Vines, Darrell 2009-12-11

Dr. Darrell Vines talks about his career and involvement with the Texas Tech Electrical Engineering Department. Much of the interview discusses the early set up of the department under chairman Russell Seacat and how the department evolved over time. He also discusses the aftermath of the fallout over the Crosbyton Solar Power Project.; Darrell Lee Vines was born in Crane, Texas, on March 7, 1936. He attended McMurry College from 1954-1957 and received a BS in Science in 1959. He attended Texas Technological College from 1957-1960 to receive a BS in Electrical Engineering (1959) and a MS in Electrical Engineering (1960). From 1963-1966, Vines attended Texas A&M University. He received his Ph.D. in 1967 in Electrical Engineering. In 1957, Vines married Mary Marcom Vines and together they had three children. Dr. Vines was employed as a researcher at Texas Tech in 1960, became an instructor in 1962 and promoted to rank of assistant professor in 1966.

General Interview Information

Interviewee Name: Darrell Vines

Additional Parties Recorded:

Date: December 11, 2009

Location: Lubbock, Texas

Interviewer: Andy Wilkinson

Length: 01:15:47

Abstract

Biographical Information and Early Electrical Engineering Department; Reasons for pursuing electrical engineering career; John Bradford establishes program between Texas Tech and McMurray; Attends Texas Tech in fall, 1957; Describes John Bradford and where his office was located; About half of EE faculty were also grad students; Paul Griffith, Monte Davenport and Dwayne Jordan; Graduates in fall of 1959; Gets master’s degree under Griffith in 1960; Goes to work for TI in Dallas in 1960; Bradford announces upcoming shift to replace non-Ph.D. faculty to establish graduate program in EE; Working at IT, decides he wants to teach and asks Bradford for a job; Went to A&M to do doctoral work; Jack Kilby and TI; Graduate research at A&M; Early Electrical Engineering Department continued; Russell Seacat; Arrives at Tech; Gets Ph.D.; Encourages students such as Tom Burks, Bob Meeks, Wayne Wilkins to get higher degrees; Convinces Bradford to give him chairman position; Recruits Vines, David Ferry, Magne Kristiansen, Marion Hagler; Vines is first person Seacat hired in his role as depart. Chairman; Clive Langford; Seacat and Langford establish concept of the “project labs”; EE department in transitional stage; First grant to department was to Griffith and/or Bradford, not Seacat; Faculty writing grants; Kristiansen, Hagler and Ferry’s large impact on department; Their proposal to NSF for department grant helped hire Tom Trost, Kwong Shu Chao, Don Gustafson, and perhaps John Walkup; Recruiting and jealousy between departments; Reputation of EE department; Seacat’s promotion of department; Tech EE students highly recruited by others; Crosbyton Solar Power Project; Cooperative spirit between EE faculty; Praises John Reichert as good to work with; Shock over removal of Reichert and Seacat’s resignation; Hostility toward Jimmy Smith by faculty; Took issue with Hagler’s comment to students about the future of the; dept. and praises Hagler’s work as chair; Faculty departures; Describes Reichert and his ability to lead others to think creatively; Reflections on Texas Tech Environment; Working relationship between Electrical, Mechanical, Civil and Chemical; Engineering departments; Culture clash between administration and academic department; John Bradford’s role unclear; President Lauro Cavazos; EE department’s ability to attract many internationally recognized faculty to Tech; EE alumni doing well.

Access Information

Original Recording Format:

Recording Format Notes:

Transcript: Transcript available in reading room

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