Engineering Professors Remembered
Today marks the 15th anniversary of the tragic deaths of Chen Liang, Preston Lowrey III and Constantinos Lyrintzis.
The three men were popular professors and emerging academic stars with promising research — to build better structures and flying machines and to find inexpensive alternative energy.
Many faculty and staff on campus that tragic day, Aug. 15, 1996, have retired, but a handful remain.
Aerospace and mechanical engineering professor Joseph Katz, who was on campus that day, said he regularly remembers his fallen colleagues.
“They were brilliant men, who were ahead of their time and had the enthusiasm and drive to achieve significant success,” Katz said. “The campus has moved forward since their deaths, but I can’t help but think of how the College (of Engineering) would be today if they were still alive.”
All three professors were married with young children.
Friends said the families appreciate the university’s commitment to honoring the achievements of the professors who died that day. They requested no additional public memorials.
2003 campus memorial
Members of the engineering faculty and staff, Physical Plant and Facilities Planning designed a memorial that was dedicated in 2003.
The memorial is in a tranquil corner of campus, between the Engineering and Life Sciences North buildings. It includes three trees and a set of three tables and benches, each with a circular plaque in its center that individually memorializes a professor.
Each plaque includes the professor's name, date of birth and an engineering equation fundamental to each professor's research specialization. The top of each plaque reads, "You will be remembered through your work."
