Bob was born in Petoskey, Michigan, on April 29, 1933.  He was the oldest of the four children of Glenn and Florence Schoenhals.  During most of Bob’s early years, the family lived in Roseville, Michigan, but moved while Bob was still in high school.  He graduated from Berkley High School in Berkley, Michigan, in 1951.  For college he enrolled at the University of Michigan where he earned three engineering degrees, BSE, MSE and PhD.

During those years Bob became an invited member of several honorary organizations which recognize academic achievement and research:  Phi Eta Sigma, Pi Tau Sigma, Tau Beta Pi, Phi Kappa Phi and Sigma XI.

Bob married Betty Jane Jackson in Royal Oak, Michigan, on February 4, 1956.  They had two children, a son, Glenn, who died in 2004 and a daughter, Karen, who survives.

Bob became a member of the faculty of the School of Mechanical Engineering at Purdue University in 1960. He retired 45 years later in 2005.  His main activities at Purdue were teaching of undergraduate and graduate courses and conducting collaborative research with graduate students and with faculty colleagues. Bob was a member of The American Society of Mechanical Engineers, The American Society of Heating Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers, The American Society for Engineering Education and The American Association for the Advancement of Science.

During the summers of 1965 and 1966 Bob was employed at NASA’s George C. Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. During 1969-70 Bob was visiting professor of engineering at Arizona State University while on sabbatical leave from Purdue.  During a 2 1/2 year leave of absence from Purdue, Bob was employed in the Engineering Division of The National Science Foundation in Washington, DC from 1973 to 1975.

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