In 1922 Theodorsen graduated with a master's degree in mechanical engineering and was offered a position at the university as an instructor. That year one of his students was Lars Onsager, who became a lifelong friend and later went on to win a Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Theodorsen, like many Norwegian engineers, decided after some years as an instructor in Norway to emigrate. There were few jobs for engineers in Norway at the time. His wife's family knew a retired Norwegian sea captain who lived in Baltimore, so that became their American destination. They arrived in the United States on board the on August 25, 1924.Theodor Theodorsen. Trondhjem, Norway (The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, Inc.)
