It Happened at Michigan: Fred Pelham Built Bridges in More Ways than One

Frederick Blackburn Pelham’s trailblazing path as U-M’s first Black engineering graduate led to ingenious infrastructure designs that Michigan still relies on today. His brief but impactful career produced bridges and an underpass that continue to surprise modern drivers, and his legacy now fuels new generations of engineers. The full story reveals just how much he accomplished in only 30 short years.