In 1951 US auto makers enjoyed a near monopoly. The familiar phrase "big three," and the term "Detroit" were self explanatory. One could still tell one car from another, often by a hood ornament. Auto makers in Europe, much less Japan, had not yet recovered from WWII. As a result, the demand was still high for the industrial arts. In year 2004, many of the functions of the industrial arts courses of 1951 have been either replaced, or greatly altered by the computer. Digital milling machines, paint machines, and a host of other "robots" ( a Polish term ) now add consistency, quality, and efficiency to the assembly line, and one might just see PCs as part of an industrial arts course today. The Quonset building erected north of the library building in 1946 is now gone, so the status of industrial arts education at Godwin in year 2004 is unclear. |