From Woody's Couch

Boyd Lab (formerly known as the Highway Testing Laboratory), 1933

With progress comes change. As another Ohio State building falls to make room for a more modern version of itself, we wanted to remind everyone of the legacy behind Boyd Laboratory.

Completed in 1933, the building was the home to the Department of Engineering Mechanics. Its eponym was created in 1964 for the former chairman of the department, James Ellsworth Boyd.

James E. Boyd, n.d.

James “Jimmie” Boyd can be described as an Ohio State man. Boyd attended OSU from 1887-1891 earning his bachelor’s degree. Over the next forty-five years, except for a brief leave of absence in 1895-96 to study at Cornell for his Master’s degree, Boyd taught in various departments including Physics, Mathematics and Engineering Mechanics. His teaching style was described as strict but fair. Demanding students sit erect with both feet on the floor and that they knew their multiplication tables instead of depending on a slide rule were a few of more strict rules, but he was also known to change a grade if a student presented an interesting solution to a problem they misread.

Coming from a small farm in Muskingum County, Boyd stayed true to his small town roots. Even with his widely used textbooks, Strength of Materials and Mechanics, Boyd’s focus was on teaching. In 1938 Boyd received the Lamme medal, an award bestowed for outstanding engineering achievement. He then refused any honorary degrees from the university. Along with his work in the many scientific departments, Boyd was an alumni member of the Athletic Board, first secretary of the Entrance Board, and during World War I worked with the Bureau of Standards in Washington on airplane struts. While Boyd was widely known on campus for his distinctive goatee and powerful voice, his namesake is no longer a part of our landscape.