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Who is Dr. John McKetta? |
Commencement Speaker and Honored
Alumnus
A 1937 Tri-State chemical engineering graduate, John McKetta earned his doctorate in chemical engineering from the University of Michigan in 1946. In the same year, he joined the University of Texas at Austin, where his positions have included professor of engineering, dean of the College of Engineering and executive vice chancellor of the University of Texas system. He currently holds the Joe C. Walter Chair in Chemical Engineering at Austin. Dr. McKetta's achievements and awards are numerous. Printing has been completed on 63 volumes of his 68-volume "Encyclopedia of Chemical Processing Design," and it is being translated into Chinese and Spanish. He serves on the boards of directors for six companies and has earned The Lamme Award as the "Outstanding Engineering Educator in the United States." In 1995, on his 80th birthday, the University of Texas at Austin changed the name of its chemical engineering department to "The John J. McKetta Center for Excellence in Chemical Engineering." On April 17 of this year, for his "many contributions to the reputation and prestige of the University of Texas at Austin," he received the Presidential Citation from the university's Board of Regents.
Dr. McKetta and the woman who stands at the forefront of his world, his wife of 54 years, Helen "Pinky" McKetta, reside in Austin, Texas. They are the proud parents and grandparents of four children and eight grandchildren. |