Millard E. Gyte papers

Millard Ellsworth Gyte was born on 23 January 1903 in Hartington, Nebraska. The Gyte family later moved to farm in South Dakota. From 1921 to 1924, Gyte taught at the public school in Hayes, South Dakota. Although Gyte only had an eighth-grade level education, he taught all elementary grades in one class of approximately fifteen students. However, Gyte later passed the high school examinations at Spearfish Normal School in Spearfish, South Dakota. Seeking a higher salary, Gyte taught at Lakeside School in Midland, South Dakota from 1924 to 1926, in a similar rural setting teaching all grades in one classroom. He moved to Philip, South Dakota in 1926 and taught at the rural public school for one year before moving to Belle Fourche, South Dakota to work as a Carpenter-keeper for the construction of the Utah-Idaho Sugar Company until December 1927. From 1928 to 1931, Gyte worked as the principal of a junior high school in Shannon County, South Dakota. Gyte attended Nebraska State Normal College in Chadron, Nebraska from 1930 to 1934, holding a major in chemistry and minors in physics and mathematics. He graduated with a Professional Life Certificate which qualified him to teach in public schools. During the summer of 1936, Gyte did graduate work in chemistry at the University of South Dakota and again during the summer of 1937 at Iowa State College. He graduated from Colorado State College of Education in Greeley, Colorado in 1938 with a Masters of the Arts degree in Education. While Gyte had been attending school, he was also working as the County Superintendent and High School Superintendent from 1931 to 1937 in Shannon County, South Dakota. Upon receiving his master’s degree, Gyte moved to Winner, South Dakota to work as the Principal at Winner High School until 1941. During World War II, Gyte worked as a training supervisor at the Wabash River Ordnance Works. Once the war ended, Gyte continued teaching in De Smet, South Dakota. Seeking a higher salary, Gyte began inquiring about teaching and administrative opportunities at schools across the country in 1945. After receiving a notice of vacancies for teaching positions at the various Technical Extension Divisions of Purdue University in November 1946, Gyte began correspondence with Charles W. Beese, Director, and Von Daugherty, Assistant Director of the Technical Extension Divisions of Purdue University. Beese explained to Gyte that the Extension programs were growing rapidly and that the Hammond Center was the largest with a need for resident administrative staff. Gyte continued making inquiries about this position from January to March of 1947 and arranged an interview with Daugherty in April 1947 in [West] Lafayette, Indiana. Daugherty and Beese made a verbal offer of employment for an administrative position in Hammond, Indiana at the Technical Extension Division campus. Gyte accepted the offer, ensured a replacement for his teaching position in De Smet, South Dakota, and began working as the first resident director of the Hammond Technical Institute on 1 June 1947. At the time of his appointment, classes were held  in Gary, Indiana, the Hammond High School, and the Board of Education Building on Hohman Avenue in Hammond, Indiana. Gyte was responsible for rallying support to centralize campus. By 1951, the construction of the Center Building was completed and the Hammond Technical Institute had a central location on Woodmar Avenue and 171^st Street in Hammond, Indiana. Gyte is also credited for establishing the student newspaper, The Calumet Boilermaker, in 1951 and advocating for student groups. During his directorship, Gyte collaborated with Inland Steel, Youngstown Sheet and Tube program, Amaizo, Gary Works, and U.S. Steel to establish programs through the Technical Institute. Gyte also pushed for a Practical Nursing Program at the Hammond Technical Institute, which was considered one of the foremost in the Midwest at its inception. In addition, Gyte employed and expanded the University Staff at the Hammond Technical Institute, which provided students with opportunities for a well-rounded education. Gyte suffered a stroke on 30 July 1958 while working in the Center Building on campus and passed away the next day at the hospital. The Center Building was renamed and dedicated to Gyte as the Millard E. Gyte Science Building in 1973. Gyte was survived by his wife, Christina.

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