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| In memoriam | |
It is somehow poetic that Picnic Point was the last place Frank Worzala saw. Worzala, a popular materials science and engineering professor, was running with his dog in August 1996 when he collapsed and died at 62 of an apparent heart attack at the spot along Lake Mendota. He loved being active and being outdoors, and he was devoted to the university and its students.
His name and spirit live on through two engineering scholarships, which his family and friends established. The first, the Frank Worzala Memorial Scholarship, is awarded to a top student in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, which Worzala chaired when he retired in 1996. The second scholarship, set up after a successful fund raiser with family and friends in December, "will be targeted to perhaps one of the more passionate students who maybe doesn't have the most sparkling GPA," says daughter Elaine Worzala (BBA '84, MS '85, PhD '92), a business professor at the University of San Diego.
The nine children in the Worzala family grew up in the shadow of the university, "about a block away from Camp Randall Stadium," says David Worzala (BA '88), the youngest son of Frank (BS '56, MS '58) and Diane (BS '72, MA '74, PhD '82). "We got to take advantage of all the university facilities, the campus environment and activities. Football games were always a carnival," David says. "We parked cars, sold concessions at the stadium, that kind of thing."
The Worzala kids did indeed catch Badger fever. Seven of the nine children have bachelor's degrees from UW-Madison, and the family has a total of 16 university degrees in disciplines ranging from business, liberal arts and special education to political science and, of course, engineering.
Frank was known on campus not just for his role in engineering. "He was very active," David says. "He had been around the university a long time." As an undergraduate, Frank was a fraternity member, on the gymnastics team and head cheerleader. "My mother taught in the history department, so there was that connection, too," David says. "He had season tickets to football, hockey and basketball, and he'd always be talking to the people around him, making connections and making friends."
The Worzala household would overflow on Christmas Eves, as the family welcomed foreign students with nowhere to go.
Frank also had an instantly identifiable red convertible, and he could often be seen out cross-country skiing, running and biking. "He was very curious, he always wanted to know how things worked, and he did a lot of research related to things he loved," David says. "His research on finishing materials and things like that was very valuable to Trek Bicycles." Frank's students who worked for Trek presented him with a custom-made bicycle on his retirement. "He was involved in a lot of the early business startups that grew out of his campus research," David says, "and he taught engineering for non-engineering students, which exposed him to a lot of people as well."
The December fund raiser in Madison celebrated the printing of Fantastic! A Memoir of Frank Worzala. Filled with reminiscences from immediate and extended family members and friends, it sketches out a colorful life in anecdotes, photos and testimonials. The brainchild of daughter Robin Worzala Cantor, Fantastic! makes those who never met Frank wish they had gotten the opportunity.
"My dad was devoted to three things mainly: his family, the engineering department and his church community," Elaine says. "He had such a positive attitude, and he always put his students first, which, as someone in academia, I can say is not always easy to do. He very much promoted the idea of getting more women into engineering."
In addition to the two scholarships, Frank Worzala is memorialized with a bench near the swimming dock at the Memorial Union Terrace, where he loved to visit with a cappuccino or a beer.
David Worzala says it's fitting that much of the money for the scholarships comes from "a lot of small gifts from a lot of people." As for those helped through the Worzala scholarships, "my father really believed in undergraduate studies," he says. "For us as a family, the focus has been on helping undergraduate students."
Those interested in contributing to the Worzala engineering scholarships may contact the UW Foundation at 608/263-4545.
Daggett graduated from UW-Madison in 1938 with a BS in mechanical engineering, and earned his MS a year later. He worked in the plastics manufacturing business in New Jersey and New York before returning to his alma mater in 1946 to teach mechanical engineering. He was a member of the faculty of the Department of Mechanical Engineering for 29 years before retiring in 1975.
During his time in the department, Daggett developed several new plastic processes, and joined Dr. Vincent Gott of the university's Medical School in developing an innovative prosthetic heart valve that was used in hundreds of heart patients. As recognition for his contributions, the College of Engineering honored him with a Distinguished Service Award in 1991.
Daggett also founded Engineering Industries, a Verona company that develops and engineers injection-molding techniques for small, precision plastic parts. The company now employs about 100 people.
In retirement, Daggett took up a number of pursuits, including calligraphy and painting. He often donated his paintings — many of them of well-known Madison buildings or the Dane County countryside — for charity or gave them away as gifts. He also began figure skating and playing squash to keep healthy and active, and played violin in a local community orchestra.
Daggett was preceded in death by his wife, Dorothy, and a son, Lorin. In his memory, the department has established a scholarship. For more information, contact Lance Cavanaugh at UW Foundation at 608/263-4545.
Mechanical Engineering Professor Emeritus Gary L. Borman passed away on Jan. 17 after battling colon cancer. Borman's research concentrations included engine combustion, lubrication, spray vaporization and cycle analysis. He was director of the Engine Research Center from 1986 to 1994, and served on the board of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering, and was also elected an SAE Fellow. Among his many honors was receiving the Horning Memorial Award. He earned four degrees from UW-Madison, the last being a PhD in mechanical engineering in 1957. He retired from the faculty in 1994. The family has asked that memorials be sent to the American Cancer Society.
Wisconsin Alumni Association recently upgraded its software that keeps track of university alumni. As part of that upgrade, the College of Engineering has received an updated list of alumni who have passed away from July to December 2004. The following alumni are listed in order of the month that WAA received notice of their passing.
JULY 2004
AUGUST 2004
SEPTEMBER 2004
OCTOBER 2004
NOVEMBER 2004
DECEMBER 2004
Note: Since the publication of the last PERSPECTIVE, we've learned that John Riley (BSCEE ‘41) died in March.
Content by perspective@engr.wisc.edu
Date last modified: Tuesday, 26-Apr-2005 17:06:42 CDT
Date created: 26-Apr-2005
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