Jennings, Burgess Hill, 1903-

Burgess Hill Jennings was born on September 12, 1903, in Baltimore, Maryland. He received his B. E. in Mechanical Engineering from The Johns Hopkins University, 1925. During the following year, Jennings joined the faculty of Lehigh University as an instructor and graduate student. He received his M. S. in Mechanical Engineering at Lehigh University in 1928. The same year, Jennings became an assistant professor. In 1934, he was promoted to associate professor and served in that capacity until 1940. He also received an M. A. in Mathematics from Lehigh University in 1935.

In 1940, Jennings joined the faculty of Northwestern University as Professor of Mechanical Engineering. He served as Chairman of the Mechanical Engineering Department from 1943 to 1957. Jennings took a three year leave from the University to serve as Director of Research Laboratories of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Airconditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). He returned to Northwestern in 1960. He served as Associate Dean of the Northwestern University Technological Institute, Department Chairman, and Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Astronautical Sciences until retiring in 1972.

Burgess Jennings received many honors and made many scholarly contributions over the course of his career. He is the author or co-author of over eighty research papers and articles and eight books. He was the National President of ASHRAE. In 1977, he was elected to the National Academy of Engineering, one of the highest professional distinctions conferred on engineers in the U. S.

From the guide to the Burgess H. Jennings (1903-1996) Papers, 1932-1981, (Northwestern University Archives)