George E. Cook, BE’60, PhD’65, Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies, Professor of Electrical Engineering, Emeritus

With his tall stature, impeccable business attire, clean-shaven face and wizardly bald head, Professor George Cook might intimidate the unfamiliar student.

However if you are one of the fortunate students to strike up a conversation with him, you notice his kind eyes, warm smile and sincere and genuinely caring attitude. When one knows Professor Cook well, the feelings he inspires are invariably of respect and admiration.

It was not until my second semester of graduate school that I had the pleasure of taking Professor Cook’s robotics manipulators class. Although mathematically and theoretically challenging, his courses were popular because they complemented math and theory with a software-based simulation environment known as ROBOSIM.

ROBOSIM encouraged critical thinking, fostered self-directed learning, and enabled curiosity while generating a deep understanding of the fundamental principles of kinematic theory—the mechanics of motion. Developed by Professor Cook and his graduate students, ROBOSIM allowed students to design their own robots, positioners and workspace environments, and incorporate inverse kinematics into a graphically animated robotic simulation environment. This type of learning environment resonated with me.

In 1993, I finished my master’s degree and joined Professor Cook’s research team as a doctoral candidate. During one of our very first meetings, I learned that there is nothing subtle about Professor Cook’s guidance. The meeting also involved another professor and a fellow graduate student research colleague. While I do not remember the exact nature of the discussion, I do recall we were doubting our ability to follow through with one of Professor Cook’s requests. His discontent was clear, and in hindsight, we deserved it. His passion and verbosity were not to disparage, but rather to motivate, us. What remains ingrained in my mind more than anything else was his secretary’s comment as we walked out of his office. She whispered that “he is a lot mellower than he used to be.”

Professor Cook’s research interests have meandered very little during his 40-plus-year career at Vanderbilt, yet he continues to publish new and novel content in welding automation and control. At the time I was a student, the Welding Automation Laboratory was one of a few interdisciplinary research groups in the School of Engineering. Consequently, his leadership encouraged an open and trusting environment where collaboration and teamwork were emphasized. We were able to focus on our strengths and benefit from the collaborations of mechanical and electrical engineering counterparts. Later, as a staff scientist at Los Alamos National Laboratory, I realized the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration, and was properly prepared to contribute, participate and lead in multidisciplinary research endeavors.

Professionally, I continue to develop and promote the same concepts that we worked on in graduate school. When I meet with professionals in the welding and joining industry, it is with great pride that I say I studied under George Cook. Unfailingly, it is met with a smile and a warmness of, “Oh, you worked with George?” Respect and admiration for Professor Cook extends well beyond Vanderbilt.

As a teacher, Professor Cook is committed to the growth of his students and encourages them to reach their potential. As an adviser, his observations can be quite brutal, but he operates from a position of honesty and mutual respect, and his students appreciate his upfront and straightforward nature. As a mentor, he is approachable and conscious of being a role model. He is an excellent listener and never appears overextended or distracted during a conversation. While I have many fond memories of Vanderbilt, my studies under Professor Cook will remain unforgettable.

K. Arthur Overholser, BE’65, Senior Associate Dean and Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Chemical Engineering

When I was asked to write about Dean Overholser, I knew I could not adequately describe or know all his qualifications and accomplishments. I was greatly honored to be asked, although I think one of his Ph.D. students would be more qualified to write about this longtime professor and dean than me.

What I can do is describe how he influenced me when I was a young, disillusioned chemical engineering major. Professor Overholser was a gifted classroom teacher and was able to transfer his passion for his profession to me. This passion continues to serve me well as a practicing chemical engineer.

When I arrived at the Vanderbilt School of Engineering, I was certain that I wanted to be a chemical engineer. I was disappointed that I would not be able to take my first chemical engineering course until the second semester of my sophomore year. Taking it, I found the area of stoichiometry to be practical and so much fun. When I experienced more advanced chemical engineering courses, I did not appreciate their less practical aspects—these were courses that delved more deeply into the theoretical aspects of the curriculum. I began to wonder if chemical engineering really was for me.

In one such class, Dr. Overholser used a theoretical text for transport phenomena written by professors at the University of Wisconsin, where he obtained his Ph.D. He was a superb teacher and made this material interesting. I started to enjoy the course and found the homework to be fun. I also greatly appreciated how he had a genuine interest in helping his students. I perceived that he was passionate about his work, and that he had a great desire to continue his professional growth. I developed significant respect for him.

In retrospect, I realize that the transport phenomena class I took from Dr. Overholser in my junior year truly rekindled my interest in chemical engineering. The interest became a passion that I largely attribute to him and his teaching. Later in my work experience as a chemical engineer, I discovered that it was quite valuable to have a theoretical understanding of chemical engineering. Many of my peers received more practical training and are at a disadvantage when they encounter situations that they have not previously encountered.

I also took a chemical engineering lab from Dr. Overholser. Unlike the transport phenomena course, I never enjoyed the lab and really despised the long laboratory reports. He expected professional documents, and he encouraged me to meet his expectations. Dr. Overholser was tough, but he was fair.

When I began working in industry, I learned quickly how written communication is tremendously important. An engineer can have great ideas or work, but ideas will never get implemented or noticed if they are not communicated to those who make the decisions. I was a young engineer in an oil refinery and an advanced engineer told me that it was rare for engineers to be able to communicate as concisely and effectively as I did. I can thank Dr. Overholser for pushing me to write those painful reports—I learned to communicate professionally from him and those documents.

I have stayed in contact with Dr. Overholser since graduation, and I consider him a friend. Today, as a member of the School of Engineering Alumni Council, I continue to be in touch with Dr. Overholser. The longer I know him, the more I respect and admire him.

One thing I have also discovered through our friendship: he is much too modest, and he understates his impact. He has made a difference in the education, lives and careers of many students—now engineers—which is why he’s truly unforgettable.

Thank you, Dr. Overholser, for all you are and all you’ve done.

On December 31, 2010, one of the School of Engineering’s most respected and revered professors retired. After 43 years, Frank Parker is cleaning out his office and moving on to new adventures. Vanderbilt Engineering asked three alumni to share why Frank Parker is unforgettable.

Frank Parker - Distinguished Professor of Environmental and Water Resources, Emeritus Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Emeritus

Integrity: An Example for All

Frank Parker is amazing. Before I tell you why, I will set the stage. I have a bachelor’s in chemical engineering, and as an undergraduate, was never in Dr. Parker’s department. I did spend a couple of weeks in one of his classes during a brief flirtation with graduate school; however, virtually everything I know about him has been because of my involvement in the last 15+ years with the Engineering Alumni Council and the Committee of Visitors.

He is without debate a genius in his field and is very highly honored, credentialed and decorated. I have spent many hours with him alone, and with him and his lovely wife, Elaine. The two are very well-traveled and extremely interesting. Dr. Parker is intriguing professionally and personally. He is a great storyteller, with adventures dating back to World War II. Above all, his integrity is an example for all, and his engineering knowledge and experience are breathtaking.

For whatever reason, he has taken an interest in me over the years, and for that, I am grateful. I am happy at any opportunity to spend time with him, and that time always lifts my spirits and professional ambitions. My business partner of 33 years, Ron Gobbell, and I have our own tradition of asking each other often, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” This is our way of talking seriously, but simultaneously light-heartedly, about the future.

Well, when I grow up, I want to be another Frank Parker.

—Steve Hays, BE’73
Chairman, Gobbell Hays Partners Inc.

Warm, Encouraging and Engaging

I was studying in Caracas, Venezuela, in the mid ’70s, planning to attend graduate school in the U.S. I wrote letters (snail mail of course) to many well-known faculty members in various environmental engineering programs. The majority of my letters were never answered and some schools returned generic materials that had little to do with my inquiries.

One response I received was warm, encouraging and very detailed; it will not take much guesswork to know that it was Frank Parker’s letter. Hence, Vanderbilt jumped to the top of my list of schools.

I know that I lucked out having Frank as my Ph.D. adviser and long-term mentor. He was always warm, caring, witty, interested in what you had just worked out, and treated you not as a student but as a colleague. Frank was active on multiple committees, traveling extensively, and working on various high-level reports dealing with nuclear waste disposal, but when I went to look for him in his office (and could find him behind the multiple book towers on his desk and office floor), he always had time for me. He provided technical guidance, but allowed me to explore topics that interested me, and he enriched my educational experience by engaging in extended discussions far beyond my dissertation topic.

Most important, by being his student I learned from Frank how to conduct good research by being excited about what you are investigating, being rigorous, discussing your findings with colleagues, focusing on the important questions, and being honest about what your findings mean. I seldom left his office without having at least a short chat about something that was not directly related to my research, but about science and policy in general. These interactions have profoundly shaped my academic life and I do my best to pass some of the broader vision and perspectives I learned from Frank on to my students.

When I have visited Vanderbilt either by myself or with my family, we have had the best of times staying at Frank and Elaine’s home. It’s been almost 30 years since I graduated from Vanderbilt, but still today, when I need someone to run something by—like a major professional move—I do call Frank.

I am delighted to have Frank Parker as a mentor and friend.

—Peter Jaffe, MS’80, PhD’81
Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Princeton University

People Are Important to Him

During my Vanderbilt Engineering campus visit in 1990, I spent the typical day meeting faculty, touring facilities and eating pizza with graduate students. Then I walked around campus with a distinguished, white-haired, very personable gentleman named Frank Parker. We talked about Vanderbilt and how it compared to other universities. We talked about life after Vanderbilt and many other things. We talked like colleagues.
Who was this Frank Parker?

Back in my hotel room, I reviewed the school catalog: Distinguished Professor, National Academy member, adviser to several international organizations and countries, and many other important roles. I later learned that the catalog didn’t tell the whole story.

Why was Frank Parker spending so much time with a prospective student? The only answer I ever discerned: That’s Frank, and people are important to him!

This vignette has been consistently repeated throughout our last 20 years. Thanks to Frank, I’ve lived in Europe twice, studied conditions at former Soviet nuclear weapon sites and many in the U.S., and served on IAEA and National Academy panels. I have my job thanks to Frank. The realization that “You’re Frank Parker’s student?!” instantly gives credibility by association.

Even more rewarding is the way that Frank and his wonderful wife, Miss Elaine, have made my family feel part of their family, and how Frank made me feel like a colleague and peer from that very first day.

Thank you, Frank, for being who you are: a wonderful human being.

—Bob Waters, MS’92, PhD’93
Distinguished Member of the Technical Staff
Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico

I grew up surrounded by engineers. My father and one uncle were civil engineers. Another uncle was a mining engineer, and another was a road builder. It wasn’t much of a surprise in 1959 when I enrolled as an engineering student at Vanderbilt.

I still remember when then-Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering Peter G. Hoadley arrived at the School of Engineering. It was my junior year, and he represented a new wave of faculty with outstanding talent. Professor Hoadley was well-liked and respected for his academic credentials and ability.

It was not only a privilege, but also a delight to have someone as highly regarded as Pete as my instructor. I took structural engineering courses under him. He was a superbly talented teacher, and I found his lectures engaging. Pete’s teaching turned the light bulb on for me and ignited my interest in structural engineering.

Knowledgeable, insightful, accomplished and athletic, Pete continually amazed me with his technical background and teaching. He was very approachable and helpful with explanations when we had difficulty understanding a particular concept. It wasn’t unusual to find him on campus playing a pickup game of basketball at Memorial Gym. We were practically contemporaries and at times, he seemed more like an older brother than a faculty member.

Through his encouragement, I went to graduate school and earned my master of science degree in civil engineering from the University of Illinois in 1965. After spending three years in the Army, I returned to Vanderbilt to earn my Ph.D. Pete was on my dissertation committee.

In 1970, I began my professional engineering career in Houston where many of my projects involved the planning and design of highways, bridges, airports and aviation facilities. Not surprisingly, I was able to apply techniques learned from Pete Hoadley. His teaching enabled me to thoroughly understand design challenges and solve them with structural analysis. I may have inherited a passion for engineering, but Pete provided me with a solid, technical background that I still use today.

Pete was a cross-generational teacher, and my connection with him evolved when my sister, Ann Johnson Nielson, BE’68, and later, my nephew, Blake Jones, BE’96, took courses under him. With much affection, they would recall their positive experiences with Professor Hoadley to me. He was described as the same wonderful teacher and mentor that I remembered. I have received the same comments from other younger engineering students from Houston who studied under Professor Hoadley.

At one time or the other, we meet individuals whose relationship with us positively impacts our lives. I believe that if one has had an opportunity, there is also an obligation to pay it forward. Pete Hoadley was one of the best teachers I had during my engineering education, and he continued to meet this high standard of teaching for succeeding generations of Vanderbilt civil engineers.

Recently, I’ve had the opportunity to establish a graduate award at the School of Engineering. I decided to name my graduate award in Pete Hoadley’s honor because he represents the best of faculty at the Vanderbilt School of Engineering. This award is a tribute to him and his contribution to engineering education. It helps me repay the School of Engineering for the value that I received from my Vanderbilt engineering education. The Peter G. Hoadley Graduate Award is also a way to provide a deserving graduate student in civil engineering with the same opportunity that I had. In Pete’s honor, I’m paying it forward.

—as told to Becky Green

Even though I did great on my ACTs and had already taken calculus, I really wasn’t prepared for my freshman year at Vanderbilt. After skating through my small rural high school, the Vanderbilt School of Engineering was going to make me work.

Working hard was the easy part. The one thing that really held me back was having no self-confidence. None. While Vanderbilt isn’t a big school, I had gone to school with the same small group of kids virtually my entire life. I was so shy, I was actually afraid to go to class.

It’s nice to have outgrown all that, but back then, it represented a wall I almost couldn’t see over. The idea of asking for help never occurred to me. But fortunately, Professor Karl Schnelle has always had a way of ignoring walls like that and helping students get past them, too. While other professors pretty much scared me to death, with his gravelly voice and candid expression, Professor Schnelle was always warm, grounded and easy-going with a great sense of humor. One of my fondest memories is Professor Schnelle’s distillation survey course—he had various ethyl alcohols that had to be tasted by us students. That was the first course I had with him—who knew that chemical engineering could also be fun?

While I eventually learned to get out of my own way and enjoy chemical engineering as a discipline, I really couldn’t see myself working in a chemical plant. After my junior year, I needed help seeing how I could use my degree. Again, Professor Schnelle provided the key. He has always been passionate about separation processes and applications in pollution control. I decided to focus in that area.

After graduation, I went to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and worked to clean up Superfund sites. After becoming interested in on-site incineration as a Superfund remedy, I began writing permits for hazardous waste incinerators. At about that time, I saw that Professor Schnelle was teaching courses on air pollution control. It occurred to me that I should take my incinerator pollution control and combustion process experience and focus on air pollution control and compliance with Clean Air Act regulations. Shortly after that, I went to law school and become a Clean Air Act lawyer.

I love this work. I even co-wrote a chapter of the American Bar Association’s Clean Air Act Handbook. (Again Professor Schnelle served as a model—he co-wrote a whole textbook, the Air Pollution Control Technology Handbook.)

Air law is technical enough that I still feel right at home at AIChE meetings and conferences. There I get to see Professor Schnelle and talk about a subject that makes most people’s eyes’ glaze over. Professor Schnelle is one of the few people who, like me, still think all of this is fun.

When I started at the School of Engineering, I figured out pretty quickly how much work it would take to get my chemical engineering degree. What I couldn’t have known was how much fun I’d end up having with it or how critically it would factor into a career I love so much. But Professor Schnelle did. There are professors who love their subjects and who are truly inspirational teachers. And there are professors who show you the way, who give you direction and instill a sense of creativity, fun and passion for learning that never dies.
Professor Schnelle is all of those, and more.

Mary Ellen Crowley Ternes, BE’84, is a shareholder and member of the environmental practice group of McAfee & Taft, Oklahoma’s largest law firm. She’s a fellow of the American College of Environmental Lawyers, active in AIChE, and frequently writes and speaks on environmental issues.

Stammer

In the winter of 1993, I was rescued by a small-statured, big-hearted, full-of-energy academic dean by the name of Bob Stammer. I had entered Vanderbilt’s School of Engineering without a strong background in classes from high school, and it did not take long for me to fall into a deep, dark hole academically. I was surrounded by some of the most intelligent kids in the country, and now a sophomore, I was struggling to find my way.

One day while sitting in my dorm room, I got the call that saved my college education. Of course I knew that when the dean of students asked to meet with me in the morning, it likely was not a good omen, but at that point I was ready to face the music. As I walked into his office expecting the worse, I had no idea what a big day it would be for me, not only as a student but well beyond my time at Vanderbilt.

I sat down with Dean Stammer. I was mentally prepared for him to ask me to leave the school, but he asked me what I liked about the engineering school. I struggled to find an answer that satisfied either him or me. He quickly turned his questioning to what I liked about life in general and what got me excited. We spent the rest of our morning talking about all the classes that Vanderbilt had to offer. Dean Stammer listened closely, taking several notes.

The following day he called me back to his office. He had designed a curriculum that he felt I could get excited about, one which was a blend of engineering basics with a heavy focus on business. After seeing my delight, he promptly sent me off to pursue an engineering science degree.

Over the next two and half years, he spent many days with me providing personal tutoring as my engineering skills slowly developed. In the end I managed to balance enough credits in business and engineering to earn a diploma from Vanderbilt. Because Dean Stammer focused upon my strengths instead of trying to fix my weaknesses, he enabled me to see graduation was truly a possibility.

Looking back, I feel that I was very fortunate to be mentored by a professor who was interested enough to help me get back on track. He never gave up on me. It would have been justified and understandable for him to kick me out of school—but he didn’t.

I will always be grateful to Dean Stammer for believing in me, getting me remotivated and having the patience to see me through the program.

One of the happiest days of my life was getting a signed diploma with an engineering science degree from Vanderbilt. That evening several of us had one heck of a party, and Dean Stammer was the guest of honor.