Richard “Dick” Rosenberg
The MABE department recently received a generous donation to establish the Richard Rosenberg Endowed Professorship in Mechanical Engineering.
Richard Rosenberg received his BA in mechanical engineering from UT in 1954 and is a perfect example of how dedication, hard work, and determination pay off. Being admitted to UT was not an easy task for Rosenberg since he had poor grades at a previous institution. He was also desperate to get accepted to UT because his wife Esther had agreed to marry him if he completed his degree. Rosenberg convinced department head Dr. Joel Bailey to admit him and give him a chance to prove he could succeed, and he did just that. He did well in his classes, completed his degree, and went on to have a very successful career in engineering—working at Oak Ridge, Westinghouse, and General Atomic. Rosenberg traveled the globe during his profession and was awarded San Diego Engineer of the year in 1988, served as President of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), and received the Dedicated Service Award and Centennial Medallion from ASME in 1988. In 2003, Rosenberg was named Honorary Member of ASME for his contributions to the engineering profession, an honor only given to 350 recipients since its inception in 1880
“A gift in Mr. Rosenberg’s honor is very meaningful,” said MABE department head Matthew Mench. “I think Mr. Rosenberg represents all that a great state school like UT can do. He got a second chance at UT thanks to Dr. Bailey and he took it and ran with it and went to the top of his profession with hard work, honor, and integrity. That to me is what we are all about and I am so proud that our department will have an endowed professorship in his name.”
The MABE department plans to fill the professorship position next year.