David C. O'Bryant

Professor Emeritus

David C. O'Bryant has had a unique career in that he devoted it entirely to the Department of General Engineering. He began as an undergraduate lab assistant for the first semester of 1957-58. Upon obtaining his BS in February 1958, he served for six months as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army. In the fall of 1958, he returned as a graduate teaching assistant while he pursued a master's degree in mechanical engineering, which he obtained in 1961. He became a full-time instructor in 1960.

At the time he obtained his MS degree, the Departmnet of General Engineering was launching its new integrated project deesign program covering both machine design and structural design. To better prepare himself to participate in the program, he decided to pursue a PhD in civil engineering. In the summer of 1962, he was accepted as a participant in an NSF sponsored summer institute in structures and soil mechanics at Oklahoma State University.

His involvement in the Department drew him more and more in working with students. He also began working with new instructors and graduate teaching assistants teaching the engineering graphics course GE 103 (now GE 101) and GE 101. He was chairman of the engineering graphics course for 26 years. In this capacity, he developed new problems that resulted in him being a co-author on several workbooks on engineering graphics. In 1974, he co-authored a textbook with Jerry S. Dobrovolny Entitled, Graphics for Engineers. The book has had several editions.

In conjunction with his in-service training programs for new teachers, he received a $16,000 grant in 1967 from the Chancellor's Office to develop new techniques in the evaluation of effective teaching, including the use of portable video-tape equipment. Arye Perlberg from Technion in Israel was on campus as a visiting professor and assisted in the project. It was at this time that O'Bryant decided to change his major and went on to pursue an EdD in technical education, which he obtained in 1970.

In 1971, he was selected by the Peace Corps to go to Nairobi, Kenya, to conduct a two-month training program for incoming Peace Corps technical and vocational instructors. He received high praise for his work by the director of the Peace Corps in Nairobi.

His work with students covered a wide range of activities. He served as a faculty adviser for a number of student organizations as well as on a number of College and University committees dealing with students. Within the Department he became the Chief Adviser coordinating all the advising by the faculty n 1979. He also became the Assistant Department Head.

Another area in which he worked with students was a State of Illinois Director of the Junior Engineering Technical Society (JETS) from 1968 to 1987. In this capacity, he was in charge of the two-week summer program for high school students about to enter their senior year in high school.

In 1969, he helped organize the first two-week program for inner-city youth called the Minorities Introduction to Engineering (MITE) program. Under the auspices of the Engineering Council for Professional Development (ECPD) other universities were encouraged to conduct programs patterned after the University of Illinois MITE program. At one time, there were 44 schools conducting these programs; many are still being held. In 1974, he was asked by University Communications, Inc., a division of Cox Broadcasting, to evaluate 10 of these programs and prepared a report that was distributed nationally.

For four summers, he taught engineering graphics in the State of Illinois Highway Technicians Program. He also has been involved in the College of Engineering Summer Pre-Enrollment Program for incoming freshman students. For many years, he was Chair of the Engineering Graphics Committee.

His teaching included GE 101, GE 103 (now GE 101), GE 104, GE 199, GE 221, GE 231, GE 242 (now GE 494), and GE 393 (now GE 498). He was involved in the introductions of the new Auto-Cad Unix computers using computers in GE 103, along with Michael Pleck and Thomas Woodley. In 1988, he received the Gamma Epsilon Teaching Excellence Award. In 1990 and 1992, he was awarded the Outstanding Adviser Award of the College of Engineering, and in 1992, he was recognized by the University of Illinois Dads Association as the Outstanding Faculty Member.

He was active in a number of technical and professional societies, including serving as President of the Champaign County Chapter of the Illinois Society of Professional Engineers.

In 1984, he was promoted to Associate Professor and Associate Department Head. He retired in January 1993, but continued on in an emeritus position on a part-time basis doing advising with the students until 1994.

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