Weston Hall
The images and text below were taken from a plaque that used to hang in the lobby of Weston Hall. It was not rehung after the 1997-98 renovation and expansion of Weston Hall. The plaque is currently (March 2000) in the posession of the Associate Dean of the School of Architecture.]
Edward WestonBorn in England in 1850, Weston came to the United States in 1872. His first achievement came when he solved the problem of permanently and efficiently bonding metal to other substances, (the electroplating of buttons, buckles and coach ornaments was a major industry in Newark.) This was followed by the perfection of the electric dynamo, the machine which produced electricity for the factories of the east coast. Weston's dynamos were more efficient and productive than predecessor models and were sold throughout the country. From there he moved on to the problem of the light bulb. Previous models had uneven filaments which gave poor light and burned out quickly. Weston perfected a method of evenly coating "gun cotton" with gaseous chemicals thus creating a uniform strand capable of producing over 100 volts of bright white light. It was called tamidine. After tackling the problem of producing and using electricity, Weston invented instruments to measure and control it. He refined an alloy to use in making measuring instruments, one which would be the same wherever it was produced. Then he created the standard cell, named in 1908 by an international commission for the establishment of standards of electrical measurement, as the world standard for measuring electromotive force. His circuit breakers provided a measure for controlling the flow of electricity. With his usual enthusiasm, Weston tackled the problem of educating workers to the uses of electricity and the newly developing industries. He worked tirelessly to support the creation of the Newark Technical School (now New Jersey Institute of Technology) in 1881 and served on the board of trustees for its first six years. He firmly believed in the idea of educating others in the practical methods of engineering, a field which grew as a result of his own inventions. These efforts and many more inventions, over 330 in all, earned Edward Weston a permanent place among the great inventors of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. |
 4.25 inches x 6.25 inches black and white photograph; assumed to be portrait of a young Edward Weston |
 2 and 3/8 inch medallion of NJIT |
 6.25 inches x 4.25 inches black and white photograph; assumed to be portrait of an older Edward Weston |
 4.25 inches x 6.25 inches black and white photograph; assumed to be portrait of an older Edward Weston |
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Edward Faraday WestonBorn in Newark on October 24, 1878 Edward F. Weston graduated from Columbia University in 1900 with a degree in electrical engineering. He began work at the Weston Instrument Company, eventually becoming president. Under his leadership, Weston Electric Instrument Company was honored by the National Association of Manufacturers, "in recognition of its outstanding contributions to American industrial progress evidenced by its long and active leadership as a founding company." But Dr. Weston went far beyond this in his service to the community and to the industry. He held many patents in his own right, served on the Board of Trustees of Newark College of Engineering for nearly 40 years, and his efforts earned him an honorary doctorate from Newark College of Engineering in 1952. As a principal in a highly specialized industry, he still found time to accept membership on the boards of many industrial, and professional, and financial enterprises while giving generously of his time and abilties in the best tradition of the "good citizen." |
 6.5 x 9 inches black and white photograph; assumed to be photo of Weston Hall 1895 version |
 4.25 x 6 inches black and white photograph; assumed to be Edward F. Weston breaking ground for Weston Hall in late 1950's |
 4.25 x 6 inches black and white photograph; assumed to be Edward F. Weston and President Robert W. Van Houten posing with artist's rendering of new Weston Hall |
 7 x 9 inches black and white photograph; assumed to be artist's rendering of Weston Hall 1960 version] |
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Dedication of |
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The Board of Trustees - 1885 |
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The Meaning of Weston Hall
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The Board of Trustees - 1960 |
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The Dedication |