Kenneth Van Wormer feted at May 5th Alumni Dinner

On May 5, 2007 the ChBE Department hosted an alumni dinner in honor of the retirement of Professor Kenneth Van Wormer. Friends, colleagues and alumni came together in the Alumnae Lounge on the Tufts campus to celebrate Professor Van Wormer's 53 years of dedicated service to chemical engineering at Tufts.

The evening kicked off with an hour-long reception. Old friendships were renewed as guests mingled and shared stories of their days at Tufts. Especially popular were the photo collages featuring Professor Van Wormer and his family from the time he joined Tufts as an instructor in 1954.

Bernard Siskind, class of 1939, presented a toast to the packed audience during the catered dinner, after which it was time for the presentations. Our current Department Chair, Professor Nakho Sung, introduced Linda Abriola, Dean of the School of Engineering. Following Dean Abriola's welcoming remarks, Professor Dan Ryder presented the Alumni awards. This year, the ChBE faculty and staff decided to celebrate the spirit of this celebration by honoring the careers of three of Professor Van Wormer's Doctoral students:

• Dr. Pablo A. Longoria, G94, President and Founder of Universidad Gènesis in Mexico;
• Dr. Ara Philipossian, G85/G92, Professor in the Department of Chemical & Environmental Engineering at the University of Arizona; and
• Dr. Mark Rizzone, E76/G78/G91, Sales Manager at Koch Membrane Systems.

Professor Meldon provided an entertaining and heartfelt speech which opened the floor to students, family members and colleagues who wanted a moment with the microphone to share their thoughts. Finally, Professor Van Wormer took to the podium, and the evening ended with cheers, an enormous cake, and a touching rendition of "Happy Anniversary" to the Van Wormers, who will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary in June.

The ChBE faculty and staff are extremely grateful to every person who made this alumni dinner a success. We feel confident that we can claim the title "Party of the Year" for this event!

Please browse through our photo gallery, provided courtesy of Rob Reintjes, E'70.

View Alumni Dinner Agenda (PDF)

Alumni Anecdotes Celebrate Professor Van Wormer's 52 Years

We look forward to seeing you at our next Alumni Dinner!