Jim Reid's Collection of Grover Dillman Correspondence
Scope and Contents
Correspondence, 1943-1945, belonging to Grover Dillman, former State Highway Commissioner and President of the Michigan Technological University, and his. Included in the collection are three letters include one letter (and copy) from Charles Lawton on "Observations" about mining in the Copper Country (1943) and two standard mailings from the American Society of Civil Engineers (1952) and the Abrams Aerial Survey Corporation (1955), both featuring their centennial stamp. Also included are two empty envelopes from 1947 and 1955 respectively, from the Soo Locks Centennial Committee and Michigan College of Mining and Technology; featuring the Great Lakes Transportation stamp (Soo Locks) and Operation Highjump Antarctic Expedition Task Force stamps.
Dates
- 1943-1955
Conditions Governing Access
Available for use in the Michigan Technological University Archives and Copper Country Historical Collections.
Conditions Governing Use
Various copying restrictions apply. Guidelines are available from Michigan Technological University Archives & Copper Country Historical Collections.
Biographical Note
Grover Cleveland Dillman was born in Bangor, Michigan in 1889. He graduated from Michigan Agricultural College (now Michigan State University) with a degree in civil engineering. He joined the Michigan State Highway Department shortly after graduation in 1913 and rose rapidly in the ranks to Deputy State Commissioner in 1922, Chief Engineer in 1924 and State Highway Commissioner in 1929. In 1933 he became Director of Public Service for the city of Grand Rapids and in early 1935 he became Director of the State Welfare Department. He was appointed to the presidency of the Michigan College of Mining and Technology (now Michigan Technological University) in August 1935. President Grover C. Dillman (1935-56) oversaw dramatic changes in the college, including the establishment of a branch campus 250 miles east in Sault Ste. Marie. Also noteworthy was the creation of the Memorial Union Building, which (now remodeled) remains the center of campus, with a cafeteria, bowling, billiards, meeting rooms, student organization offices, and lounges. The college also procured the village of Alberta, Michigan, with its sawmill and 4,000-acre forest from the Ford Motor Company and added the golf course and ice rink (in downtown Houghton) for the NCAA Division I Hockey Huskies. Post-war enrollment blossomed and in 1948 was 1,789 in Houghton and 384 at the Sault branch, and temporary housing was established for the influx of veterans. Programs added during this era included engineering administration, physics, and geological engineering. Active in the community and professionally, Dillman was also an honorary member of the Michigan Tech Alumni Association, a member of Michigan Tech Fund Board of Trustees and a charter member of the President's Club at Michigan Tech. Grover C. Dillman married Anna Broadwell on December 15, 1914. The couple had two daughters, Dorothy and Helen. His daughter, Helen married John Harris Reid in July 1950 and their son, James "Jim" Reid, was born in August 1953. Grover Dillman passed away in 1979.
Extent
0.01 cubic feet (1 folder (legal))
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Correspondence, 1943-1945, belonging to Grover Dillman, former State Highway Commissioner and President of the Michigan Technological University.
- Title
- Jim Reid's Collection of Grover Dillman Correspondence
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Allison Neely
- Date
- 11/05/2024
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Materials are in English
Repository Details
Part of the Michigan Technological University Archives and Copper Country Historical Collections Repository