Memorial T. KEITH GLENNAN (1905-1995) MELVIN KRANZBERG Editor’s Note.—Tales ofMel Kranzberg’s unselfish enthusiasm for the achievements of others, and his care that they be suitably recog nized, are legion. It is more than fitting that this, his final publication in Technology and Culture, presents Mel in this familiar role again. He wrote me in April 1995, shortly after the death of T. Keith Glennan, to suggest that Technology and Culturepublish a memorial to this early and important patron of the Society. In his letter Mel named several people he thought would be able to write something appropriate, but it occurred to me that his own graceful and spontaneous reminis cences might prove at least as fitting a tribute to his old colleague. Here, then, is a slightly edited version of Mel’s letter. Enclosed are an obituary from the April 12 New York Times telling of the death of Dr. T. Keith Glennan and a copy of my letter to his widow, Ruth Glennan. Glennan was president of Case Institute ofTechnology (now part of Case Western Reserve University) when we founded SHOT, and he played an important part in that. For he was so impressed with SHOT’s potential that he provided me with the time and material assistance that allowed me to serve as secretary of SHOT and editor of Technology and Culturefrom their beginnings. He thus had a direct influence on my career and also, indirecdy through SHOT and TC5C, on all historians of technology. Ifyou look at footnote 1 ofMelvin Kranzberg, “At the Start” (Tech nology and Culture 1 [1959] :1-10), you will see that on January SO31 , 1958, there was a meeting at Case of an Advisory Committee for Technology and Society, which led directly to the formation of SHOT and the creation of T&C. Glennan had provided funding (from Case) for the meeting, but I think what really impressed him was when he joined us at lunch and met Lynn White, jr., the great medieval historian who was so valuable in providing SHOT with a scholarly reputation from our very beginnings. In 1958 the Case Faculty Dining Room, in the basement of Tom 659 660 Mel Kranzberg linson Hall, had only eight tables, seating eight people each. Since the president did not have a private dining room at his office, he ate with the faculty; and when he came to eat at Tomlinson, he had no private table, but had to sit with members of the faculty. Those eight-seat tables also meant that since faculty could rarely get seven colleagues from their own department to go to lunch at exactly the same time, they had to sit with colleagues from several other depart ments. Those of us from the Humanities and Social Sciences were thus brought into daily and close contact with our science and engi neering colleagues—a real blessing for all concerned.1 When Glennan came to the dining room on that momentous day of our Advisory Committee meeting, he found a seat at our table right next to Lynn White, who was then president of Mills College, a prominent women’s college in northern California. Glennan was very impressed that the president of Mills should come to Case for a meeting, and Lynn’s presence helped sell Glennan on the idea of creating a home for the history of technology at Case. That got us started, of course, but it was certainly not the end of Glennan’s be neficence to the history of technology. Whoever writes Glennan’s memorial article should note the many and major scholarly works which have derived from NASA’s com mitment to history. When Glennan took a leave of absence from Case to be the first head of NASA, he still returned to Cleveland from time to time on weekends to see his family and keep in touch with doings at Case (for he was still president, even though on leave). By a stroke of luck, I happened to meet him while waiting in line at the supermarket checkout counter one day in mid-October, when ’These get-togethers of humanists/social scientists with scientists/engineers at technical institutes were a...