Frank W. Cyr
Encyclopedia
Frank W. Cyr, Ph.D.
(July 7, 1900 – August 1, 1995) was an American educator and author
known especially for his contribution to school busing.
As a specialist in rural education, he organized the United States' first national standards conference for school transportation in 1939, starting what became an ongoing cooperative effort by those building and operating school bus
es. One of the most memorable accomplishments of the conference was a move to develop and standardize a highly visible color for the buses and their markings to help identify them to other motorists. Afterwards, Dr. Cyr became known as the Father of the Yellow School Bus.
. As a boy, he watched as the great wagon train
s rumbled across the Great Plains
, bringing settlers into his state, as well as destinations further west.
After high school, Cyr attended Grinnell College
and then earned his BA in Education at the University of Nebraska. He became superintendent of schools in Chappell, Nebraska
before continuing as a graduate student at Teachers College, Columbia University
in New York City
), where, by 1930, he had earned his Ph.D. His dissertation, Responsibility for Rural School Administrators was published by the Teachers College Bureau of Publications, the first of many of his published works.
After earning his doctorate, Cyr taught at Teachers College for over 30 years, retiring in 1965. While working in the education of teachers, he also became involved in studying and improving rural education and school transportation.
s, trucks and buses of every imaginable color and condition. One district's buses sported red, white & blue decor, perhaps hoping to instill patriotism in its passengers. A Kansas
district transported its students in horse-drawn wheat wagons. School bus
manufacturers complained that because there were no national standards, they could not mass-produce the buses, nor make a profit and keep costs down.
In April 1939, Cyr organized a conference at Teachers College, funded by a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation
for transportation officials from each of the then 48 states, as well as specialists from school bus manufacturing and paint companies.
Engineers from Blue Bird Body Co., Chevrolet
, International Harvester
, Dodge, and Ford Motor Company
, as well as paint experts from DuPont
and Pittsburgh Paint showed up. Together with the transportation administrators, they met for 7 days and agreed on 44 standards, including the color and some mechanical specs such as body length, ceiling height, and aisle width.
It was at this meeting that yellow with black lettering was determined as easiest to see in the light of early morning & late afternoon. The distinctive yellow
became known officially as “National School Bus Chrome.” Its formula is on file with the National Bureau of Standards, now known as National Glossy School Bus Yellow
.
While most of those standards have long since changed, the yellow color stuck. In time 35 U.S. states adopted the color with Minnesota as the last holdout, only changing in 1974, from ‘Minnesota Golden Orange’ to National School Bus Chrome.
Following the conference, Cyr, who is recorded as having always thought the choice more orange than yellow, became widely regarded as the "Father of the Yellow School Bus."
Cyr continued to be interested in school buses. In 1942, he chaired a federal conference that set school transportation policy during wartime.
In April 1989, he was honored at a luncheon at Teachers College marking the 50th anniversary of the original conference. The luncheon was held in the Grace Dodge Room at the College, where the original conference had been held.
At the luncheon, Cyr recalled that strips of different colors were hung from the wall and the participants in the 1939 conference talked until they narrowed the color down to three slightly different shades of yellow. The variation in shades was allowed, Cyr explained, because the color of the paint could not always be mixed exactly.
Cyr also said that he and the other attendees at the conference always used safety as the first criteria for the school-bus standards. "The most often asked question was 'Will this standard improve safety?'" he recalled at the 1989 luncheon.
and authored A Policy for Rural Education in the United States, published that year as the Rural Department's yearbook
. Cyr was also the author of The Small School in Wartime (1942) and Rural Education in the United States (1943), which was translated into both Spanish and Portuguese. He was the coauthor of The Small High School at Work (1936), An Introduction to Modern Education (1936) and Planning the Rural School Building (1949).
in 1995.
Dr. Cyr had become a Professor Emeritus of Rural Education at Columbia University
Teachers College in New York
.
Today, a television station in Stamford, New York
, is used to send out advanced placement classes to the rural schools of the area. That station is located in the Frank W. Cyr Educational Center of the Board of Cooperative Educational Services.
The current approach to school bus standards of annual meetings of school transportation providers, government officials, and manufacturers, with a history of over 65 years, is a continuing legacy of the man fondly remembered by many dedicated persons in school transportation as the "Father of the Yellow School Bus."
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
(July 7, 1900 – August 1, 1995) was an American educator and author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
known especially for his contribution to school busing.
As a specialist in rural education, he organized the United States' first national standards conference for school transportation in 1939, starting what became an ongoing cooperative effort by those building and operating school bus
School bus
A school bus is a type of bus designed and manufactured for student transport: carrying children and teenagers to and from school and school events...
es. One of the most memorable accomplishments of the conference was a move to develop and standardize a highly visible color for the buses and their markings to help identify them to other motorists. Afterwards, Dr. Cyr became known as the Father of the Yellow School Bus.
Rural youth, education, professor
Cyr, born July 7, 1900, was a native of Franklin, NebraskaFranklin, Nebraska
Franklin is a city in Franklin County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 1,026 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Franklin County.-Geography:Franklin is located at ....
. As a boy, he watched as the great wagon train
Wagon train
A wagon train is a group of wagons traveling together. In the American West, individuals traveling across the plains in covered wagons banded together for mutual assistance, as is reflected in numerous films and television programs about the region, such as Audie Murphy's Tumbleweed and Ward Bond...
s rumbled across the Great Plains
Great Plains
The Great Plains are a broad expanse of flat land, much of it covered in prairie, steppe and grassland, which lies west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada. This area covers parts of the U.S...
, bringing settlers into his state, as well as destinations further west.
After high school, Cyr attended Grinnell College
Grinnell College
Grinnell College is a private liberal arts college in Grinnell, Iowa, U.S. known for its strong tradition of social activism. It was founded in 1846, when a group of pioneer New England Congregationalists established the Trustees of Iowa College....
and then earned his BA in Education at the University of Nebraska. He became superintendent of schools in Chappell, Nebraska
Chappell, Nebraska
Chappell is a city in Deuel County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 983 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Deuel County.-Geography:Chappell is located at ....
before continuing as a graduate student at Teachers College, Columbia University
Teachers College, Columbia University
Teachers College, Columbia University is a graduate school of education located in New York City, New York...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
), where, by 1930, he had earned his Ph.D. His dissertation, Responsibility for Rural School Administrators was published by the Teachers College Bureau of Publications, the first of many of his published works.
After earning his doctorate, Cyr taught at Teachers College for over 30 years, retiring in 1965. While working in the education of teachers, he also became involved in studying and improving rural education and school transportation.
U.S. school bus standards
In the 1930s, Cyr made a study of school transportation. He learned that students were riding in all kinds of vehicles, including kid hackKid hack
A kid hack was a horse-drawn vehicle used for transporting children to school in the late 19th and early 20th century in the United States. The word hack, meaning a horse-drawn cab, is short for hackney carriage. The vehicle was actually powered by both horses and mules, and usually loaded at the...
s, trucks and buses of every imaginable color and condition. One district's buses sported red, white & blue decor, perhaps hoping to instill patriotism in its passengers. A Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
district transported its students in horse-drawn wheat wagons. School bus
School bus
A school bus is a type of bus designed and manufactured for student transport: carrying children and teenagers to and from school and school events...
manufacturers complained that because there were no national standards, they could not mass-produce the buses, nor make a profit and keep costs down.
In April 1939, Cyr organized a conference at Teachers College, funded by a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation
Rockefeller Foundation
The Rockefeller Foundation is a prominent philanthropic organization and private foundation based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The preeminent institution established by the six-generation Rockefeller family, it was founded by John D. Rockefeller , along with his son John D. Rockefeller, Jr...
for transportation officials from each of the then 48 states, as well as specialists from school bus manufacturing and paint companies.
Engineers from Blue Bird Body Co., Chevrolet
Chevrolet
Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...
, International Harvester
International Harvester
International Harvester Company was a United States agricultural machinery, construction equipment, vehicle, commercial truck, and household and commercial products manufacturer. In 1902, J.P...
, Dodge, and Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
, as well as paint experts from DuPont
DuPont
E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company , commonly referred to as DuPont, is an American chemical company that was founded in July 1802 as a gunpowder mill by Eleuthère Irénée du Pont. DuPont was the world's third largest chemical company based on market capitalization and ninth based on revenue in 2009...
and Pittsburgh Paint showed up. Together with the transportation administrators, they met for 7 days and agreed on 44 standards, including the color and some mechanical specs such as body length, ceiling height, and aisle width.
It was at this meeting that yellow with black lettering was determined as easiest to see in the light of early morning & late afternoon. The distinctive yellow
Yellow
Yellow is the color evoked by light that stimulates both the L and M cone cells of the retina about equally, with no significant stimulation of the S cone cells. Light with a wavelength of 570–590 nm is yellow, as is light with a suitable mixture of red and green...
became known officially as “National School Bus Chrome.” Its formula is on file with the National Bureau of Standards, now known as National Glossy School Bus Yellow
School bus yellow
School bus yellow is a color which was especially formulated for use on School buses in North America in 1939. The color is now officially known in Canada and the U.S. as National School Bus Glossy Yellow and was originally called National School Bus Chrome. The pigment used for this color was, for...
.
While most of those standards have long since changed, the yellow color stuck. In time 35 U.S. states adopted the color with Minnesota as the last holdout, only changing in 1974, from ‘Minnesota Golden Orange’ to National School Bus Chrome.
Following the conference, Cyr, who is recorded as having always thought the choice more orange than yellow, became widely regarded as the "Father of the Yellow School Bus."
Cyr continued to be interested in school buses. In 1942, he chaired a federal conference that set school transportation policy during wartime.
In April 1989, he was honored at a luncheon at Teachers College marking the 50th anniversary of the original conference. The luncheon was held in the Grace Dodge Room at the College, where the original conference had been held.
At the luncheon, Cyr recalled that strips of different colors were hung from the wall and the participants in the 1939 conference talked until they narrowed the color down to three slightly different shades of yellow. The variation in shades was allowed, Cyr explained, because the color of the paint could not always be mixed exactly.
Cyr also said that he and the other attendees at the conference always used safety as the first criteria for the school-bus standards. "The most often asked question was 'Will this standard improve safety?'" he recalled at the 1989 luncheon.
Rural education specialist, author
In 1940, Cyr served as president of the Rural Department of the National Education AssociationNational Education Association
The National Education Association is the largest professional organization and largest labor union in the United States, representing public school teachers and other support personnel, faculty and staffers at colleges and universities, retired educators, and college students preparing to become...
and authored A Policy for Rural Education in the United States, published that year as the Rural Department's yearbook
Yearbook
A yearbook, also known as an annual, is a book to record, highlight, and commemorate the past year of a school or a book published annually. Virtually all American, Australian and Canadian high schools, most colleges and many elementary and middle schools publish yearbooks...
. Cyr was also the author of The Small School in Wartime (1942) and Rural Education in the United States (1943), which was translated into both Spanish and Portuguese. He was the coauthor of The Small High School at Work (1936), An Introduction to Modern Education (1936) and Planning the Rural School Building (1949).
Legacy
Frank W. Cyr died at the age of 95 in Stamford, New YorkStamford, New York
Stamford may refer to two municipalities in Delaware County, New York in the United States:*Stamford , New York*Stamford , New York, located entirely within the town...
in 1995.
Dr. Cyr had become a Professor Emeritus of Rural Education at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
Teachers College in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
Today, a television station in Stamford, New York
Stamford, New York
Stamford may refer to two municipalities in Delaware County, New York in the United States:*Stamford , New York*Stamford , New York, located entirely within the town...
, is used to send out advanced placement classes to the rural schools of the area. That station is located in the Frank W. Cyr Educational Center of the Board of Cooperative Educational Services.
The current approach to school bus standards of annual meetings of school transportation providers, government officials, and manufacturers, with a history of over 65 years, is a continuing legacy of the man fondly remembered by many dedicated persons in school transportation as the "Father of the Yellow School Bus."
External links and references
- Frank W. Cyr, Father of the Yellow School Bus
- STN Online: Archives of 100 years of School Bus History
- Columbia University article - Frank W. Cyr, Father of the Yellow School Bus
- "Frank W. Cyr, 'Father of the Yellow School Bus,' Dies at the Age of 95". Columbia University press release (August 3, 1995).