In Memoriam - Roy F. Weston

Chemical Engineering Progress, Oct 2007

Weston Solutions, Inc.'s founder and sustainability visionary, Roy F. Weston, passed away on August 18 at his home in Newtown Square, PA. He was 96. Mr. Weston served as chairman of the board and CEO of Weston Solutions for more than 35 years until his retirement in 1991. One of the first sanitary engineers hired by corporate America in the 1930s and an environmental consulting pioneer, he advanced a multidisciplinary approach that has been widely copied.

Mr. Weston accrued a long list of credentials and accolades for addressing the environmental threats to our global quality of life, including: 1973 National Engineer of the Year by the National Society of Professional Engineers; Election to National Academy of Engineering in 1976; 1990 Entrepreneur of the Year, Lifetime Achievement Award by Ernst and Young, Inc. and Merrill Lynch; American Institute of Chemical Engineers, Lawrence K. Cecil Award in 1993 and member of the Foundation Board of Trustees; and Technology Council of Greater Philadelphia's Legend CEO Award in 1994.

Mr. Weston was a tireless advocate and supporter of environmental education. At the University of Wisconsin, his alma mater, he and his wife Madeleen donated funds to establish the Roy F. Weston Center for Sustainability to define, solve, and prevent environmental problems through a rational basis of informed decisions and processes. Donations by Mr. Weston also support research and laboratory facilities at Drexel University. Mr. Weston received his B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Wisconsin and his M.C.E, from New York University. He received a Doctor of Engineering (Honoris Causa) from Drexel University in 1981 and an Honorary Doctor of Science from the University of Wisconsin in 1995. He was a Registered Professional Engineer in 18 states and a Diplomate of the American Academy of Environmental Engineers.