John Norberg – författare

In the fall of 1999, at the close of the 20th century, there were 3,726 international students on the West Lafayette campus of Purdue University. They came from 127 countries. Three of the largest groups came from Taiwan, South Korea, and Hong Kong, continuing a tradition that has stretched throughout the century. The stories behind Purdue's long-term relationship with Taiwan, Korea, and Hong-Kong have never been told before. Three Tigers and Purdue describes that history, as told in the stories of the people who lived it.

From the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade to its annual appearance at the Indianapolis 500 auto race, Purdue University’s “All-American” Marching Band has been at the heart of celebrations across the United States (and the wider world) since 1886, less than twenty years after the University itself was founded in central Indiana. While the marching band is the musical flagship of the University, the Department of Bands also includes jazz and concert ensembles as well as a symphony orchestra. Every year, hundreds of young men and women are welcomed into this community of music, and alumni range from astronaut Neil Armstrong to popcorn legend Orville Redenbacher.Celebrating 125 years of Purdue Bands, this beautifully-illustrated book traces the history of Purdue University’s Department of Bands from its humble origins as a drum unit for the student army training corps to the 2010 appearance of the “All-American” Marching Band as leader of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York, seen by over fifty million television viewers. It follows the lives of the organisation’s members and legendary directors, such as Paul Spotts Emrick and Al G. Wright, and highlights some of the band’s iconic features, such as the “World’s Largest Drum” and its legendary twirlers; the Golden Girl; the Girl in Black; the Silver Twins; and the Goldusters. Beyond the glitz, the story includes tragedy, such as the Halloween day train collision that claimed the lives of seventeen people in 1903, as well as groundbreaking success. But, through it all, the beat of one of the Midwest’s great treasures goes on, bringing fulfillment to its members as well as inspiration to its myriad fans.

Mechanical Engineering was the first school of engineering to be established at Purdue University in 1882. From just 120 students, the School has grown over the last 130 years to serve over 1,800 undergraduate and graduate students annually. Originally located in Mechanics Hall, a one-story red brick building, Mechanical Engineering now has extensive facilities that include two major satellite research laboratories, Ray W. Herrick Laboratories and Maurice J. Zucrow Laboratories, named in honor of the first director. There are more than 30 additional instructional and research laboratories, including the Roger B. Gatewood wing, which opened in 2011, and increased the space available to students and faculty by 44,000 square feet. Full Steam Ahead tells the story of the School of Mechanical Engineering and looks to a future where Purdue engineers are leading the world and making advances in biotechnology, nanotechnology, robotics, design and manufacturing, and renewable energy. Distinguished alumni included in this publication range from astronauts, like Gus Grissom and Jerry Ross, to Bob Peterson, lead writer and co-director for the Oscar-winning animated film, Up.

From the age of ten, looking up at the stars, Jerry Ross knew that he wanted to journey into space. This autobiography tells the story of how he came not only to achieve that goal, but to become the most-launched astronaut in history, as well as a NASA veteran whose career spanned the entire US Space Shuttle program. From his childhood in rural Indiana, through education at Purdue University, and a career in the US Air Force, Ross charted a path to NASA after overcoming many setbacks—from failing to qualify for Air Force pilot training because of “bad” eyesight, to an initial failure to be selected into the astronaut program.The majority of the book is an insider’s account of the US Space Shuttle program, including the unforgettable experience of launch, the delights of weightless living, and the challenges of constructing the International Space Station. Ross is a uniquely qualified narrator. During seven spaceflights, he spent 1,393 hours in space, including 58 hours and 18 minutes on nine space walks. Life on the ground is also described, including the devastating experiences of the Challenger and Columbia disasters.For readers who have followed the space program from Mercury through the International Space Station and wonder what comes next, this book provides fascination; for young people interested in space exploration and reaching for their dreams, whatever they might be, this book provides inspiration. Full of stories of spaceflight that few humans have ever experienced, told with humor and honesty, Spacewalker presents a unique perspective on the hard work, determination, and faith necessary to travel beyond this world.Key Points:An insider’s account of the US Space Shuttle program, from before its first launch through the final landing, and the building of the International Space Station.A firsthand account of life in space from the first human to fly seven missions.An inspirational story of a personal journey from rural Indiana to outer space, powered by a deep Christian faith.

In 1869 the State of Indiana founded Purdue University as Indiana’s land-grant university dedicated to agriculture and engineering. Today, Purdue stands as one of the elite research and education institutions in the world. Its halls have been home to Nobel Prize- and World Food Prize-winning faculty, record-setting astronauts, laurelled humanists, researchers, and leaders of industry. Its thirteen colleges and schools span the sciences, liberal arts, management, and veterinary medicine, boasting more than 450,000 living alumni. Ever True: The First 150 Years of Purdue University by John Norberg captures the essence of this great university. In this volume, Norberg takes readers beyond the iconic redbrick walls of Purdue University’s West Lafayette campus to delve into the stories of the faculty, alumni, and leaders who make up this remarkable institution’s distinguished history. Written to commemorate Purdue University’s sesquicentennial celebrations, Ever True picks up where prior histories leave off, bringing the intricacies of historic tales to the forefront, updating the Purdue story to the present, and looking to the future.

Some of them were grown men going to college on the new G.I. Bill, and some were boys -- eighteen years old, straight out of high school. There were also young women coming to campus, rich in the traditions of their mothers and grandmothers. These women didn't know it, but the seeds of the modern women's movement had been planted during the war and in their generation. There were African-Americans who came to campus and found segregation and racial stereotypes, even after some of them had fought a war for freedom. This mixture of students blended together on the college campuses of America in the late 1940s and exploded into the world in 1950. Journalist John Norberg's illuminating oral history allows members of Purdue University's Class of 1950 to tell their stories in their own words. ""(This is) a narrative that will hold special interest for those with Purdue or West Lafayette ties, but its scope is broad enough to interest a wider population"".

A Spirit of Service: Purdue University and the United States Military is a richly illustrated, comprehensive look at the intersection of this great land-grant university and the US military since classes first began in 1874. Spearheaded by the Purdue University College of Engineering in recognition of its 150th anniversary, this book examines how Purdue Boilermakers have played a consequential role in defending democracy, freedom, and independence in times of war and great duress.Pioneering Purdue contributions include more than one hundred faculty working on the Manhattan Project, learning how to better cool machine gun barrels, and making radar practical - all during World War II - as well as the transition from vacuum tubes to semiconductors, Dorothy Stratton advancing the role of women in the military, the founding of the National Society of Black Engineers, the first School of Engineering Education, the first university airport, and, most famously, Neil Armstrong, a US Navy officer and Purdue alumnus, and the first human to set foot on the moon.Today Purdue is at the forefront of drones, hypersonics, energetics, artificial intelligence, space exploration, cybersecurity, semiconductors, and much more. In fact, approximately one-third of US spaceflights have included a Boilermaker astronaut, and many of those alumni served in the military. This large number of astronauts partially stems from a Purdue Air Force Academy program to provide advanced degrees to graduating officers.A Spirit of Service tells the stories of men and women who lived this history, from ROTC students to a Medal of Honor recipient, from soldiers at the front during the Great War to a man who witnessed the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, from a pilot who led thousands of planes in bombing missions over Germany during World War II to military astronauts, from trailblazing female officers and pilots to twenty-first-century teachers and researchers who are creating the future. This volume records the stories of Purdue men and women whose patriotism, leadership, and heroism have preserved life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for generations of Americans - past, present, and future.

A Spirit of Service: Purdue University and the United States Military is a richly illustrated, comprehensive look at the intersection of this great land-grant university and the US military since classes first began in 1874. Spearheaded by the Purdue University College of Engineering in recognition of its 150th anniversary, this book examines how Purdue Boilermakers have played a consequential role in defending democracy, freedom, and independence in times of war and great duress.Pioneering Purdue contributions include more than one hundred faculty working on the Manhattan Project, learning how to better cool machine gun barrels, and making radar practical - all during World War II - as well as the transition from vacuum tubes to semiconductors, Dorothy Stratton advancing the role of women in the military, the founding of the National Society of Black Engineers, the first School of Engineering Education, the first university airport, and, most famously, Neil Armstrong, a US Navy officer and Purdue alumnus, and the first human to set foot on the moon.Today Purdue is at the forefront of drones, hypersonics, energetics, artificial intelligence, space exploration, cybersecurity, semiconductors, and much more. In fact, approximately one-third of US spaceflights have included a Boilermaker astronaut, and many of those alumni served in the military. This large number of astronauts partially stems from a Purdue Air Force Academy program to provide advanced degrees to graduating officers.A Spirit of Service tells the stories of men and women who lived this history, from ROTC students to a Medal of Honor recipient, from soldiers at the front during the Great War to a man who witnessed the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, from a pilot who led thousands of planes in bombing missions over Germany during World War II to military astronauts, from trailblazing female officers and pilots to twenty-first-century teachers and researchers who are creating the future. This volume records the stories of Purdue men and women whose patriotism, leadership, and heroism have preserved life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for generations of Americans - past, present, and future.

Throughout more than 100 years of flight, Purdue University has propelled unique contributions from pioneer educators, aviators, and engineers who flew balloons into the stratosphere, barnstormed the countryside, helped break the sound barrier, and left footprints in lunar soil. Wings of Their Dreams follows the flight plans and footsteps of aviation's pioneers and trailblazers across the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, a path from Kitty Hawk to the Sea of Tranquility and beyond.This third edition celebrating the 150th anniversary of Purdue engineering features exciting developments in the college and its school of aeronautics and astronautics, including the announcement of a prestigious, international Neil Armstrong Prize. The book includes a timely foreword from the world's most-launched astronaut Jerry L. Ross, new profiles on commercial astronauts Sirisha Bandla, Audrey Powers, and private specialist astronaut Marc Hagle, and updated information about Drew Feustel, Beth Moses, Scott Tingle, Loral O'Hara, and others among the twenty-eight Purdue astronaut alumni. The volume concludes with a fresh perspective on the future of space, including manufacturing, assembly, and exploration by the private sector as well as governments.Wings of Their Dreams reminds readers that the first and last men to land on the moon once trekked across the West Lafayette, Indiana, campus on their journeys into the heavens and history. This is the story of an aeronautic odyssey of imagination, science, engineering, technology, adventure, courage, danger, and promise. It is the story of the human spirit taking flight, entwined with Purdue's legacy in aviation's history.