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The Watt Club is the alumni association of Heriot-Watt University and the oldest association of its kind in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1854, today the Club has over 82,000 members worldwide.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Heriot-Watt University: Our Alumni. )〕 ==History== The Watt Club was founded on 12 May 1854 following the unveiling of a statue of James Watt outside the Watt Institution and School of Arts (later Heriot-Watt University). At a late-night event to celebrate the occasion,〔Boyle, J. S. (1973). Heriot-Watt University: from Mechanics' Institute to technological university. Heriot-Watt University.〕 Edinburgh Jeweller John E. Vernon argued for the formation of an organisation that would celebrate Watt's life, stating: "(club should be formed ) whose object would be to sup together on the anniversary of the birth of James Watt…and also to promote the interests of the School, by raising a fund each year to provide prizes."〔O'Farrell, P. N. (2004). Heriot Watt University: An Illustrated History. Pearson Education Limited. ISBN 0-273-69605-X〕 A club was subsequently formed with Vernon as its first President,〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Heriot-Watt University: The Watt Club President. )〕 and proceeded to hold its first dinner in celebration of Watt's birthday on 20 January 1855. Such dinners remained popular for several years, with the status of members increasing as the organisation's notoriety grew. Membership of the Watt Club began to decline in the 1880s, however, and in 1910 the organisation officially ceased to exist. It remained defunct until 1935, when a request from the Science Museum to borrow one of its old medals from Heriot-Watt College led to renewed interest in the organisation. The Club was subsequently reconstituted on 28 November of that year. After Heriot-Watt became a university in 1966, the Watt Club allowed graduates to become members free of charge. Following this the roles of the Club and the Graduates' Association of the University became increasingly similar, and the two bodies ultimately merged in 1994. As a result the Club became the official alumni association of the University, a position it has held ever since.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Heriot-Watt University: A Short History of the Watt Club. )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「The Watt Club」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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