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About
John R. Freeman was a preeminent hydraulics engineer in Boston a century ago, and a member of the Boston Society of Civil Engineers for half a century. In 1925, recognizing "the occasional helpfulness of a small fund to a young investigator full of the zeal of youth but limited in resources for investigation," he gave the Society $25,000 to establish a fund to be devoted to the encouragement of young engineers in various ways, including grants for research, or aid in the publication of meritorious books and papers, or traveling scholarships, or a prize for a particularly worthy paper. In addition to the Society's Freeman Fund, Mr. Freeman established similar trusts with the American Society of Civil Engineers and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. In 1949 ASCE and ASME entered an informal agreement by which each would award a fellowship every other year, in alternating years. In 1989 ASCE decided to award the Fellowship every year. The John R. Freeman Fund Committee was formed to administer the capital and income of the fund that was established in 1925 by Mr. John R. Freeman. The committee committee members plan and annual lecture in the field of hydraulics and water resources, and consider applications for grants. In the following letter to the Boston Society of Civil Engineers, Mr. Freeman established the intent of the bequest: March 18, 1925 To the President and Directors of Boston Society of Civil Engineers Tremont Temple, Boston, Mass. Gentlemen: I owe a debt to the old Boston Society of Civil Engineers, for inspiration and encouragement it gave me in my younger days through friendships and acquaintances made at the Society meetings. It was forty-four years ago that I joined the Society. Month after month for about four years I felt well repaid by what its monthly meetings had to give for making a sixty-mile round trip with a return after midnight. Yet today, forty years later, I have a still deeper appreciation of what the Society associations may mean to a young engineer. I doubt if those grand men - Joseph P. Davis, Alphonse Fteley, Thomas Doane, George L. Vose and many others - realized how much encouragement their presence and friendly words gave to us youngsters. Also there were warm friendships made with members of a wonderfully fine group: Henry Manley, John Cheney, Fred Stearns, Dexter Brackett, Frank Hodgdon and many others, but few of whom now remain except FitzGerald, Carson, Howe, Swaine, Hale and myself. It seems only fair that, when one has found lifelong happiness, and attained a competence from his profession, he should recognize the debt he owes to those who went before him and whose data he used, and should in some way try to help those young men in his profession who are following after. In grateful recognition of these benefits I would now find pleasure in presenting to the Boston Society of Civil Engineers securities having a present value of approximately $25,000 and a present annual income of about $1,700. It is my desire that the income be particularly devoted to the encouragement of young engineers in various ways, such, for example, as the following: (1) By grants towards expenses for experiments, observations and compilations towards data that will be useful in engineering and are reported to the Society. (2) For underwriting fully or in part some of the loss that may be sustained in the publication of meritorious books, papers or translations pertaining to hydraulic science and art which might, except for some assistance, remain mostly inaccessible to the membership of the Society. (3) Or such portion of the annual income as the Directors deem proper might be devoted to a yearly prize for the most useful paper related to hydraulics contributed to this Society during the calendar year, no award being made unless a paper has been presented that is deemed worthy of special recognition, preference being given to the work of students, juniors or members under forty-five years of age. (4) I suggest that from the income of this fund there be established once in three years a travelling scholarship, open to members under forty-five years of age, in any grade, in recognition of achievement, or promise; and for the purpose in aiding of visiting engineering works in the United States or any other part of the world where there is good prospect of obtaining information useful to engineers, report of what is found interesting to be made to the Society. Since the needs or calls may change from time to time, I suggest that suggestions for grants for special purposes be invited, and a flexible program followed. I would enjoy serving for a time as one member of a committee of three or five to be appointed for the administration of this "Freeman Fund" until we can find out how to make the most of it. If found useful, doubtless other members will from time to time add similar funds. In the history of the Royal Society and that of the American Association of the Advancement of Science I have been impressed with the occasional helpfulness of a small fund to a young investigator full of the zeal of youth but limited in resources for investigation. For the above purposes I have been getting together some securities, and desiring the largest return for the present purposes I have tried to safeguard this by broad distribution in the preferred stocks of twenty-five different corporations serving widely scattered communities. These largely are hydro-electric stocks. When one or another of these is "called" for retirement, I suggest reinvestment be made along similar lines. Yours very truly, John R. Freeman, Member Boston Society of Civil Engineers |
