$5M gift names the Robert V. Waltemeyer Department of Chemical Engineering

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The chemical engineering department within the Penn State College of Engineering has been named the Robert V. Waltemeyer Department of Chemical Engineering through a $5 million endowment from 1956 chemical engineering alumnus Robert V. Waltemeyer and his wife, Gloria. The Board of Trustees approved the naming at its June meeting. 
 
“The new name reflects the Waltemeyers’ commitment to furthering engineering excellence at Penn State, and we are grateful for their generosity,” said Tonya L. Peeples, Harold and Inge Marcus Dean of the College of Engineering. “Gifts like this one are what enable the research and educational opportunities that make Penn State a premier academic institution.” 
 
The Waltemeyers established an anonymous endowment for the chemical engineering department in the late 1990s, with the request that naming the department occur after their deaths. Robert died in 2002 and Gloria in 2023. 

For 27 years, the endowment has provided and continues to provide support for undergraduate and graduate students through scholarships and fellowships; professors and researchers through a chaired professorship; research through laboratory funds; and educational opportunities through a lecture series.  

“The Waltemeyers’ support contributes to furthering the goals of the chemical engineering department,” said Seong Kim, the Walter L. Robb Chair and department head of chemical engineering. “With their help, the department provides a top-tier educational experience for our students and produces innovative and collaborative research results.” 

After receiving his bachelor in science in chemical engineering from Penn State in 1956, Robert Waltemeyer received his master of science degree from Northwestern University in 1958. Upon graduation, he joined the ESSO Corp. and in 1968 joined Coca Cola, where he spent the majority of his professional career. He retired in 1992 as senior vice president for technology and senior vice president of Coca Cola Export Corp. 

In this role, Waltemeyer was responsible for quality assurance, manufacturing, scientific and regulatory affairs, engineering, and research and development for all Coke products except for Coca-Cola itself. Included in these jobs was overseeing the “space can,” a zero-gravity design that was used by astronauts on the 1985 Shuttle flight and now resides in the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum.  
 
Waltemeyer served on the Penn State Alumni Council in 1985-86 and on the College of Engineering’s Industrial and Professional Advisory Council for many years. He was also the commencement speaker for the College of Engineering in 1992. Waltemeyer received numerous awards, including the Penn State Distinguished Alumni Award and being named a Penn State Alumni Fellow and a Georgia Engineer of the Year. He was also named to the National Society of Professional Engineers’ Order of Engineers. He served on advisory boards for Georgia Tech, the Salvation Army and the Atlanta Council of Boy Scouts of America.  

The naming occurs shortly after the department celebrated its centennial, with students, faculty and alumni gathering in the fall of 2024 to reflect on 100 years of chemical engineering at Penn State. 

Donors like the Waltemeyers advance the University’s historic land-grant mission to serve and lead. Through philanthropy, alumni and friends are helping students to join the Penn State family and prepare for lifelong success; driving research, outreach and economic development that grow our strength and readiness for the future; and increasing the University’s economic impact for families, patients and communities across the Commonwealth and around the world. Learn more by visiting raise.psu.edu.