Sir Robert Blackwood
Encyclopedia
Sir Robert Rutherford Blackwood KBE
(3 July 1906 - 21 August 1982) was an Australian engineer, businessman and university administrator. He was the first Chancellor of Monash University
, serving from 1961-1968, and Chairman of Dunlop Australia from 1972-1979.
, the eldest of three children. His father, Robert Leslie Blackwood, was a schoolteacher and tutor in classics
.
Blackwood was educated at Melbourne Church of England Grammar School and the University of Melbourne
. He graduated from Melbourne University in the early 1930s with a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering, as well as a Bachelor and Master of Civil Engineering.
In 1933, one year after his marriage to Hazel Levenia McLeod, Blackwood joined Dunlop Rubber, a company he would work with extensively for decades. Beginning as a research engineer, he was promoted to Technical Manager in 1937. He left the company to become Foundation Chair of Mechanical Engineering at Melbourne University, before returning to Dunlop in 1948 to be its General Manager.
When Monash University
was established by an Act of Parliament in 1958, Blackwood was appointed Chairman of its Interim Council. When the University took on its first students in 1961, he was its first Chancellor. He pushed for Monash to become a generalist, multi-disciplinary university, which was unusual at the time. The University was initially intended to focus on applied sciences and technology, to compensate for overcrowding in these fields at Melbourne University, but by its opening it established faculties across the full spectrum of academic and professional studies.
The impact of Sir Robert Blackwood on Monash University is still evident today. Not only is the Clayton Campus' great hall named after him, but its design continues to reflect his insistence, as an engineer, on certain design features in its original master plan. Most buildings are situated inside a ring-road, with the medicine, science and engineering buildings in contiguous positions, and the older buildings are connected by a series of service tunnels.
Sir Robert Blackwood died in Brighton, Victoria
on 21 August 1982, aged 76. He was survived by his wife and their son and daughter.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(3 July 1906 - 21 August 1982) was an Australian engineer, businessman and university administrator. He was the first Chancellor of Monash University
Monash University
Monash University is a public university based in Melbourne, Victoria. It was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. Monash is a member of Australia's Group of Eight and the ASAIHL....
, serving from 1961-1968, and Chairman of Dunlop Australia from 1972-1979.
Early life
Blackwood was born on 3 June 1906 in South Yarra, MelbourneMelbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, the eldest of three children. His father, Robert Leslie Blackwood, was a schoolteacher and tutor in classics
Classics
Classics is the branch of the Humanities comprising the languages, literature, philosophy, history, art, archaeology and other culture of the ancient Mediterranean world ; especially Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome during Classical Antiquity Classics (sometimes encompassing Classical Studies or...
.
Blackwood was educated at Melbourne Church of England Grammar School and the University of Melbourne
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
. He graduated from Melbourne University in the early 1930s with a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering, as well as a Bachelor and Master of Civil Engineering.
Professional career
Blackwood's career began at Melbourne University, researching and lecturing in engineering. His early research focused on the strength of electrical arc welds, using statistics in a manner which was new to the field.In 1933, one year after his marriage to Hazel Levenia McLeod, Blackwood joined Dunlop Rubber, a company he would work with extensively for decades. Beginning as a research engineer, he was promoted to Technical Manager in 1937. He left the company to become Foundation Chair of Mechanical Engineering at Melbourne University, before returning to Dunlop in 1948 to be its General Manager.
When Monash University
Monash University
Monash University is a public university based in Melbourne, Victoria. It was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. Monash is a member of Australia's Group of Eight and the ASAIHL....
was established by an Act of Parliament in 1958, Blackwood was appointed Chairman of its Interim Council. When the University took on its first students in 1961, he was its first Chancellor. He pushed for Monash to become a generalist, multi-disciplinary university, which was unusual at the time. The University was initially intended to focus on applied sciences and technology, to compensate for overcrowding in these fields at Melbourne University, but by its opening it established faculties across the full spectrum of academic and professional studies.
The impact of Sir Robert Blackwood on Monash University is still evident today. Not only is the Clayton Campus' great hall named after him, but its design continues to reflect his insistence, as an engineer, on certain design features in its original master plan. Most buildings are situated inside a ring-road, with the medicine, science and engineering buildings in contiguous positions, and the older buildings are connected by a series of service tunnels.
Personal life
Blackwood was described by friends and colleagues as scrupulous and enthusiastic, though not prone to express his emotions. He had a range of interests outside of his working life, including painting and archaeology. He published two books on South-East Asia, and served in public affairs in a range of capacities, including as Trustee of the Museum of Victoria and President of the Royal Society of Victoria.Sir Robert Blackwood died in Brighton, Victoria
Brighton, Victoria
Brighton is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 11 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Bayside. At the 2006 Census, Brighton had a population of 20,651...
on 21 August 1982, aged 76. He was survived by his wife and their son and daughter.