Distinguished Engineer
Hometown: Arlington
Mathematics,
Harold M. Crothers began his career by spending 13 years in graduate school and teaching at the University of Wisconsin where he earned his Ph.D. in electrical engineering. He returned to South Dakota State College and became professor and head of the Electrical Engineering Department in 1923. He was named SDSC vice president in 1947—a title he held until his retirement. Crothers served as acting president of SDSC on three occasions. During World War II, he served in Washington, D.C., with the U.S. Education Office as executive director and later as acting director of college-level War Training Programs. He also served as vice president of the American Society for Engineering Education (or ASEE) and on an advisory board for the Atomic Energy Commission. He was awarded an honorary doctorate by SDSC in 1960.