Milo S. Ketchum, Sr.
Milo S. Ketchum, Sr. was born in Illinois in 1872 to a farming family. In 1890, he enrolled in the college of Civil Engineering at the University of Illinois. Ketchum graduated valedictorian of his class in 1896 and remained at the University of Illinois as an assistant for the next two years. He then decided to tackle the engineering world. His time in the field included working for a steel fabrication and machinery company in Butte, Montana, being a successful consultant during summers, and acting as a Contracting Manager for the American Bridge Company in Kansas City.
Milo Ketchum, Sr. was also an exceptional educator and administrator at various institutions throughout his life. He began as an assistant professor in 1899 at the University of Illinois until 1902. Ketchum then held the position of Dean of Engineering at the University of Colorado from 1904- 1917, became a faculty member at the University of Pennsylvania after WWII, and finally ended up back at the University of Illinois as Dean of Engineering in 1922 where he worked until the end of his death in 1934, at the age of 62. Milo also published many books focused mainly on structures such as steel buildings, mines, and bridges. He was the proud member of the Society for the Promotion of Engineering Education and served as its president in 1917. Milo S. Ketchum, Sr. did much to advance structural engineering in the United States, and helped make the University of Illinois a prominent figure for engineering education.