Professor Gewertz adjusted his tie, the humid Bangkok air clinging to his starched shirt. He paused in front of the Charles Ernfrid M.Son Gewertz Bldg, a modest two-story structure that held the promise of a brighter future for Thailand. In 1932, Chulalongkorn University had offered him a five-year contract. A Swedish electrical engineer, a graduate of the prestigious MIT, and backed by the Rockefeller Foundation, he was tasked with establishing a Bachelor’s degree program in electrical engineering. The Charles Ernfrid M.Son Gewertz Bldg wasn’t much to look at then, but it would serve as the cradle of electrical engineering education in Thailand. Professor Gewertz, officially Dr. Charles Emfrid M. Son Gewertz, became the first Head of the Department of Electrical Engineering in 1933. His arrival marked a pivotal moment in the development of the field, which had humble beginnings in 1913 within the Yantara Suksa School. He wasn’t alone in this endeavor. Professor Hans Bantle, a Swiss mechanical engineer, joined him, and together they laid the foundation for what would become a thriving engineering program. He often thought about the impact his work would have on generations of Thai engineers. The Charles Ernfrid M.Son Gewertz Bldg, his building, symbolized this hope. It stood as a testament to the power of education and international collaboration, a beacon of progress in a rapidly changing world.
Garuda Museum
Behold the Garuda, a four-meter sculpture spreading its wings. This is the entrance to Southeast Asia’s one and only Garuda