This fund honors Theodore R. Crom, who co-founded the Crom Corporation in Gainesville in 1953 with his father, brother and Frank Bertie. A native of Illinois, Ted Crom came to Gainesville during World War II, after he was sent to the Army Specialized Training Corps at the University of Florida. While assigned to UF, he met his future wife, Wynona. In addition to his achievements in the water tank industry, Crom was recognized as a world renowned expert on Horology (the study of time) and was an avid collector of 18th century watches and clocks. He was named a University of Florida Distinguished Alumnus in 1976. Crom’s estate established the fund in 2008 to support lecture series that will bring to campus distinguished practicing engineers two or three times a year for interaction with students and faculty and to support projects of the Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society.