In March 1974, Florida Tech students decided to organize the largest mass "streak" in history. More than 500 Florida Tech "panthers" gathered at the Crawford Building and raced across campus to the Dorm Quad. Local officials, including the chief of police and at least one county commissioner, were present (clothed). Several of the panther streakers added high-tech modifications. There was even a unit of naked stilt streakers. Envious students at FSU and other college campuses followed the lead. Back in Melbourne, the local police changed their policy of "don't look, don't tell" and posted photographs of 75 panthers at the local police station. In a piece of masterful police work, the police chief invited the parents of Florida Tech students to come and identify their children. There is no record of any parent showing up.
It is also the site of a 30-acre botanical garden, consisting of over 200 types of palm trees, some of them rare and irreplacable. It is one of the largest collections of palm trees in the continental US.
The newest dormitories on campus were named Columbia Village, with each of the 7 halls named after a member of the Space Shuttle Columbia's crew, because of Florida Tech's close relationship with Kennedy Space Center, located 40 miles to the north. Several family members of the Columbia astronauts and NASA dignitaries attended the dedication ceremony this past Fall.
One of the early university traditions was that students would gather in the classroom quad to watch and applaud and cheer as rockets were launched from the Kennedy Space Center. On that cold January morning in 1986, when the Challenger Disaster occurred, Florida Tech students had gathered in front of the library for the launch. Ellison S. Onizuka, a Challenger astronaut, had recently lectured in Gleason Auditorium as part of Florida Tech's Engineering Week. This memorial was erected by the Florida Tech chapter of Tau Beta Pi, the National Engineering Honor Society, as a memorial to all of America's fallen astronauts.
Gus Grissom, one of the original Mercury 7 astronauts, was the first recipient of an honorary doctorate from the university in 1961. When NASA learned that Major Grissom was to receive the degree, they told him and the other Mercury astronauts that NASA policies prohibited the acceptance of honorary degrees. Grissom replied, "I'm accepting the degree anyway." NASA grumbled, and Grissom marched.
Many of Florida Tech's faculty have done important research in nuclear physics and engineering. Lynn Edward Weaver, our former president, is a widely recognized nuclear engineer. A small kiosk is all that remains of an early "experiment" using irradiation to treat waste water. Dubbed the "atomic toilet" in 1968, Florida Tech researchers won national recognition for their efforts to devise ways to use radiation in water purification. County officials as well as leaders of Patrick Air Force Base were intrigued with the idea. Supplies of radioactive Cobalt 60 were acquired and tests were run. This underground facility represented the deepest hole ever dug in Brevard County. Despite some success there was, however, little enthusiasm in the community or nation to adopt irradiated sewage water as a source of potable water. The "atomic toilet" experiments ended 25 years ago.
During the 1950s Jim Crow and segregation were widespread in Florida. Florida Tech championed the cause of equality of opportunity in Brevard County. In 1959, Brevard Engineering College rented three classrooms in a local middle school. A county school official learned that two African Americans had enrolled in Florida Tech classes at that site and told President Keuper to "expel the black students or be evicted." The college moved its classes to another site. Years later, Keuper remarked that if it had not been for the "eviction notice," the college might still be renting classrooms.
The connection between Florida Tech and China is one that predates the university's founding. Jerry Keuper, Florida Tech's founder, served in the OSS (Office of Strategic Services) during World War II and was given intensive Chinese language training in preparation for a "cloak and dagger" mission in Japanese occupied China. Throughout his 28-year tenure as Florida Tech's first president, Keuper strove to improve the link between America and China. During the 1970s and 1980s, Florida Tech was one of the leaders in granting graduate fellowships to Chinese students. A beautiful marble clock was given to the university in recognition of Florida Tech's commitment to Chinese students. Until recently, the clock did not work and read the right time at only two times a day. Kinda funny for an engineering college.
And finally, we are not allowed to be referred to as FIT anymore, even though our website is
www.fit.edu. Apparently Fashion Institute of Technology in New York got all pissed off and claimed they were there first, so we have to go by Florida Tech or FT.
(Most of this post blatantly ripped off from the Florida Tech website.)
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