Speed School sculpture
Alumni create lasting tribute through art
The new sculpture at the J.B. Speed School of Engineering makes a striking first impression on those entering the school. But Bernie Dahlem, the engineering alumnus who was a driving force behind the sleek, polished-black statue, wants it to have a lasting impression on those leaving.
Mounted on a pedestal directly in front of the J.B. Speed Building on Eastern Parkway, the 6-by 8-foot sculpture is a fabrication of the “bent,” the official symbol of the national honor society Tau Beta Pi. The society is the engineering equivalent of the liberal arts’ Phi Beta Kappa.
A bent is what some would call a railroad trestle — the load-bearing part of a bridge that will support a train track as it crosses a ravine. Railroad engineering was a significant part of the engineering practice when Tau Beta Pi was founded in 1885.
According to Dahlem, who earned his bachelor’s (1951) and master’s degrees (1972) in civil engineering from Speed School and received an honorary doctorate in 1996, the new bent is meant to show Speed School’s pride in having a chapter in the prestigious society. But it also serves as a daily reminder to students about the importance of personal integrity.
The entire sculpture project was paid for through donations, anchored by a large gift from Dahlem.
Alumni and supporters made the Speed School's sculpture "Integrity" possible.
