Kent State University recently welcomed home a living legacy of its past when Ellen Engleman Conners, former chair of the National Transportation Safety Board and great-granddaughter of Kent State’s third president, visited campus for the first time.
Engleman Conners visited Kent State to learn more about the legacy of her great-grandfather, James Ozro Engleman, who led Kent State from 1928 to 1938, and his wife, Anna Ulen Engleman, a poet, for whom Kent State’s Anna Ulen Engleman Creative Writing Award is named.
Kent State Today was present when Engleman Conners made her first stop: viewing President Engleman’s portrait that hangs in the administrative offices on the second floor of the University Library.
“I think we have the same nose,” she smiled.
Engleman Conners, who hopes to one day complete a biography of her great-grandfather, then headed to University Archives to review records and learn new facets of her family history.
University Archivist Kristin Silvestro pulled President Engleman’s historical records for Engleman Conners to review.
“I can’t tell you how special this is,” said Engleman Conners, who at times was brought to tears as she uncovered portions of her family history she previously had not known.
Among the historic nuggets she found was the letter that accompanied the original $2,000 donation that established the Anna Ulen Engleman writing award, the paperwork from the creation of Lilac Lane in her great-grandmother’s honor, as lilacs were her favorite flower, various historic photos or negatives of President Engleman and his family, and the program from his inauguration.
President Engleman, an educator, Methodist minister and native of Indiana, came to the helm of Kent State when it was still considered a Normal School for the educating of teachers. It was during his tenure that Kent State expanded first in 1929 to become a liberal arts college and then in 1935 to a full state university.
President Engleman authored the book, “Moral Education in School and Home,” which has been reprinted and, according to Engleman Conners, is still used as a resource for parents who homeschool their children. A copy of the book is in the University Archives.
Engleman Conners later toured Engleman Hall, Lilac Lane, and Franklin Hall, home to the School of Media and Journalism. Kent State’s journalism program was founded by President Engleman’s son, Buryl Franklin Engleman.
“It caused a bit of controversy at the time because he hired his son to start the program – nepotism,” Engleman Conners noted, adding that the success of the school over the years should defy any controversy from the time that Buryl Engleman was the right person for the job.
A native of Indiana who now resides in South Dakota, Engleman Conners has had a storied career in the public and private sectors, including serving as chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, administrator of research and special programs at the U.S. Department of Transportation, deputy bureau chief for enforcement at the Federal Communications Commission, director of external relations at the NASA Johnson Space Center, deputy director of government and public affairs for the U.S. Coast Guard and as protocol officer for the U.S. Air Force European and African Command at Ramstein Airforce Base in Germany.
Conners visited with her husband, Michael Conners, associate fellow and current chairman of the Lighter-Than-Air Systems Technical Committee, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. He previously served as special assistant to the Under Secretary for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics for the U.S. Department of Defense during the administration of President Bill Clinton.
The couple, who possess extensive backgrounds in air safety and aviation, also toured the Kent State Airport and its FedEx Aeronautics Academic Center, where they met with Christina Bloebaum, Ph.D., dean of the College of Aeronautics and Engineering, and several other college administrators.
“While seeing the artifacts, Engleman Hall, Lilac Lane and the president’s memorial trees was an affirmation of my family’s commitment to public service that brought joy to my heart, meeting students, faculty and administrators of today’s Kent State was the true representation of my great-grandparents' legacy,” Engleman Conners said. “I was overjoyed to meet everyone and hope my first visit will not be my last.”