WICKENDEN, WILLIAM E. (24 Dec. 1882-1 Sept. 1947) was president of the Case School of Applied Science (later Case Institute of Technology; see CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY) and was active in the civic life of Cleveland.
Born to Thomas R. and Ida Consaul Wickenden in Toledo, Ohio, William's early education took place in his home town. He then went on to Denison University where he earned his B.S. degree in 1904.
Following graduation he began a teaching career in higher education, first at Rochester Athenaeum & Mechanics Institute, then at the University of Wisconsin and later at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He then left academia for a career with Bell Telephone and AT&T. Between 1924 and 1929, he served as director of a national program to bolster engineering education standards in the U.S.
In 1929 he came to Cleveland as president of Case, a position he held through the end of the 1946-1947 academic year. His administration coincided with the onset of the Depression, and Wickenden exerted considerable energy in keeping the school solvent.
Shortly after coming to Case, he made the suggestion that an alliance between it and neighboring Western Reserve University made good sense. The idea was discussed, but shelved until the 1960s. Despite financial constraints, he worked to add formal graduate programs to the Case curriculum, and during his tenure the first master's and doctoral degrees were conferred.
Wickenden married Marion Lamb in Toledo, 2 Sept. 1908. They had two children: William and Elizabeth. Wickenden retired to Peterboro, NH, where he died.
Last Modified: 10 Jul 1997 05:11:50 PM