|
| |
CHE Department History - Remembrances of a
Few Past Professors
Herbert E. Schweyer
Ph.D., 1943, Columbia University
 Herb
Schweyer had a colorful personality and was well known to many of our earlier
graduates. He was highly involved both in the teaching program and in his
specialty of asphalt research. He even served part-time as Acting Chairman of
the Department when Dr. Beisler was in Pakistan.
Herb received his B.S. and M.S. from 1932-33 at Lafayette College and his Ph.D.
from Columbia in 1943. After working as an oil company engineer for a number of
years, he came to UF in 1946, where he stayed until retiring 31 years later.
Schweyer often said he had lots of fun in the late 40's and early 50's
re-learning chemical engineering by teaching it to the best bunch of ex-GI's
there ever was. He found that his students were eager to learn economics, so he
wrote a book, Process Engineering Economics and later another book, Analytical
Models for Managerial and Engineering Economics.
Schweyer's research on asphalt, which he referred to as "black gold," guided 26
graduate students to their degrees, including Jim Gary, our first Ph.D. There
was also a number of undergraduates involved in this work, which was funded by
oil companies and the Florida Road Department. The students called Schweyer the
"tar czar." He developed two viscometers; one for measuring viscosities at high
temperature and the other for low temperature rheology.
But Herb wasn't all work. His father had been a railroad man, so it was quite
natural that Herb took up model railroading as a hobby. He had a great
collection of trains, engines, switches, bridges, etc., and was a member of the
local model railroad club and editor of their newsletter. He once put on an
amateur magic show for the Department, another of his hobbies, and he also
played odd character parts in Gainesville Little Theater plays.
Of all his awards, Herb was most proud of two: The Chemical Engineering
Alumnus recognition for contributions to science by the 100th Science Conclave
at Lafayette College, and an award for contributions to Asphalt Technology by
the Association of Asphalt Paving Technologists. Herb Schweyer died in 1981.
|
