Robert Sayre

Frank Whelan and Lance Metz. The Diaries of Robert Heysham Sayre.[Bethlehem, Pa.]: Lehigh University, 1990.

"Asa Packer's right-hand man" Robert Sayre's (1824-1907) engineering and management abilities were instrumental in the Lehigh Valley Railroad's success. Sayre, one of Lehigh's first trustees, served on the Board for many years, and was also a trustee of the Asa Packer Estate. Eventually Sayre's talent as a railroad administrator would lead him to survey the proposed South Pennsylvania Railroad – a project planned by the head of the Reading Railroad. This survey eventually would define the route that the Pennsylvania Turnpike follows. Following Packer's example, he was also a generous donor during his lifetime. Built in 1868, the Sayre Observatory, one of the first academic buildings on campus, served Lehigh University for astronomy research for decades. The building and observation instruments were Robert H. Sayre's gifts to Lehigh.