October 11, 1996: Volume 38, Number 3

Happy Birthday, George Westinghouse

It was a birthday party of sorts for George Westinghouse on Sunday in the Nott Memorial.

Charles A. Ruch, historian for the Westinghouse Museum in Pittsburgh, played the part of the man (born 150 years ago to the day) who invented the train air brake and a.c. power in a one-man show titled "George Westinghouse Returns" to open this fall's exhibit in Mandeville Gallery.

"George Westinghouse: Inventor, Entrepreneur and Humanitarian" runs through Dec. 1.

Born in Central Bridge and raised in Schenectady, Westinghouse got his start as an engineer at his father's threshing machine factory, located on the site of the current General Electric complex. Westinghouse also studied engineering at Union College -- albeit for one semester -- while pursuing his invention of an improved rotary steam engine.

Westinghouse received some 360 patents and started 60 companies that had a total of 50,000 employees. At his peak, he was the largest employer in industrial history. He was also the first industrialist to introduce a shortened workweek.

Susan Staffa is curator. Also contributing was Frank Wicks, author of an article on Westinghouse in this month's Mechanical Engineering. Sandra Ericson is director of the Mandeville Gallery.

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