Since this thread has come up, I thought you all might like to know that
Clarkson gave Frank Zamboni an honorary Doctor of Engineering in 1988.  The
following is from the Commencement program
 
"Frank J. Zamboni is the inventor of the Zamboni Ice Rink Resurfacer, a
machine that has identified the name Zamboni with ice rinks worldwide.
 
"Mr. Zamboni was born in Utah, the son of immigrant parents, and his formal
schooling was limited to the ninth grade.  At 21 he moved to California and
built a plant to manufacture ice for local households.  The advent of home
refrigerators prompted him to build an ice skating rink in 1939 to utilize
his existing refrigeration equipment.  While operating the rink, he soon
realized that the 1.5 hours required bu existing methods to renew the ice
surface was too much time.  He decided to develop a machine to do the job,
and after many years of trial and error, the first successful resurfacing
machine became a reality in 1949.
 
"Soon after, this first machine was seen by three-time Olympic Skating
Champion Sonja Henie, and she ordered one for her ice show.  Thus the
Zamboni ice resurfacer was widely introduced throughout the United States,
Canada, and Europe, and eventually the machines played a prominent role
at world and Olympic competitions.  They now number over 4,000 and are
being used in 33 countries around the world.  Mr. Zamboni has also
developed a machine to remove rain from Astro-Turf.  This machine has been
credited with saving several World Series games.
 
"Mr. Zamboni was a charter organizer of the Ice Skating Institute of
America, a national organization of ice rink managers.  He has served as
president of this group and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1965.
 
"Currently, Mr. Zamboni is chairman of the board of the Zamboni Company,
which has manufacturing plants in California and Ontario, Canada."
 
Frank Zamboni was not able to travel to Potsdam to accept the degree, so
it was accepted by his son, Richard Zamboni, president of the Zamboni
Company.
 
 
A number of us felt it was a fitting close to four years as hockey fans at
Clarkson.
 
Beth Weise
Clarkson '88
RPI '90 and '93 (please?)