SWE and RES Plan the Kate Gleason Award      

Much has been written and said about Kate Gleason in the Rochester Engineer, national publications and public presentations. Kate Gleason was a pioneering woman, engineer, treasurer, salesperson, businessperson, banker, developer, builder, suffragist and philanthropist. Kate had many firsts as a woman in the engineering field. First woman to be admitted to Cornell Universities engineering program, first woman member of the Rochester Engineering Society, first woman elected to full membership in the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and believed to be the first woman elected to the German Engineering Society.

Although Kate never completed her engineering degree, due to the need to attend to the family business, and despite a dispute as to her contribution to gear design, she must have had significant engineering acumen. How else could a woman in her early twenties go out into the industrial world of the early 1900's selling a innovative and complex mechanical equipment to men without significant knowledge of engineering principals and their application? In fact, none other than Henry Ford was so impressed with her technical knowledge that he attributed the design of the Gleason gear planer to Kate, although he was told otherwise.

Kate Gleason broke down many barriers for women, particularly for engineers during her lifetime, most likely with little support from others. Her bequest, of $25,000 to the Rochester Engineering Society endowment fund has supported many of the RES programs throughout the years. We would like to recognize this unique woman's contribution to the Rochester Engineering community and in particular, women in engineering by establishing an award under the Kate Gleason name.

The Rochester Engineering Society in conjunction with the Society of Women Engineers, has established the Kate Gleason Award. This award is for the purpose of identifying and recognizing an individual or organization that significantly promotes the careers of women in engineering. We hope that such an award will help promote engineering as a career choice for women and improve the career of those that have selected engineering as a vocation. For more information on the award and an application form call the Rochester Engineering Society office at 254-2350.