Distinguished Engineer
Hometown: Watertown
Civil Engineering,
Ernest Edwin Michaels was involved in a number of activities, including editor of the Industrial Collegian, while attending South Dakota State College. World War I interrupted his studies and he served in France with the American Expeditionary Forces. Following his discharge in 1919, he attended the University of Toulouse in France for a short time before returning to SDSC. He went on to earn an M.S. from the University of Illinois in 1922. Michaels started work with the Chicago Bridge and Iron Co. in 1922 and served in a variety of capacities becoming president in 1956 where he served until his death in 1970. He was awarded an honorary doctorate by SDSC in 1959. He also served as the Hobo Day Parade Marshal in 1963. Michaels provided a bequest to SDSU which has been retained as a permanent endowment for a special campus concert. He always felt an engineer should have a well-rounded appreciation for the arts. He enjoyed and attended many concerts, lectures and the theatre.