Dr. Robert Clyde Forney, alumnus and major supporter of the School of Chemical Engineering, passed away August 3, 2016.

Forney Hall of Chemical Engineering is named in honor of Dr. Forney and his wife Marilyn Glenn Forney, who also is a Purdue chemical engineering alumna.

Dr. Forney entered Purdue University in 1944 as an undergraduate, and by 1950 had received a Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering, a Master's degree in Industrial Engineering, and a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering. He was a member of the Purdue Research Foundation for 20 years and the co-chair of the Purdue Class of 1947 scholarship fund.

Following graduation, Dr. Forney was employed at DuPont Company, eventually becoming a senior vice president from 1979 to 1989. As senior vice-president, Dr. Forney's portfolio included all research activities at DuPont. He also served on the Executive Committee and the Board of Directors until his retirement in 1989.

In 1989 NASA presented Dr. Forney with the "Silver Snoopy" award in recognition for his work as a volunteer consultant to the space shuttle program after the Challenger disaster. He also served as a volunteer consultant to the federal government for a series of National Academy of Engineering studies including studies on chemical and radioactive disposal, technology transfers from academia to industry, and the transition from socialist to capitalistic economies in Eastern Europe.

During his lifetime, Dr. Forney was chairman of the Chemical Manufacturers Association, a member of the Management-Labor Textile Advisory Committee of the Department of Commerce, the Advisory Board of the National Science Resources Center of the National Academy of Sciences, the Council of Family Services and the Criminal Justice Council in Wilmington, DE., the National Academy of Engineering, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He served on the Board of Directors of the Wilmington Trust Corporation, UGI Inc., AmeriGas Inc., and Petrolane Inc. He was an emeritus member of the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences and a former trustee of the Wilmington Grand Opera House and the Delaware Theatre Company. 

Dr. Forney also was highly decorated by Purdue and the School of Chemical Engineering. His awards included the President's Council Pinnacle Award (2004), Honorary Doctorate ('81), Distinguished Engineering Alumnus ('74), and Outstanding Chemical Engineer ('93).