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CHE Department History - CHE "Firsts"
CHE's First Minority Graduate - 1972
 Arthur
Anderson, who got his degree in 1972, was our first minority graduate, and his
career serves as an inspiration to all minority students. Possessing an outgoing
personality, Arthur was well-liked and was encouraged by the faculty to make the
most of his abilities. After his graduation in 1972, Arthur went to work for
Procter and Gamble as an engineer and spent nineteen years in the food, personal
care, and paper products areas, where he advanced to Director of Research and
Development of the paper products division. In 1991, he moved to Kraft Foods and
is now Vice President of Strategy, Process Technology, and New Business
Development. In this position he is responsible for all technological
development and strategy for all products, their processing, and packaging in
the enhancers division of the company. This includes salad dressing, mayonnaise,
shake n' bake coatings, meat enhancements, syrups, and fruit spreads. He heads
the Worldwide Oil Products Core Team and is the company's representative to the
Industrial Research Institute.
Arthur Anderson was born in Kingston, Jamaica, where he grew up and attended
high school. After moving to Miami with his familly, he attended Miami-Dade
Community College for two years before coming to UF. Ever since his early teens,
he knew he wanted to be a chemical engineer because of field trips he took in
school. "Chemical engineers," he observed, "seem to be in the center of the
action." And, he added, "Chemical engineering also seemed to be a great way to
bring together my love of science and math."
He was impressed that the then-Chairman of the Department, Dr. John O'Connell,
was willing to sit down with him, a total stranger, and tell him all about the
curriculum and what would be expected of him. During his stay in the Department,
he was greatly influenced by Drs. O'Connell, Fahien, and Shah. He says of the
chemical engineering curriculum, "It was the most demanding technical curriculum
I could have taken, but it offered me the opportunity to expand my mind in a way
that has enabled me to take on corporate America in the years since."
After graduation, Arthur did not forget the department. He returned frequently,
giving valuable service as a student recruiter, advisor to our minority
students, and as a member of the Department's Advisory Committee.
Coming from an almost all-black country, Anderson commented that there was a
different "comfort level" here. "It's an adjustment level I'm proud of," he
remarked. "Over the years I've been able to help and inspire many other black
managers and students." He has worked for many years with numerous minority and
engineering groups, such as the National Society of Black Engineers, an activity
for which he has received many awards. He is married and has one boy and one
girl.
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