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For a man who could only speak Ukrainian, the language of his ancestors, until he entered first grade, and for a man who was a coal miner for 2 1/2 years following his high school graduation, Dr. John J. McKetta has had one of the most varied and interesting professional lives possible. He states that in his reincarnation he wants to come back through exactly the same path again.
Here is a man who is serving on the Board of Directors of 6 companies; is a member of the National Academy of Engineering; serves on numerous National Advisory Boards; has held 50 separate local and national offices in his 8 professional, educational, and technical societies; is named in 26 listings such as Who's Who in America, International Who's Who, Who's Who in Engineering; has published over 500 technical articles covering his research and special interests; was co-editor of the world famous 10-volume reference on "Advances in Petrochemicals and Refining" which has been translated into 9 different languages; and in 2001 he completed the world famous 69-volume "Encyclopedia of Chemical Processing Design" which he started in 1974.
He has been awarded "Distinguished Alumnus Citation" from both his undergraduate and graduate alma maters, Tri-State University and the University of Michigan. He has also received several Honorary Doctorate Degrees.
His early professional life started with Michigan AIkali Co. (Wyandotte, Michigan) where he served in technical service, process design, and operations management. Later he became the Chemical Director of the C.F. Schneible Company (at that time one of the world's largest environmental concerns). Later, Dr. McKetta became Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin, where he was promoted through the ranks to become holder of the Joe C. Walter Chair in Chemical Engineering. In the meantime, Dr. McKetta has served as Chairman of the Chemical Engineering Department, Dean of the College of Engineering, and Executive Vice Chancellor of the entire University of Texas System. Still in the meantime he found time to serve Presidents Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, and Bush in energy and environmental matters. He was appointed in 1970 by President Nixon to the Chairmanship of the National Energy Policy Committee. He has been Chairman of the National Air Quality Management Committee, National Hazardous Waste Committee, a founding member of the National Council for Environmental Balance, and served as President Reagan's appointee on the National Acid Rain Task Force. In 1992 he was appointed by President Bush to the Congressional 10-man Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board. He also served as the National President of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers in 1962. In 1975 he won the coveted National Service to Society Award for his tremendous efforts in informing the public on the topics of energy and sensible environmental balance.
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He received the first "Triple E" award from the National Environmental Development Association for contributions to national issues concerning Energy, Environment, and Economics. In 1989, Dr. McKetta was awarded the President Herbert Hoover Award for Advancing the well-being of humanity and for the developing of a richer and more enduring civilization. Dr. McKetta's accomplishments in energy studies and environmental balance have been used for the betterment of mankind through education, industry and civic service.” This award has been granted only 30 times since 1929 when President Hoover was the first awardee.
A permanent professorship called" John J. McKetta Energy Professor" was established in 1978 by his ex-students and friends at The University of Texas in his honor. In 1984 various companies, including all of those on whose Boards he serves, established a million dollar John J. McKetta Centennial Energy Chair at The University of Texas. In 1994 The American Institute of Chemical Engineers established the "John J. McKetta Chemical Engineering Student Professional Development Program" and to top his many, many awards and recognitions, on October 17th, 1995 (his 80th birthday), the University of Texas changed the name of the department to "The John J. McKetta Center for Excellence in Chemical Engineering Education".
Dr. McKetta's field of research was in high pressure vapor-liquid equilibria, thermodynamics and p-v-t properties of mixtures at high pressure.
Lest the reader think that Dr. McKetta has no time for a hobby, let me remind you that he has worn at various times the hats of a coal miner, amateur boxer, Shakespearean actor, 14 times as best man for his friends, director of a dance band, sorority house cook, and a private pilot with an instrument license.
Dr. I. W. Tucker, President of the National Council for Environmental Balance, and most of Dr. McKetta's acquaintances claim that Dr. McKetta is the most popular and best known chemical engineer in the world today. Indeed, in 1983 the National American Institute of Chemical Engineers named him as one of the thirty Eminent Chemical Engineers in the U.S. In 1984 he won the "International Chemical Engineering Award" in Venice, Italy.
And yet, his door is always open wide to students, faculty members, ex-students, or to anyone else and he is known to his colleagues and his thousands of engineering friends throughout the world as just plain "Johnny".
He admits openly that the two most important things in his life are family and teaching. He is a father of four to whom strong family ties have always been vital and he is a teacher to whom engineering education is a deadly serious business. Dr. McKetta received the highest award, (The Lamme Award) from the American Society for Engineering Education, as "Outstanding Engineering Educator in the USA" in 1976.
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