The College of Engineering held a retirement ceremony Thursday for professor Lou Edwards, who has been at the University of Idaho for 50 years.
Eric Billings, constituent development coordinator for the College of Engineering said Edwards was a professor in chemical engineering and was at UI for 50 years, which is extremely rare to see these days.
“Lou Edwards has been teaching and inspiring students for 50 years. His work in process simulation for the paper industry changed the way that industry does business,” said dean of the College of Engineering Larry Stauffer.
Wudneh Admassu, chair of Chemical and Materials Engineering, said some of Edwareds students that graduated here have started their own business. He said Edwards’ students have become high consultants all over the world, Europe, Canada and Japan, just to name a few. Admassu said Edwards has reached people all over the world.
Stauffer said his impact has been felt by thousands of engineers.
“You go anywhere in the paper and pulp world and they know Lou Edwards — that’s how good he is,” Admassu said.
Admassu said under Edwards there have been more women graduates than anyone else teaching in the profession. He is also an affiliate faculty at the University of Washington, University of North Carolina, Georgia Tech and has involvement at Swedish Royal Paper and Pulp.
“One of the things about Lou is he is extremely sensitive to people from other countries,” Admassu said. “In fact, he gave me the first chance to come to graduate school here. If he didn’t give me that chance I probably wouldn’t have done it.”
Stauffer said the celebration is not only important for Edwards, but it is also recognition of the good work done through the College of Engineering.
Admassu said just as a person, Edwards is a great guy and everybody respected him.
“The students just love him. There is something about him,” said Gail Bergstrom, administrative assistant for the College of Engineering. “I have been working in academics for about a dozen years and that’s pretty rare, especially with those in those professions and especially those with PHDs.”
Admassu said people came to the celebration from the Midwest, people he used to work with, and current and previous students.
“He is going to be missed. He is a great loss for us. He is a great loss for the university,” Admassu said. “I don’t think they know how much he has meant for the university.”
Erin Roetker can be reached at arg-news.uidaho.edu