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The following history of the Canton-Alliance-Massillon Section of ASME was compiled by Tony Habib. Many thanks go to him. This history is a living document. Its content will be updated from time to time. Please check back on occasion.
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers was founded on February 17, 1880 in the editorial offices of the AMERICAN MACHINIST magazine. The 30 founding members were brought together by Professor John E. Sweet of the Stevens Institute of Technology. In 1905, the society promoted the formation of local branches by chartering the Milwaukee Section as the first local section of the ASME. In 1920, the Akron-Canton Section was formed. By the late 1940's the Canton area's steel and power industries had grown considerably, and the interests of Canton area members diverged from the rubber industries of the Akron area. Also in this period, transportation between these neighborhoods was much less convenient than it is today with the interstate system connecting Canton and Akron. For these reasons, the Canton-Alliance-Massillon (CAM) Subsection of the Akron-Canton Section was approved by ASME Council at the May 24, 1949, Executive Committee meeting.
The first meeting of the Subsection was held at Yantz Cottage on 12th Street NW in Canton. E. C. Smith, Chief Metallurgist for the Timken Company, was the speaker at this first meeting of 62 members. Rapid growth in membership interest and activity encouraged a resolution to ASME Council on May 1, 1950, that Section Status be granted to the CAM Section. The request for Section Status was approved by Council on May 18, 1950, just one year after formation of the Subsection.
Earnst W. Allardt was instrumental in the formation of the CAM Section. At the time, he was Chairman of the Akron-Canton Section. He then served as the first Chairman of the Subsection. In addition to being made an honorary member of the CAM Board of Directors, he was elected to National Office as Vice President of Region V and the National Board of Directors. He was awarded the ASME 75th Anniversary Medal by the CAM Section in 1955.
Over the years, the CAM Section's most memorable meetings reflect on technologies that have fascinated the nation. In October, 1958, noted rocket scientist Willey Ley spoke on "The Conquest of Nearby Space" to 450 members and guests. This was the largest meeting in the history of the CAM Section and was held in the Timken High School Auditorium to accommodate the large attendance. In 1979, Dr. Peter Lissaman was invited to speak on the Gossamer Condor Project, the record breaking human powered flight across the English Channel. The meeting attracted 183 members and guests, the Section's second largest meeting. In 1981, Dr. Edward Teller, one of the key developers of atomic fusion, spoke at the 1981 Engineers Week banquet on the subject of energy depletion and materials scarcity, as well as the need for energy produced from atomic processes. In 1983, a demonstration of home/personal computers attracted 147 members, the Section's third largest meeting. The demonstration was given by Robert Leasure of Software Sourcery, with "What Model is Best for You?" as the theme.