What is the Francis Crowe Society? This Society was established on the campus of the University of Maine on October 10, 2000. The Society was formed by the founding membership, University President Peter Hoff, Provost Robert Kennedy, Dean Larryl Matthews, Associate Deans John J McDonough & Chet A. Rock, Department Chairs Kate Beard, Thomas Christensen, Marc Girard, Donald Grant, Dana N. Humphrey, Gerard Markarian, Susan McKay, James Patton & Douglas Ruthven, Director David S. Dvorak, and Steven Adam The society was established to give recognition to each new graduate of the College of Engineering prior to commencement with all graduates, their families, and guests invited to attend.
Who is Francis Crowe? Francis Trenholm "Frank T" Crowe (1882-1946) was a member of the UMAINE class of 1905, with a degree in civil engineering. Among his greatest accomplishments were his projects as a civil engineer in the construction of nineteen major dams in the western United States over a forty year period from 1904 to 1944. Crowe made farming possible and profitable in the Great Basin, the California Central Valley, Central Arizona and the Imperial Valley through the construction of these "superdams" which redirected the flows of very large rivers such as the Colorado River.