MIT was founded in 1865 by Willam Barton Rogers. Erastus Bigelow was
on the original chartering commission (OK, he may well have been the
main official sugardaddy, I haven't seen the list of subscribers, but
it was Rogers who got his name in monumental capitals on the Dome).
"In 1861 he was appointed member of a 21 man commission which
eventually established Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Erastus
B. Bigelow died 6 Dec 1879."
(http://www.cris.com/~dbigel1/Bigelow_Carpet.html)
-- dhr@iname.com (Freeman Craig Presson)