Named Faculty Appointments

Established by Alexander Rankin V in honor of the men after whom he was named, including: great great grandfather and great grandfather, Alexander I and Alexander II, who were coal miners in Scotland; grandfather Alexander III, who moved the family to Wisconsin and worked in the quarries before purchasing a dairy farm; and father Alexander IV, who worked for the First National Bank of Chicago for 45 years.

Alexander Rankin V, the founder of Vulcan Spring and Manufacturing Company, received his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Illinois in 1957.

Alexander Rankin Professorship Recipients:

• Charles L. Tucker III2003

Endowed by longtime supporter and alumnus C. J. Gauthier, who spent his entire professional career with Nicor, retiring as chairman and chief executive officer in 1986. Mr. Gauthier also endowed the C. J. Gauthier Program for Exploratory Studies, which enables faculty to pursue research in new and emerging areas.

C. J. Gauthier Professorship Recipients:

• Harry E. Cook1995
• John S. Walker1999
• Huseyin Sehitoglu2004

Established by C. J. Gauthier in honor of his first wife, the late Grayce Wicall Gauthier, as the first endowed chair in the Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering. Mrs. Gauthier received a bachelor's degree in education from the University of Illinois, graduating as a Bronze Tablet Scholar.

C. J. Gauthier joined the Public Service Company of Northern Illinois in 1945, two years after completing his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. He spent his entire career with the company, retiring as chairman and chief executive officer of Nicor, Inc., in 1986.

Grayce Wicall Gauthier Chair Recipients:

• Shiv G. Kapoor2005

Established by C. J. Gauthier in honor of his first wife, the late Grayce Wicall Gauthier. Mrs. Gauthier received a bachelor's degree in education from the University of Illinois, graduating as a Bronze Tablet Scholar.

C. J. Gauthier joined the Public Service Company of Northern Illinois in 1945, two years after completing his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. He spent his entire career with the company, retiring as chairman and chief executive officer of Nicor, Inc., in 1986.

Grayce Wicall Gauthier Professorship Recipients:

• Harry E. Cook1990
• Richard E. DeVor1995
• Huseyin Sehitoglu2000
• Placid M. Ferreira2003
• Yonggang Y. Huang2003

Established by the estate of Professor Shao Lee Soo in honor of his wife, Hermia Gungtai Dan-Soo, and her commitment to their family and his career.

Professor Soo was a member of the faculty for more than 30 years. He is renowned for his pioneering work on multiphase systems and his contributions to thermodynamics, direct energy conversion, combustion and plasma physics.

Hermia G. Soo Professorship Recipients:

• M. Quinn Brewster2000

Established by Alexander Rankin V and his wife Joanne in honor of the late Professor Jim Bayne, who was affiliated with the department for more than 50 years. Bayne served as associate head for undergraduate programs and created the Extern Program, which gives students an opportunity to observe engineers in industry during the winter break.

Alexander Rankin, the founder of Vulcan Spring Manufacturing Company, completed his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering in 1957.

James W. Bayne Professorship Recipients:

• James E. Peters (posthumous)2000
• Shiv G. Kapoor2000
• Mark A. Shannon2006

Endowed by the estate of Richard W. Kritzer, who dedicated his professional life to advancing heating and refrigerating research and technology. Although his undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois was in commerce, Mr. Kritzer became an avid supporter of the department through his interest in the work of the Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Center.

Richard W. Kritzer Distinguished Professorship Recipients:

• Wilbert F. Stoecker1989
• Richard O. Buckius1992
• Herman Krier1998
• Anthony M. Jacoby2004
• John G. Georgiadis2004

Established by Hermia G. Soo in honor of her late husband, Professor Shao Lee Soo, who dedicated more than 30 years to the department and who was a pioneer in multiphase systems research.

A pianist, teacher and artist, Hermia G. Soo received her undergraduate degree in music from Ginling College, Chengdu, China, and a master's degree in education from Phillips University in Enid, Oklahoma. She was married to Professor Soo for 46 years.

Shao Lee Soo Professorship Recipients:

• Yonggang Y. Huang2004

Established by William Grafton and Lillian Bloemker Wilkins, longtime supporters of the University of Illinois, to recognize, encourage and reward faculty members who establish and maintain outstanding records in teaching, research and student relations.

Mr. Wilkins completed a bachelor's degree in railroad engineering at the University of Illinois in 1929. He was president of Universal Casting Corporation in Chicago for many years. Mrs. Wilkins was a graduate of St. Louis private schools and an accountant for Alcoa Aluminum Company in East St. Louis until her marriage in 1931.

W. Grafton and Lillian B. Wilkins Professorship Recipients:

• Charles L. Tucker III1998
• J. Craig Dutton1998
• Brian G. Thomas2003
• Jonathan A. Dantzig2003

Caterpillar Professors:

Caterpillar Professorship Recipients:

• Moshe Matalon2006

The College of Engineering created the Distinguished Professor in Manufacturing to recognize outstanding faculty members for their achievements in teaching, research and service in the area of manufacturing.

Distinguished Professor of Manufacturing Recipients:

• Richard E. DeVor2001

Established by George M. C. and Ann Wallace Fisher in honor of his parents.

George M. C. Fisher earned a bachelor's degree in civil engineering in 1962. He began his career at AT&T Bell Laboratories after completing master's and doctoral degrees at Brown University. He retired from Eastman Kodak Company as chairman and chief executive officer in 2001. Ann Wallace Fisher received a bachelor's degree from Chapman College in 1964.

Ralph M. and Catherine V. Fisher Professorship Recipients:

• Andrew G. Alleyne2003