Awards & RecognitionFaculty member recognized for dedication to students

Student overcomes technical difficulties to place in competition

2008 Bagley College of Engineering Student Hall of Fame Inductees

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Special Podcast Release    Nash Street
Walk up to any newsstand on country music row in Nashville and you will see headlines that read “Nash Street named ‘THE BEST NEW ACT IN COUNTRY MUSIC.’” The upbeat blue grass/country band is made-up of Mississippi State students. Daniel Hare, an aerospace engineering major and the lead bass player tells the story of their experience playing at the Ryman Auditorium, home of the Grand Ole Opry, and how this small town band is making it big in the genre of country music.
Click here to listen.

Chester Moulder is no stranger to hard work. The Hattiesburg native’s work ethic was ingrained at the young age of 6 when he began selling newspapers to help his family earn a few extra dollars during the depression. Moulder worked for seven years selling and delivering the noon and three o'clock editions until a family friend told him about an electrical contract entrepreneur who was looking for some help.

“I was only 13 years-old when I began working full-time doing electrical work for that contractor. Since I was too young to legally work, we wrote on all the employment documents that I was 15 years-old."

Spending most of his teenage years working as an electrician, Moulder discovered his passion early in life and decided to pursue a degree in electrical engineering. Moulder is an alumnus of the Bagley College of Engineering's electrical engineering (EE) program. A graduate from the class of 1956, his journey of earning his college degree was not easy.

“I enrolled in three different colleges before I came to Mississippi State," explained Moulder. “I was married, had a child and was working full-time. On top of that, I was attending class as a full-time student. It was a real challenge to succeed, fulfilling all three goals at the same time.”

Moulder’s ambition of earning a degree was interrupted when his 631 Armored Field Artillery Battalion based in Hattiesburg, Miss., was sent to fight during the Korean conflict. The army assigned him to the communication and supply division. The military experience opened the doors to an education and career in electrical engineering.

“My life would be completely different if it wasn’t for former congressman Sonny Montgomery. He had the idea for the GI Bill and saw to it that it was implemented. That GI Bill enabled me to pay for my education while still working full-time to raise a family.”

Returning home from Korea, Moulder moved his family into Misissippi State's veteran housing for families. They were small apartments located northeast of the campus. When Moulder began his classes he took the opportunity to work on campus. His second job required him to help the electrical engineering department put together an electric transformer.

"Building that transformer was the initial start to building an electrical lightning lab. What you know today as the high voltage lab," said Moulder. "Electrical companies wanted us to research how high-powered electrical lines would respond to lightning and test how much electrical load they could stand."

Former electrical engineering professor, Dr. Jacobs observed Moulder’s dedication and commitment when he would spend late and early morning hours completing projects in the EE laboratories. Many times Jacobs realized Moulder hadn’t had any sleep; in fact, the student’s two full-time schedules would keep him up for three to four consecutive days at a time. Tired and overwhelmed, there were many times Moulder wanted to quit, but Jacobs was always there to give him a word of encouragement.

“What he told me I want to share with other students, ‘Do not give up. If you set your mind to it and know what you want, it can be done,’” expressed Moulder. “Thanks to Drs. Jacobs and Simerall, I earned my degree and went to work at Westinghouse Electric Corporation, in Pittsburgh, Pa. Life has been good, thanks to Mississippi State.”