Zentaro Iijima (pictured in the back row, far right) was the first student from Japan to attend the Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy. He traveled to Rolla in 1892 hoping to become an electrical engineer. However, because the university didn’t yet offer a degree in that area, Iijima majored in civil engineering while taking courses in electricity from physics professor Austin Lee McRae. Iijima was a charter member of the MSM Electrical Club and made a presentation to members on a “System of Wiring for Electric Lighting.” He was active on campus, joining the Mining Club and serving on a committee that organized the 1893 commencement ball.

Notably, Iijima, believing that “an electric light plant for this town is needed,” took it upon himself to propose to the city council a plan to construct a light and power plant, including construction and operation costs and projected annual earnings. Although the Rolla Herald endorsed his proposal, city leaders rejected it.

Iijima returned to Japan and became one of that nation’s leading electrical engineers, but he never forgot his experiences at MSM and the “kindness shown” him by Rolla citizens.

While working at Shibaura Engineering Works in Japan, he introduced an independent design for an American-style oil-immersed transformer. Iijima also branched out into the design and manufacturing of testing transformers and extra-high-voltage transformers. In 1903, he produced a transformer that was displayed at the World’s Fair in St. Louis in 1904, winning a gold medal and invigorating the Japanese electrical industry. In 1905, he produced the first extra-high-voltage transformer for Kofu Electric.

In 1916, he wrote a letter to the Missouri Miner, reading in part: “Everytime [sic] I receive honor from my Government for service rendered in connection with transformers I feel that something is lacking because I cannot share the honor with you. It is my pride to talk about M.S.M. with my friends here even now, as I never forget the pleasant time I had while there. If you or any of your friends ever want anything that can be obtained only in this part of the world please simply drop me a note and I will do the rest. I thank you again for the kindness shown me while at M.S.M. and for giving me a true course for navigating the world as a successful electrical engineer.”

A promotional piece MSM placed in the St. Louis Post Dispatch in 1916 noted that he had “designed and built” a “wireless apparatus used by the Japanese Navy.”

In 1919, Iijima wrote to the Rolla Herald newspaper explaining that he headed a transformer manufacturing firm, named Iijima Transformer Works in Tokyo.