BSL Fellowship Fund established

Warren Stewart (left) and Liong S. Tee (PhD '68), Nov., 1966 (37K JPG)

Bob Bird (left) and Roland Ragatz, circa 1964. (30K JPG)

Alumni and friends of UW Chemical and Biological Engineering are well aware of the indelible mark that R. Byron (Bob) Bird, Warren E. Stewart and Edwin N. Lightfoot have made on this department and the field of chemical engineering generally. Publication of their classic text, Transport Phenomena, a.k.a. BSL, alone would have ensured a lasting legacy, but their contributions extend far beyond that in research, teaching and service. To this day, their friendly faces and valued perspectives make the department a better place for faculty, staff and students alike.

The department has received a generous gift in the form of a charitable remainder trust from an anonymous donor for the establishment of the Bird, Stewart and Lightfoot Graduate Fellowship Fund. This endowment fund will continue to strengthen the department in years to come and serve as a tribute to these three great men. But to make this a truly fitting tribute, we ask for your help.

Ed Lightfoot (left) and Victor P. Goldbach, Nov., 1968. (28K JPG)

Our goal for the fund is to raise $500,000, half of which, if received by 2007, will be eligible for a matching supplement through the Wisconsin Distinguished Graduate Fellowship Program of the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation. The fully endowed fund will enhance the department's ability to attract outstanding graduate students, and in so doing will continue to build and maintain the department's standing in the chemical engineering community.

We hope that all of you who know Bob, Warren, or Ed, who had them in class, who had them as research advisors, or who simply value their role in making this the great department that it is, will make a gift or pledge in their honor. We encourage you also to send us anecdotes from times you spent with them. A gift form is included in this newsletter and is available on our web site (www.engr.wisc.edu/che). If you would like more information about gift options, please contact Deb Holt, Director of Development with the UW Foundation, at 608/263-0779 or deb.holt@uwfoundation.wisc.edu.