquote|text=Either we're going to the Sugar Bowl or you can find yourself another damn president of Georgia Tech.}}
=== 1956 Sugar Bowl ===
{{see also|History of Georgia Tech#Sugar Bowl controversy}}
During the lead-up to one of the most important college football games in history, Van Leer stood up to Georgia governor ]'s demand to bar ] from participating in the ] game. This game was between Van Leer's ] and Grier's ]. In anticipation of Grier's presence against Georgia Tech, Georgia governor ], in December 1955, publicly sent a telegram to his state's Board of Regents imploring that teams from Georgia not engage in racially integrated events which had blacks either as participants or in the stands. Van Leer rejected this request, which was not a stand to serve him well in the 1950s. Van Leer was already catching heat for pushing through a vote to allow women in Georgia Tech. The board of regents commended Griffin for his stand on segregation and summoned Van Leer to discuss recent events and if the game should go through<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.jbhe.com/latest/news/1-12-06/gtech.html|title=A Half Century Ago, Georgia Tech Made a Racial Stand That Changed College Football Forever}}</ref> He was quoted: {{blockquote


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 in January 1956, an overwhelming majority of the 2,741 students present voted to endorse the integration of qualified applicants, regardless of race.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=University Archives|access-date=February 17, 2013|title=Finding Aid for University of Georgia Integration Materials 1938–1965|url=http://www.libs.uga.edu/hargrett/archives/integration/integration1.html|archive-date=May 21, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130521173049/http://www.libs.uga.edu/hargrett/archives/integration/integration1.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://dlynx.rhodes.edu/jspui/bitstream/10267/31663/6/MW_v18n95_1950-05-23.pdf|title=Memphis World|date=1950-05-23|website=Dlync.rhodes.edu|access-date=2022-07-17}}</ref><ref name="ens282"/> Van Leer advocated women get into engineering later in his career as well.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1955/01/24/83349730.html?pageNumber=26|title=Pay in Engineering Viewed as Lagging |work=The New York Times |access-date=17 July 2022}}</ref> Today the building that houses Tech's school of ] bears his name.<ref name="Campus Map: Van Leer Building">{{cite web|url=https://www.ece.gatech.edu/about/ece-buildings|title=Campus Map: Van Leer Building|website=Ece.gatech.edu|access-date=2007-05-20}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.ajc.com/sports/georgia-tech/georgia-tech-segregation-at-forefront-of-coming-film-about-1956-sugar-bowl/K3JNAKSA55EPHKWRMWTAOA4SVY/ | title=Film to focus on Georgia Tech, fight against segregation at 1956 Sugar Bowl | newspaper=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution | last1=Leflouria | first1=Erika }}</ref>
|text=Either we’re going to the Sugar Bowl or you can find yourself another damn president of Georgia Tech.


Van Leer also founded ] while president of Georgia Tech. The university merged into ] in 2015.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Kennesaw State and Southern Polytechnic Will Consolidate {{!}} Communications {{!}} University System of Georgia|url=https://www.usg.edu/news/release/kennesaw_state_and_southern_polytechnic_will_consolidate|access-date=2021-11-23|website=Usg.edu}}</ref>
}}Griffin would later request that Van Leer and Georgia Tech's players be punished. Governor requested investigations into the president's school and another state representative John P Drinkard recommended that all of Georgia Tech's state funding be cut off if they proceed. Van Leer also received death about allowing an integrated game to proceed.<ref>https://nationalblackguide.com/article/blake-van-leer-iii-and-rob-grier-jr-announce-future-film-project-bowl-game-armageddon.html</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/sheboygan-press-dec-05-1955-p-18/|title = Sheboygan Press Newspaper Archives, Dec 5, 1955, p. 18|date = 5 December 1955}}</ref> Van Leer still stuck to his statements and later received a standing ovation from the faculty senate.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fromtherumbleseat.com/2019/11/14/20914927/rearview-revisited-segregation-and-the-sugar-bowl-georgia-tech-pittsburgh-bobby-grier-1955-1956-game |publisher=Georgia Tech|title=Rearview Revisited: Segregation and the Sugar Bowl|author=Jake Grantl|date=2019-11-14|access-date=2019-11-14}}</ref> Two weeks after the game, Van Leer died of a heart attack on January 24, 1956 at the Atlanta Veterans Hospital.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=]|title=Blake Van Leer, Educator, Dead; Georgia Tech President Was 62—Barred Cancellation of Bowl Game Over Negro Hailed by Faculty Basketball Game Off|date=January 24, 1956}}</ref> The story is currently being produced by Van Leer's grandson and Bobby's son Rob Grier.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nationalblackguide.com/article/blake-van-leer-iii-and-rob-grier-jr-announce-future-film-project-bowl-game-armageddon.html |publisher=National Black Guide|title=Film Project|author=Jake Grantl|date=2021-03-15|access-date=2021-03-15}}</ref>


Van Leer died of a heart attack on January 24, 1956, at the Atlanta Veterans Hospital.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=]|title=Blake Van Leer, Educator, Dead; Georgia Tech President Was 62 – Barred Cancellation of Bowl Game Over Negro Hailed by Faculty Basketball Game Off|date=January 24, 1956}}</ref>
==Southern Polytechnic State University==
]
Van Leer founded ] which merged into ] in 2015.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Kennesaw State and Southern Polytechnic Will Consolidate {{!}} Communications {{!}} University System of Georgia|url=https://www.usg.edu/news/release/kennesaw_state_and_southern_polytechnic_will_consolidate|access-date=2021-11-23|website=www.usg.edu}}</ref> After World War II, the need for technicians spiked due to a major economic shift in Georgia from being a largely agricultural state to one that is more industry heavy.<ref>The Macon Telegraph, 3 March 1948</ref> The new industries required technicians to bridge the growing gap between engineers and craftsmen, effectively the gap between research/development and building/implementing. At the time, most technical institutes in the United States were in the northeastern states; thus the need for a technical institute in the south was great.<ref>W. L. Hughes, "A Brief Chronology of the Technical Institute Movement in America." The American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE), 1947.</ref>


==Personal life==
In response to the growing demand, the president of the ], Colonel Blake R. Van Leer, sought to establish a technical institute program in Georgia. In 1945 he was approached by the ] (AIG) who shared their common desire to have such a program and offered Van Leer their support. It took years for Van Leer to convince the Board of Regents to give Georgia Tech authorization to establish a technical institute. On October 8, 1947 the authorization was granted. The location chosen for the fledgling institute was a Naval Air Station in Chamblee, GA, which eventually became the site of ].<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|url=https://soar.kennesaw.edu/bitstream/handle/11360/1974/sp-51-03-spsuhist-20161026.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y|title=Southern Polytechnic State University: The History|last=Bennett|first=Richard A.|publisher=Southern Polytechnic State University Foundation|year=1998}}</ref>{{Rp|1}} The first director was to be Professor Lawrence V. Johnson, and it was going to open under the name of '''The Technical Institute'''.<ref name=":0" />{{Rp|4}} On March 24, 1948 The Technical Institute held registration for the spring quarter and 116 students enrolled (all but 10 World War&nbsp;II veterans), including one young woman named Barbara Hudson.<ref name=":0" />{{Rp|19,23}}<ref name=":1">{{cite web|url=http://engineering.kennesaw.edu/about/history.php|title=KSU {{!}} Southern Polytechnic College of Engineering and Engineering Technology - History|website=engineering.kennesaw.edu|language=en|access-date=2018-01-09}}</ref> The institute had a staff of 12.<ref name=":1" />
Van Leer was a descendant of the ]. His direct ancestor ] was an ] officer. Another ancestor is a ] General ] who is the namesake for ].<ref name=FWHF>{{cite web|title=Maryly VanLeer Peck|url=https://flwomenshalloffame.org/bio/maryly-vanleer-peck/|publisher=]|website=]|accessdate=29 March 2018|date=31 October 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Anthony Wayne: Wayne State's Namesake and Batman's Ancestor – Ethnic Layers of Detroit |url=https://s.wayne.edu/eld/digital-stories/anthony-wayne-wayne-states-namesake-and-batmans-ancestor/ |website=s.wayne.edu}}</ref>

All of Van Leer's children would graduate as engineers. Van Leer's daughter ] also became a college president and women's rights advocate after earning her master's degree and Doctorate in engineering.<ref name="life19620914">{{cite magazine|year=1962|title=Mother's an Engineer |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z00EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA102|magazine=Life|pages=102–106}}</ref> After earning a master's degree and multiple engineering degrees, his son ] also became a high-ranked military officer for the ].<ref>{{cite web |date=1970-04-14 |title=Navy Civil Engineer, Volumes 11–12 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fIJZKUQ6I7gC&q=Captain+Blake+Van+Leer+navy&pg=RA3-PA4 |access-date=2020-02-03}}</ref> His youngest son Samuel Van Leer graduated from Georgia Tech with two engineering degrees, later a masters and led several private schools.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Services |first=Asheville Mortuary |title=Obituary for Samuel Wall Van Leer {{!}} Asheville Mortuary Services |url=https://www.ashevillemortuaryservices.com/obituary/Samuel-VanLeer |access-date=2022-07-26 |website=Obituary for Samuel Wall Van Leer {{!}} Asheville Mortuary Services |language=en}}</ref> Sam was quoted stating his dad "could imagine a ] being anyone, he did not concern himself with race or gender, he was always progressive."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Andreolle |first=Donna Spalding |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oAgrBwAAQBAJ |title=Women and Science, 17th Century to Present: Pioneers, Activists and Protagonists |publisher=Cambridge Scholars |year=1970 |isbn=9781443830676}}</ref>


==Legacy== ==Legacy==
The building that houses Georgia Tech's school of ] bears his name.<ref name="Campus Map: Van Leer Building"/> In 1964, the Blake R. Van Leer Scholarship was named after him, it's for out of state students attending Georgia Tech.<ref>{{cite web |title=Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine Vol. 50, No. 03 1972 by Georgia Tech Alumni Association - Issuu |url=https://issuu.com/gtalumni/docs/1972_50_3/9 |website=issuu.com |date=8 October 2013 |language=en}}</ref> The Van Leer society at NC State University is named after him.<ref>{{cite web |title=Engineering frontline |url=https://digital.ncdcr.gov/digital/collection/p16062coll9/id/3886/rec/2 |website=digital.ncdcr.gov |language=en}}</ref> Artist ] sculpted a plaque to honor his stance against Governor Griffin.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Craig |first1=Robert M. |title=Atlanta's Public Art |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YE5FEAAAQBAJ&dq=blake+%22van+leer%22&pg=PA41 |publisher=Arcadia Publishing |language=en |date=2021|isbn=9781467107396 }}</ref> In 2022 a film was announced about the 1956 Sugar Bowl and it featuring him as a main character.<ref>{{cite news |last1=LeFlouria |first1=Erika |title=Film to focus on Georgia Tech, fight against segregation at 1956 Sugar Bowl |url=https://www.ajc.com/sports/georgia-tech/georgia-tech-segregation-at-forefront-of-coming-film-about-1956-sugar-bowl/K3JNAKSA55EPHKWRMWTAOA4SVY/ |website=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution |language=English}}</ref>
Long after his death, Van Leer continues to be remembered through scholarships awards, a building that bears his name, sculptures, The 1956 Sugar Bowl, frequent stories about his tenure featured on various online news channels and his descendants.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fromtherumbleseat.com/2019/3/7/18253770/rearview-mirror-new-institute-order-blake-van-lear-georgia-tech-president-world-war-two-build-money|title=Rearview Mirror: New Institute Order|date=7 March 2019|access-date=2019-03-07}}</ref> Van Leer's son Samuel was quoted years later in the book saying his dad Could imagine a Ramblin Reck from Georga Tech being anyone, he did not concern himself with race or gender, just quality students and he was always progressive.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Women_and_Science_17th_Century_to_Presen/oAgrBwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1|title=Women and Science, 17th Century to Present: Pioneers, Activists and Protagonists|last=Andreolle|first=Donna Spalding|publisher=Cambridge Scholars|year=1970|isbn=9781443830676}}</ref> Unbeknown to Van Leer, his wife did a great deal of genealogy research due to him being an orphan and traced his roots to the ] and ], whose surname was used for ]'s identity and also an orphan.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thevintagenews.com/2017/06/19/batmans-real-name-fused-scottish-royalty-with-an-american-revolutionary-war-hero/|title=Batman's real name fused Scottish royalty with an American Revolutionary War hero|date=June 19, 2017}}</ref>
*The Van Leer Building on the Georgia Tech campus is dedicated to him.
*Artist ] sculpted a portrait plaque to honor his stance against Governor Griffin.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Atlanta_s_Public_Art/YE5FEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=blake+%22van+leer%22&pg=PA41&printsec=frontcover|isbn=9781467107396|title=Atlanta's Public Art|date=25 October 2021|publisher=Arcadia}}</ref>

Many of Van Leer's descendants would achieve notable careers in engineering, academia and or technology, e.g.:

*] (1930–2011), was an American academic, and the first female President of a Florida Community College, first female chemical engineer graduate from ], first woman to receive an M.S. and a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the ]. Peck also founded the ]
*] (1926–1997), held several prominent positions in the ] as a Captain, engineer and ].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fIJZKUQ6I7gC&q=Captain+Blake+Van+Leer+navy&pg=RA3-PA4|title=Navy Civil Engineer, Volumes 11-12|access-date=2020-02-03|date=1970-04-14}}</ref> He received a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from ], a Civil Engineering degree from ] and a Master's degree in Civil Engineering from ].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://finding-aids.library.gatech.edu/repositories/2/resources/445=false|title=Biography of Van Leer Family}}{{Dead link|date=June 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
**Blake Van Leer II also became a civil engineer, developed waste transfer facilities, recycling facilities and waste to energy projects<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1995-07-16-1995197094-story.html|title=Baltimore Sun}}</ref>
***Blake Van Leer III holds a successful career as an entrepreneur, investor and is a partner with business mogul ] on numerous companies. Van Leer III also supports Society of Women Engineers and campaigns to encourage women get involved with tech through Dream Fearlessly campaigns sponsored by AmFam and Amazon<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wraltechwire.com/2019/11/18/kathy-ireland-signs-on-with-charlotte-startup-real-estate-platform/|title=WRAL TechWire|date=18 November 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/inno/stories/profiles/2019/08/06/how-padlist-wants-to-make-finding-the-right-place.html|title=Business Journals}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/blake-van-leer-speak-miami-135200396.html | title=Blake van Leer to Speak at the Miami eCommerce Summit }}</ref>


==See also== ==See also==
*] * ]
* ]
* ]


==References== ==References==
{{Archival records|title=Early Presidents Collection }}
{{Reflist}} {{Reflist}}


==Works cited== ==Works cited==
*{{cite book|author=Robert C. McMath|author-link=Bob McMath|author2=Ronald H. Bayor|author3=James E. Brittain|author4=Lawrence Foster|author5=August W. Giebelhaus|author6=Germaine M. Reed|title=Engineering the New South: Georgia Tech 1885–1985|publisher=]|location=Athens, GA|isbn=0-8203-0784-X|year=1985|ref=McM}} * {{cite book|author=]|author2=Ronald H. Bayor|author3=James E. Brittain|author4=Lawrence Foster|author5=August W. Giebelhaus|author6=Germaine M. Reed|title=Engineering the New South: Georgia Tech 1885–1985|publisher=]|location=Athens, GA|isbn=082030784X|year=1985|ref=McM}}
* {{cite book |last1=United States. Congress. House. Committee on Armed Services |title=Full Committee Hearings on Universal Military Training |date=1947 |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |page=4333 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lNdEAQAAMAAJ&dq=purdue+university+blake+r+van+leer&pg=PA4333}}
*{{cite book|author=United States Bureau of Reclamation|author-link=United States Bureau of Reclamation|title=Measurement of Water for Irrigation Projects|publisher=]|location=Denver, CO|year=1953|ref=McM}}
* ]; Fifty Years' Progress in Hydraulics.
* {{Cite journal |last1=Cooper |first1=Paul |last2=Samuel Martin |first2=C. |last3=O'Hern |first3=Timothy J. |year=2016 |title=History of the Fluids Engineering Division |url=https://www.osti.gov/pages/servlets/purl/1339294 |journal=Journal of Fluids Engineering |volume=138 |issue=10 |doi=10.1115/1.4033976|doi-access=free }}


==External links== ==External links==
* *
* {{Find a Grave|8256531|Col Blake Ragsdale Van Leer}}
* from library
* {{cite web |title=Collection: Early Presidents Photograph Collection {{!}} Georgia Tech Archives Finding Aids |url=https://finding-aids.library.gatech.edu/repositories/2/resources/200 |website=finding-aids.library.gatech.edu}}
*
* {{cite web |title=Collection: Van Leer Family Papers {{!}} Georgia Tech Archives Finding Aids |url=https://finding-aids.library.gatech.edu/repositories/2/resources/445 |website=finding-aids.library.gatech.edu |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240223072134/https://finding-aids.library.gatech.edu/repositories/2/resources/445 |archive-date=23 February 2024}}
*
*
*


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Latest revision as of 02:12, 2 December 2024

American engineer and university president (1893–1956)
Blake R. Van Leer
President of the Georgia Institute of Technology
In office
1944–1956
Preceded byMarion L. Brittain
Succeeded byEdwin D. Harrison
Dean of Engineering University of Florida
In office
1932–1937
Dean of Engineering North Carolina State University
In office
1937–1941
Berkeley City Council
In office
1924–1932
Personal details
BornAugust 16, 1893
Mangum, Oklahoma
DiedJanuary 23, 1956(1956-01-23) (aged 62)
Atlanta, Georgia
Alma materPurdue University
University of Caen Normandy
Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich
University of California, Berkeley
OccupationUniversity president
Military service
Branch/serviceUnited States Army
Years of service1917–1953
RankColonel
UnitCorps of Engineers
Battles/warsWorld War I
World War II
AwardsCroix de Guerre

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 from 1944 until his death in 1956.

Early life and education

Van Leer was born in Mangum, Oklahoma to Maurice Langhorne Van Leer and Mary McKee Tarleton. After his father's death in 1897 he grew up in an all-girls Masonic orphanage in Fort Worth, Texas from the age of 4. At an early age he decided he wanted to be an engineer. He graduated with honors from Purdue University in 1915 with a degree in electrical engineering and later an M.S. in mechanical engineering while working at the University of California, Berkeley in 1920. Van Leer also studied at the University of Caen in France and the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. He was awarded two doctorates, one from Washington & Jefferson College and the other from Purdue. In 1924 he married Ella Lillian Wall in Berkeley, California.

Dean and officer

Van Leer was an U.S. Army officer and began his career as an engineer. During 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. During the Great Depression alongside educator and civil rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune, he lobbied for federal funding for Florida institutions. In 1937 he became the dean of the School of Engineering at North Carolina State University. During his tenure at both universities, numerous departments were established, and the first graduate engineering programs were created. While at NC State he advocated for women and encouraged many to pursue engineering degrees. The first 5 women would enroll in NC State's engineering programs and become the first to graduate in 1941. One of his students was Katharine Stinson, co-founder of Society of Women Engineers and the FAA's first female engineer. While here, he was also initiated as an honorary of the NCSU chapter of Theta Tau Professional Engineering Fraternity. Around 1940, with the permission of Dean Harrelson, Van Leer gave half his time to the North Carolina Office for Defense orders. He resigned his post as dean in 1942 to take military leave. During the war, he served as a U.S. Army officer (attaining the rank of colonel), after which he returned to lead the school. In 1945 Blake was appointed to the Board of the United States Naval Academy by President Harry S. Truman and helped expand its curriculum.

Georgia Tech

After World War II Van Leer returned to become the president of Georgia Tech. During his tenure the school admitted women for the first time. He began allowing women to enroll in night school, and after a failed vote to allow women into Georgia Tech, he tried again and succeeded by split decision. Faculty member Robert B. Wallace was quoted "as saying Van Leer was a fighter who battled to the bitter end for what he believed," a trait he would show very clearly in late 1955. The first step towards integration was made during support for the 1956 Sugar Bowl game. During his time in office Georgia Tech also became the largest engineering school 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 he lobbied major companies like Lockheed Corporation 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.

Main entrance to the Van Leer Building on the campus of the Georgia Institute of Technology

Van Leer might be best known for events centered around the 1956 Sugar Bowl. Known for giving frequent commencement speeches at the all-Black Morris Brown College, he stood up to Georgia governor Marvin Griffin's demand to bar Bobby Grier from participating in the 1956 Sugar Bowl game between Georgia Tech and Grier's University of Pittsburgh. Leading up to the game, Griffin sent numerous telegrams to Tech's Board of Regents and the press saying 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 to battle Griffin and the Board of Regents. Van Leer was summoned by the Regents who commended Griffin for his stand on segregation.

Van Leer was publicly quoted:

Either we're going to the Sugar Bowl or you can find yourself another damn president of Georgia Tech.

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 in January 1956, an overwhelming majority of the 2,741 students present voted to endorse the 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 bears his name.

Van Leer also founded Southern Polytechnic State University while president of Georgia Tech. The university merged into Kennesaw State University in 2015.

Van Leer died of a heart attack on January 24, 1956, at the Atlanta Veterans Hospital.

Personal life

Van Leer was a descendant of the Van Leer Family. His direct ancestor Samuel Van Leer was an American Revolutionary War officer. Another ancestor is a Founding Father General Anthony Wayne who is the namesake for Bruce Wayne.

All of Van Leer's children would graduate as engineers. Van Leer's daughter Maryly V. Peck also became a college president and women's rights advocate after earning her master's degree and Doctorate in engineering. After earning a master's degree and multiple engineering degrees, his son Blake Wayne Van Leer also became a high-ranked military officer for the United States Navy. His youngest son Samuel Van Leer graduated from Georgia Tech with two engineering degrees, later a masters and led 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."

Legacy

The building that houses Georgia Tech's school of Electrical and Computer Engineering bears his name. In 1964, the Blake R. Van Leer Scholarship was named after him, it's for out of state students attending Georgia Tech. The Van Leer society at NC State University is named after him. Artist Julian Hoke Harris sculpted a plaque to honor his stance against Governor Griffin. In 2022 a film was announced about the 1956 Sugar Bowl and it featuring him as a main character.

See also

References

Archives at
LocationGeorgia Institute of Technology Archives & Special Collections Edit this on Wikidata
IdentifiersUA004 Edit this on Wikidata
SourceEarly Presidents Collection
How to use archival material
  1. ^ "Biography of Van Leer Family". Georgia Tech Library. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  2. "Beyond the Chain Link Lay the Kingdom of the Mighty Mites". Hometownbyhandlebar.com. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  3. "Oral-History:Maryly Van Leer Peck". ETHW. 10 June 2016.
  4. "Campusonalities". The Georgia Tech Alumnus (January–February): 9. 1951. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  5. United States. Congress. House. Committee on Armed Services (1947). Full Committee Hearings on Universal Military Training. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 4333.
  6. "Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine Vol. 29, No. 03 1951 by Georgia Tech Alumni Association - Issuu". 2 July 2013.
  7. Full Committee Hearings on Universal Military Training. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1947.
  8. "History of the ECE Department: 1930–1939". Ece.ufl.edu. Archived from the original on 2010-06-03. Retrieved 2009-06-11.
  9. "Who Was Mary Jane McLeod Bethune?". History Hit.
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Works cited

External links

Presidents of Georgia Tech

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