IFToMM
International Federation for the Promotion of Mechanism and Machine Science
The founding fathers of IFToMM
by Marco Ceccarelli, IFToMM President 2008-11 and 2016 - 19

Founding fathers of IFToMM(who signed the IFToMM act andmembers of the 1st Executive Council)
Academician Ivan I. Artobolevski (USSR)
Prof. Erskine F. R. Crossley (USA)Prof. Michael S. Konstantinov (Bulgaria)
Dr. Werner Thomas (GFR)
Prof. B. M. Belgaumkar (India)
Prof. Kenneth H. Hunt (Australia)
Prof. Jan Oderfeld (Poland)Prof. Jack Phillips (Australia)
Prof. George Rusanov (Bulgaria)
Prof. Wolfgang Rössner (GDR)
Prof. Zènò Terplàn (Hungary)Prof. Jammi S. Rao ( India)
Prof. Giovanni Bianchi (Italy)
Prof. Adam Morecki (Poland)Prof. Nicolae I. Manolescu (Romania)
Prof. Leonard Maunder (UK)Prof. Douglas Muster (USA)Prof. Branislav Ilic (Yugoslavia)

26 September 1969: participants at second World Congress

Jammi S. Rao
Leonard Maunder
1 July 1939 – 4 July 2020 10 May 1927– 20 April 2019

Branislav Ilic1907-1982

Ivan Ivanovich Artobolevski

Francis Rendel Erskine Crossley(Moscow 9 Oct 1905 - 21 Sept 1977).
As professor at Bauman University ofMoscow he was a worldwide reputed figure in
TMM for his activities (research, teaching,and organization) and publication productions.
Besides the many original designs ofmachines and systems, his most importantwork is considered to be the encyclopaedic
publication in 6 volumes on classification ofmechanisms that has been translated into
several languages all around the world. Hewas one of the major promoters of IFToMM
and served as the first IFToMM President.

Michael Spirov Konstantinov

Jan Oderfeld(Belper, UK, 21 July 1915 - USA 4 Feb. 2017)
As professor at Purdue University, he was aworldwide reputed figure in TMM for hisactivities (research, teaching, and organization)and community organization. Besides the many
publications and machine designs, his mostimportant work may be considered to be hisbook Dynamics in Machines (1954). In 1969 hestarted the Journal of Mechanisms that isrenamed since 1972 as Mechanism and Machine
Theory. He was one of the major promoters ofIFToMM and served as the first IFToMM VicePresident.

(Sofia 22 March 1921 - 8 April 1991)
As professor at Sofia University, he was aworldwide reputed figure in TMM for hisactivities(research,teaching,andorganization) with first robot designs andcommunity organization. In 1973 he started
the first laboratory on Robotics. He was oneof the major promoters of IFToMM andserved as the first IFToMM SecretaryGeneral.

(Czestokwa 9 Feb 1908 - Warsaw 17 March 2010)
As professor at Technical University of Warsaw hewas a worldwide reputed figure in TMM for his
activities (research, teaching, and organization)and publication productions with an early teamproperly focused on TMM. His most importantdesign can be considered the development of anearly jet engine. He was one of the major
promoters of IFToMM and organizer of the 1969
TMM World Congress in Poland where IFToMM
was founded.

Adam Morecki
18 July 1923 – 11 Jan 2009

Giovanni Bianchi
Kenneth Henderson Hunt
March 11, 1924– 13 Nov 2003 7 June 1920 – 21 Aug 2002

Douglas Muster
Wolfgang Rossner
2 Nov. 1918–7 Sept. 2007 27 June1914 – ????

Zènò Terplàn
25 May 1921 - 16 Jan 2012

Main IFToMM promotersJack Raymond Phillips
18 July 1923 – 11 Jan 2009

Werner Thomas??? - ???

Zdzislaw Parszewski
25 May 1924 – 16 May 1999

B. M. Belgaumkar
1909 – 1989

Nicolae Manolescu
11 April 1907 – 10 Oct 1993

George Rusanov??? - ???