Local Historian Receives Honor

Last month marked the centennial anniversary of the Wright brothers' first powered flight, but Dr. Philip Scranton (Board of Governors professor, history at Rutgers Camden) has his head in the clouds for other reasons. He recently was awarded a highly coveted national fellowship at the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum (NASM) in Washington, DC. The prestigious Charles A. Lindbergh chair in aerospace history allows one senior scholar per year to conduct research at the NASM, which maintains the largest collection of historic air and spacecraft in the world.

During the 2003-04 academic year, Dr. Scranton will research aerospace and aircraft history in both the private and military sectors, addressing issues of technology, design and the manufacturing of highly specialized equipment. He plans to scour military archives and reports from contractors and subcontractors involved in the production of jet engines and spacecraft capsules, which will ultimately be the basis for his next book. His research will also include an expedition across the nation to visit military bases and private aerospace production plants.

He has published five books and numerous scholarly articles, and has presented at conferences around the world. His latest book is titled "Endless Novelty: Specialty Production and American Industrialization, 1865-1925" (Princeton University Press, 1997, paperback 2000).

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Author: Press Release-Rutgers University