Andrey A. Potter

Andrey A. Potter was born in Vilna, Russia, in 1882. Dreaming of a future in America, he came to the United States as a teenager in 1897 and became a citizen in 1906. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and was awarded 10 honorary doctoral degrees during his long career. After graduation he worked for the General Electric Co. before taking a teaching post at K-State. He was presented the prestigious Lamme Medal in 1940, in recognition of his contributions to engineering education. In 1943, the Western Society of Engineers presented him with the Washington Award for distinguished leadership in engineering education and research, and patriotic service in mobilizing technical knowledge for victory in war and peace. He was presented the McCormick Medal for contributions to agricultural engineering.

His text, Steam and Gas Power Engineering, written with J. P. Calderwood, K-State professor of mechanical engineering, was published four months prior to Potter’s move to Purdue. The same year, Elements of Engineering Thermodynamics, co-authored with Calderwood and James S. Moyer, was published. Potter also was the author of Farm Motors, published in 1913.

After his formal retirement from Purdue in 1953, he made himself available for consultation. He
continued as president of the Bituminous Coal Research, an industrial organization, until 1960. He was known affectionately as the “Dean of the Deans of Engineering Universities."