Department History

Want to know what makes a great department? The CBE Department at Mines is a culmination of talent and persistence, with a bit of school spirit thrown in the mix. These qualities that make up the department and continue to hold it together laid the foundation for the creation of a CBE History Book. Written by Professors Emeriti Dendy Sloan and Chuck Vestal, the CBE History Book contains alumni stories and a history that will take you back to the days of freshman initiation via the M Climb, staying up late for last minute studying for an organic chemistry exam or losing your voice while cheering on your team during football games. We all remember that warm summer – living in the unit operations building, questioning our devotion to a degree and later realizing this experience opened our minds to unimaginable possibilities.

If you are an alumnus, your name is recorded by the year you graduated, along with the other 4900+ alumni. Our 75-year history was written “by the family, for the family,” as coined by new Department Head Anuj Chauhan. The book was composed from student and faculty interviews, surveys of the Oredigger yearbook and commencement bulletins, department records, and registrar data, among other sources. The book has over 180 photographs mainly of students and faculty, with words to support the photos. The book was published in late fall 2019 with a free download from the department website and a print-on-demand book from Amazon. We hope this history inspires you to return to your Alma Mater, to tell us your story and become an active participant in shaping the Chemical and Biological Engineering future.

Preface and Intro (pages i – 11)

1944 to 1960 Chapter 1: The Ball Years (pages 12 – 27)

1960 to 1972 Chapter 2: The Gary Years (pages 28 – 51)

1972 to 1983 Chapter 3: The Dickson Years (pages 52 – 71)

1984 to 1990 Chapter 4: The Kidnay Years (pages 72 – 85)

1990 to 2000 Chapter 5: The Baldwin Years (pages 86 – 109)

2000 to 2010 Chapter 6: The Ely Years (pages 110 – 135)

2010 to 2016 Chapter 7: The Marr Years (pages 136 – 153)

2016 to 2019 Chapter 8: The Chauhan Inauguration and the Interim Years (pages 154 – 186)

Appendices

• Appendix I: Department Graduates by Year (pages I-1 – I-102)
• Appendix II: Faculty Curriculum Vitae (pages II-1 – II-31)
• Appendix III: Unit Operations Laboratory Articles (pages III-1 – III-21)
• Appendix IV: Index (pages IV-1 – IV-7)