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History 1908-1965 Part 9
One evening John Evans, Scott Daniel, Chuck Engman and the Dean were all in the materials testing laboratory testing a concrete beam on the old Reihle testing machine. The beam was too big for the machine and John Mason Young was probably restless in his grave. Suddenly, with a loud report, one of the heavy cast iron beam support arms broke clear across.
The next morning Honolulu Iron Works estimated that a new casting would cost $2100. This was over twice what the machine had cost and was more than the whole equipment budget for the biennium. The prospects for making the old machine available for the remainder of the year's instruction schedule appeared to be remote. Then Island Welding Company came to the rescue and, for about $200, repaired the break by brazing. The next week the Reihle was back in service as good as ever-well, almost as good. From then on it carried the golden scar of its wounds and had to be treated with respect for its age and infirmities. In 1969 a new structures laboratory was put into service and the engineering materials laboratory became a print shop for student publications. After rounding out sixty years of service to the University the Reihle Universal Testing Machine was transferred to Honolulu Community College.
When the civil engineering curriculum was accredited, a student chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers was organized with Professor J. Gardner Bennett as faculty adviser. This development increased the interchange between the University and professional engineers in Hawai`i. In the next few years there were also a number of administrative changes in the University that indirectly affected engineering education. When President Gregg M. Sinclair retired Paul S. Bachman became President of the University, Holmes became Administrative Vice President. In 1958 the School of Nursing achieved college status with Virginia Jones as the first Dean. When Nursing and Medical Technology left the bed and board of the College of Applied Science only engineering remained. The name was then changed to the College of Engineering. William M. Wachter became the first Dean of the College in early 1959. About six months later, Wachter took over the administrative vice presidency and Holmes became Dean of the College of Engineering.