Oct. 30: Chrysler, community celebration
Health Sciences sets celebration of Chrysler's past, UD's present and future at STAR
12:53 p.m., Oct. 22, 2015--The University of Delaware Science, Technology and Advanced Research (STAR) Campus will celebrate its past, present and future when the College of Health Sciences hosts a celebration from 5:30-7:30 p.m., Friday, Oct. 30, at 540 S. College Ave. The site is the former home of a Chrysler plant, the roots of which run deep in Newark’s history.
The open house style event will feature light refreshments and is open to the public, but those who plan to attend are asked to register beforehand. Former Chrysler assembly plant workers, their families and members of the greater Newark community are all invited.
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The South College Avenue site, where Chrysler once produced everything from tanks to Dodge Durangos in its more than a half a century, is now attracting large numbers of Delawareans to its pristine health care clinics.
While the event will be the first time many former Chrysler employees set foot in the building since its closing and subsequent renovation, others continue to patronize their former stomping grounds — now as patients. One such person is Gene Tupin. His wife used the Delaware Physical Therapy Clinic to recover from a stroke and he is a current patient, working with UD physical therapists on back and knee rehabilitation.
Tupin’s history on the site dates back to the early 1950s when he was hired as an electrical engineer at the then-Chrysler Newark Defense Plant. On his first day in March 1953, a manager recruited Tupin to solve a complicated issue with the turret control system on the M-48 tank.
Tupin reminisces, “I could see the technicians thinking, ‘Here is another hotshot engineer who will shake his head and walk way.’”
But Tupin not only solved the issue, he did so before his shift ended, and the whole plant was buzzing about it by the following morning. Tupin would go on to tackle many more problems in his nearly half century on the job with Chrysler.
Even though Tupin and his colleagues are retired and the plant is no longer active, their problem-solving spirit is still in use in the building.
“This celebration will put the analytical, innovative spirit of the University of Delaware on display,” says Kathy Matt, professor and dean of the College of Health Sciences. “We’re here to serve the community, using education and research to create a healthier Delaware along with our partners.”
One of Tupin’s former supervisors, plant manager Jim Wolfe, has been key in organizing the celebration.
“It’s amazing to see what’s happening on the site now,” said Wolfe. “And it’s not just a UD thing; it’s open to the community and this event will show that.”
The family-friendly event will feature memorabilia and other items from Chrysler’s history and tours of the facility. Anyone interested in sharing any Chrysler memorabilia for the evening should contact Heather Igo at hpfigo@udel.edu.