Charles E. Wicks

Charles E. Wicks - Quick Facts

Profile Overview of Charles E. Wicks

Charles Edward Wicks (July 9, 1925 — July 29, 2010) was an American chemical engineer. He was a professor in the Chemical Engineering Department at Oregon State University. His focus was mass transfer, which was the subject of the textbook he coauthored, Fundamentals of Momentum, Heat, and Mass Transfer.

This profile of Charles E. Wicks covers Early Life and Family Background and Death and Legacy.

Early Life and Family Background of Charles E. Wicks

Charles was born on July 9, 1925, in Prineville, Oregon, and was raised in Albany, Oregon. He first studied at Willamette University before leaving for the military service. After returning from service, he completed his undergraduate degree in chemical engineering at Oregon State College in 1950 (now Oregon State University). He continued his studies at Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, receiving his Master of Science in 1952 and PhD in 1954.

He then joined the faculty in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Oregon State University. He spent 34 years as a professor and adviser, the last 17 of which he was the department chair until his retirement in 1987.

He was active in AIChE and Chemical Engineers of Oregon, serving as president from 1973 until 1974. He was elected into the Oregon State Engineering Hall of Fame in 1999.

Death and Legacy of Charles E. Wicks

Wicks died on July 29, 2010, of natural causes in Corvallis, Oregon. His life was celebrated at Oregon State University in a standing room only event on September 17, 2010.

Source: adapted from Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_E._Wicks), text available under CC BY-SA 4.0.