Alvin W. Drake papers

Alvin W. Drake, 1935-2005, SB, SM 1958, EE 1961, ScD 1962, Masssachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), began his teaching career at MIT as an instructor in electrical engineering in 1960. He served as associate director of the Operations Research Center (ORC) from 1966 to 1977 and was promoted to full professor in 1973. In 1991, Drake received the School of Engineering’s Amar Bose Award for excellence in teaching, and in 1995 he was appointed Ford Professor of Engineering. With the exception of service in the US Army Signal Corps (1962-1964) and sabbaticals at Harvard and Berkeley, Drake taught continuously until his retirement at the end of 1996. In his later years at MIT, he worked with students in the Engineering Systems Division (ESD) and in the Leaders for Manufacturing Program (LFM).

Drake focused his research on decision analysis, applied probability, applications of operations research to public systems, and blood and organ banking, and he launched MIT and the ORC into the analysis of public systems. One of his best-known courses at MIT was Probabilistic Systems Analysis (6.041). Drake is the author of one book, Fundamentals of Probability Theory (1967), and the co-author of a second book, The American Blood Supply (1982).