HB Archives

1955
A LOT OF BULLDOZER

The Caterpillar D-9 made its Hawaii debut in 1955 as "the world's biggest, most powerful production tractor," reported Hawaii Engineer. Caterpillar's local representatives at the time, Theo H. Davies and Co. Ltd., threw a welcome party for the machine at its Waiakamilo Road lot.

"The mammoth crawler" drew some 700 attendees, who were given the opportunity to get behind the wheel. Caterpillar projected its newest machine would play a large role in major Island industries, such as the "general construction of Hawaii's booming tourist industry," Hawaii Engineer said.

The Caterpillar D-9 is more commonly known as a bulldozer.

ENGINEERING GROWTH

An acute lack of graduates locally in the mechanical and electrical fields of engineering prompted the University of Hawaii to expand its engineering curriculum, according to the December 1955 issue of Hawaii Engineer.

A general engineering course was offered for the first time, taking UH "a step forward in fulfilling the demands for graduates in these two branches of engineering." Yet another advancement came from the efforts and contributions of local companies such as the Hawaiian Electric Co., Westinghouse Electric and the United States Navy, which resulted in the completion of a new heat power lab at the university.

In 1955, although five seniors and 33 sophomores were enrolled in the new curriculum, it was too early to evaluate the effect the new courses had on the school.

Today, nearly 900 of the 50,000 students enrolled at UH choose to pursue their Bachelors, Masters and PhDs in engineering.

A PICTURE IS WORTH …

They say you don't know how far you've come until you see where you have been. This is where Hawaii Engineer was in July 1955. This woman, with a sign, a shadow and little else, was featured on the last page of the first issue of Hawaii Engineer. All evidence says this advertising technique was a success, since the advertisement appeared in the first two issues and has not been seen since. That is, until now. Note: another sign of the times - five-digit telephone numbers.