In a formal statement conferring upon him the title of University of Michigan, Richard T. Liddicoat is remembered by colleagues with "affectionate esteem for his devotion to duty and for his friendliness and verve." This devotion led Professor Liddicoat to his most memorable research success, a helicopter, the ideas from which were later used in large jet powered models.
Professor Liddicoat was born in Ishpeming, Michigan of Cornish mining ancestry. In 1912 he enrolled in the University of Michigan College of Engineering, and was graduated with a baccalaureate in civil engineering in 1916. While he served in World War I, his young wife, Carmen, and their infant son, Richard ("Dick"), born in 1918, lived with his parents in Kearsarge, Michigan. Their son, William, ("Bill") was born several years later.
In 1919, Liddicoat joined the staff of the University of Michigan College of Engineering as an instructor in engineering mechanics. Research into helicopters would be one of his continuing interests at the university. In 1923, he created a device for illustrating critical speeds and resonance in helical springs and shafts. Throughout the next several years, Liddicoat also found time to continue his education doing graduate work at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the California Institute of Technology and the University of Michigan. He obtained his master's degree in 1930 and his doctorate from the University of Michigan in 1940. Liddicoat was made assistant professor in 1925 and full professor in 1957. He retired from the university in 1962.
From the guide to the Richard T. Liddicoat Papers, 1890-1960, (Bentley Historical Library University of Michigan)
