POINTS OF SPECIAL CONNECTION BETWEEN MICHAEL PUPIN
AND WILLIAM TERBO THROUGH MY FATHER, NIKOLA TRBOJEVICH (TERBO)
On the occasion of the 150th anniversary
of the birth of Michael Pupin it is appropriate to recall some details of
a nearly lifelong appreciation of a person who was held in special esteem
by ones father, a person not related by blood but by an ethnicity combined
with professional accomplishment.
- In the Terbo (Trbojevich) household during my
youth the name of Michael Pupin was as often mentioned as that of
father’s uncle, Nikola Tesla.
- When my father arrived in New York in 1914 it was
Michael Pupin who first met him. Pupin had a very specific policy of
meeting and assisting talented Serbs when they arrived in America
through New York City. This began a relationship that lasted until
Pupin’s death in 1935. In spite of my grandmother, Angelina Trbojevic
(Tesla’s older sister), who very strongly instructing Tesla to “take
care of my boy” Tesla was temporarily occupied at the moment of father’s
arrival.
- While my father always indicated that he already
had a position as Design Engineer at the AT&T Western Electric Division
in Chicago before his arrival in New York, I believe Pupin, who had a
most influential connection with AT&T, offered additional sponsorship
help.
- Father’s rise to scientific prominence (over 150
patents including the seminal invention of the Hypoid Gear) gave great
pleasure to both Tesla and Pupin and gave father a continuing social and
professional access to both men.
- In 1979, to commemorate the 125th
Anniversary of Pupin’s birth, I made my first trip to Yugoslavia to
attend the Anniversary Celebration in Idvor, Pupin’s birthplace, and
other Yugoslav locations. My invitation was as an Honored Guest of the
Country (together with the Pupin Professor of Physics at Columbia
University, Madame C. S. Wu, and Isidor I. Rabi, 1944 Nobelist in
Physics and a famous product of the Columbia Physics program).
- On October 5, 1979, I delivered my paper Pupin
and Tesla – Parallels In Slavic Creativity to the related
International Symposium Life And Work Of Michael Idvorsky
Pupin at Novi Sad, Yugoslavia. (My hospitality included tours of
the entire former Yugoslavia including visits to Tesla’s birthplace,
Smiljan, Lika.)
- In 1993, to honor my father and his relationship
with Michael Pupin, and with the sponsorship of the Tesla Memorial
Society, Inc. (where I held the positions of Chairman of the Executive
Board and Honorary Chairman), we made the 50-minute documentary video
From Immigrant To Inventor, Michael Pupin Remembered. I
wrote the script and provided the narration, Ljubo Vujovic was Producer
and Iwona Vujovic was Technical Director. The Documentary had its
premiere at Columbia University that winter.
William H. Terbo, Executive
Secretary WHT/tmssu2
Tesla Memorial Society, Inc.
21 Maddaket, Southwyck
Village
Scotch Plains, NJ 07076
(732)
396-8852
July, 2004
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