Imagine 50 years into the future you get a phone call from an old classmate and friend. You talk about family and friends, and work. Then the friend asks you if you would be interested in becoming the interim president of your alma mata. That's what happened to Dr. John Lott Brown, the current Interim President of WPI, who says that he "wouldn't have dreamed of [becoming the President of WPI] and would have told you you were crazy if you had suggested it."
Dr. Brown is not at all unfamiliar with WPI, having been a student here in the early 40's and a trustee from 1971-1983. He attributes these relationships to WPI as being the main reasons he currently is our interim president. But as his Curriculum Vitae shows, these are not the only reasons that he was selected for the position. Immediately prior to coming to WPI he was acting as the Interim Director of the Center for Microelectronics Research at the University of Southern Florida. He has also held numerous academic positions at the University of Southern Florida, University of Rochester, Kansas State University, the University of Pennsylvania, University of Freilberg, West Germany, and Columbia University, as well as administrative positions at Florida, Rochester, Kansas, Pennsylvania, Columbia, and the Naval Air Development Center. He has also served in numerous organizations and has been widely published.
Speaking about his first week at WPI, Dr. Brown says "It's been busy. I've had back to back meetings, and when I am not having meetings I am pretty buried in paperwork, trying to get up to speed with what is going on." He has been meeting with the Board of Trustees, faculty, staff, and student leaders, discussing everything from how to keep the budget balanced to the Founder's Dinner, held this past weekend. He is trying to scope out how various groups feel about the direction WPI is heading in, and where they would like to see it going. Dr. Brown is assuming the responsibilities formerly held by Jon Strauss, who left for a position with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
When Dr. Brown entered WPI as a freshman, he was housed in 'Sanford Riley, West End, North Corner.' This is where he spent his first year, when he wasn't in class, that is. But when he came back for his sophomore year, he discovered the V-12 program had been initiated. This program allowed a student to begin in the Navy as an Apprentice Seaman, finish his (all students at Tech then were male) schooling, and enter Midshipman's Training School. Brown says "apparently [the Navy] wanted good engineers and this was a way to get the best of both worlds."
Brown entered the program, and was no longer just a student living in Sanford Riley, but was an Apprentice Seaman in 'Sanford Riley Barracks, First Floor.' There were six people to a two person room. His classmates were fellow Navy recruits, civilians, and others. He says that he was "lucky enough to get a break when, early in '44, I came down with Scarlet Fever and was sent to the Chelsea Naval Hospital for three months." On his return to Tech, he says "The Lt. Commander gave me my choices of places to go for basic training (students that did not keep their grades up were sent to the military), and I begged him to let me try and catch up. Apparently I did it to his satisfaction because I was never sent away."
Dr. Brown thinks that he got a very well rounded education here at WPI and believes that this broader background has served him well in the world, saying "I was not a terribly good student, but I was pleased and delighted to realize how good my education was." How well rounded an engineering education did he get, you may wonder? Remember, this is back when vacuum tubes were the major components in electronic devices, not transistors and integrated circuits. The EE curriculum included surveying, during which they surveyed Boynton Hill; Machine Drawing (no computers to do it for you); wood patterns and molds of their machines were common sites for EE's too. And the ME's made bench grinders from the bottom up. Students couldn't even learn about RADAR because it was still classified material. Brown says that his actual electrical course lasted about one semester.
Social events of his time were more controlled, especially with the stricter rules in place about interaction between the sexes. Dances and dates were common with "gals from Becker College and from the local Worcester area attending." Many of the Navy guys would hitchhike down Route 9 on the weekends, going to Boston with their sailor's uniforms on. "People would give you a ride anywhere. There was a lot less fear of a mugging, especially from a guy in uniform," he says. "There may not have been much," he adds, "but you enjoyed what you did have."
Among his fondest memories of WPI, Dr. Brown lists the feelings of accomplishment that graduation provided. It was a beautiful day, with his family and friends here, and lots of things opening up for the future as the end of the war seemed to be approaching. He says he has no bad memories of Tech.
If there was something that he could go back and do differently, Dr. Brown says that he would pay more attention to the classes that he didn't like when he was an undergraduate.
Among the best changes since he was here, Brown lists the WPI Plan and its uniqueness. He says that he is surprised at it being devised here, because engineering institutions have more requirements for accreditation than most schools. He doesn't believe there are any bad changes. Most things that have gone bad at Tech are related to the economy and politics, and have been felt by all schools.
These days Dr. Brown enjoys water sking, 'though I haven't had the chance to do it in a couple of weeks,' he says with a smile. He is certified for SCUBA diving, and has taught courses in it. He also enjoys running, cycling, light weightlifting, and calisthenics. He also like to read, both novels and serious work. "I would like to take a stab at writing something serious, but light. Maybe a tongue-in-cheek handbook for university presidents about different things that can happen in the job." Dr. Brown is also involved with the Executive Service Corps, a group of former administrators who offer consulting services to charitable organizations. He is currently finishing up a year as president of the Tampa area group.
When his time at WPI is finished, Dr. Brown is probably going to do a little more traveling to see family and friends. "I am in something of an interesting position because I know there is a definite end to my job, and I know approximately when it is." Then he will return to Tampa and see what happens. Mrs. Brown keeps telling him that he "needs to learn to handle retirement better." Dr. Brown officially retired in May of 1992, but you wouldn't know that with how busy this gentleman is.
Dr. Brown does have some advice for students today. "You are coming into an opportunity," he says. "You will never be sorry for taking as much advantage of the opportunities presented as possible - in academics, and by participating in extracurricular activities like clubs, the newspaper, and athletics. You will, however, be sorry in the long run for not taking advantage of the opportunities that you could have. Make college as rich an experience as possible, and it will increase the likelihood of you getting an exciting job in the future."