Richard H. Lufkin was a shoe machine engineer who has a grantmaking foundation named in his honor. His family's philanthropy helped build the Lufkin Engineering Library at Tufts University's School of Engineering.

History of Lufkin, Richard H.

Richard H. Lufkin (1851-1922) was an engineer who patented the vamp folding machine, for shoe manufacturers. Lufkin was recognized for this achievement by the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanics Association. Lufkin's sister Elizabeth later started the Elizabeth A. and Richard H. Lufkin Memorial Foundation, as a trust for six engineering schools in the Boston area, including Tufts University. Tufts named its engineering library after the Lufkins after philanthropic donations to Tufts School of Engineering. The Lufkin Engineering Library was later folded into Wessell Library in fall 1996.