To the men of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, proof of the value of the organization lay in America’s remarkable technological triumphs. They could see the connection in several different ways. Most obviously, there were members famous for their accomplishments. George Westinghouse, for instance, ASME’s twenty-ninth president, reached the status of folk hero for his inventiveness and the giant industrial firm he created. There were others like him, such as George Babcock, Ambrose Swasey, and Charles Schwab, who, although not as well known, were held in great esteem in the mechanical community for their technical achievements and business enterprise.