Arthur N. Talbot
Arthur Newell Talbot was born on October 21, 1857 in Cortland, Illinois. At a young age, he enrolled at the University of Illinois and aspired to become a Civil Engineer. He was very successful in this field and was also involved in many activities. Talbot was a member of Chi Epsilon, secretary, vice president, and president of the Philomathean Literary Society, associate editor of the Illini delegate to the Interstate Oratorical Association, class essayist, a leading officer in the student government, and an officer in the Cadet Corps.
After he graduated from the University of Illinois, he obtained a job in railroad construction and maintenance in Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, and New Mexico. Ultimately, he knew his home was at the University of Illinois, so he returned a few years after graduating in order to become an assistant professor of engineering and mathematics. A few years following, he became the professor of Municipal and Sanitary Engineering and was in charge of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics.
Today, a building stands on the campus of the University of Illinois honoring Arthur Talbot’s achievements. This building is named Talbot Laboratory and is the home of the Theoretical and Applied Mechanics department, along with Aerospace Engineering and Nuclear Engineering.