In this Lung-Wen Tsai Memorial Lecture, Jan Auernhammer will talk about the early people, practices, influences, ideas, and culture that led to the establishment of the Mechanical Engineering (Comprehensive) Design Division and the Joint Product Design Programs between Mechanical Engineering and Fine Arts in the 1950s and 60s. This talk will provide an overview of the early ideas and practices that constituted a unique design practice, education, and philosophy that was grounded in a liberal arts education and the human potential movement.