School of Aerospace Engineering records

The Daniel Guggenheim School of Aeronautics was established on March 3, 1930, when Georgia Tech received a $300,000 grant from the Daniel Guggenheim Fund to promote aeronautical engineering on the campus. This was the last and third largest grant made to seven institutions across the United States for establishment of centers for aeronautical research and instruction. In 1962, the School of Aeronautics was officially renamed the School of Aerospace Engineering. In the early years of the twenty-first century, the School is consistently ranked among the top five programs in aerospace engineering in the United States.

The first classes began in September 1931 with eighteen students and two faculty members. The school's first building, the Guggenheim Building, was dedicated in June of that year. The number of students rose steadily in the early years, climbing to 228 in 1950. The Master's degree program graduated its first two students in 1934; the Ph.D. program began in 1961. Expansion continued during the 1960s, reaching a peak enrollment of 935 students in 1967. By 1984, enrollment had dropped to 839 students, and by the early 1990s it had decreased to just over 550 students. About 265 undergraduates, 120 Masters and 110 Ph.D. students were studying aerospace engineering in 2007.

Montgomery Knight served as the first Director of the School of Aeronautics, holding the position until his death in 1943. D. W. (Donnell Wayne) Dutton succeeded Knight and continued in the position until 1963. A. L. (Arnold Lionel) Ducoffe followed as Director, serving from 1964 until his death in 1986. After Ducoffe's death, Robin B. Gray became Interim Director from June 1986 until October 1988. Donald P. Giddens took over for four years (1988-1992). After G. Alvin Pierce served as Interim Director for one year (1992-1993), Robert G. Loewy assumed the leadership of the school. At the time of writing, Loewy has held the position of William R. T. Oakes Professor and Chair of the Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering at Georgia Tech for fourteen years.