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William Robert Boyle
89 passed away on the evening of Wednesday, December 15, 2021, after a lengthy illness. Born in Patterson NJ, Oak Ridge was his home for 44 years. The first in his family to finish college, he served as a Lieutenant in the Airforce from 1955-1957. During his service he worked in the Special Weapons and Nuclear Applications Maintenance Engineering, Headquarters Air Material Command. After service, he first completed a M.S. in Nuclear Engineering in 1961 and later a PhD in Chemical Engineering at WVU in 1965. He went on to become a professor and an associate dean of engineering. One of his many contributions at WVU was working on the invention team for the Personal Rapid Transit (driverless monorail). In 1977, Bill and his family moved to Oak Ridge where he was head of the Manpower Education Research and Training Division (MERT) at ORAU where he mentored many researchers and scientists. Bill was survived by his wife of 62 years, Joanne, their five children – Debbie (Boyle) Young, Robert Boyle, Julie Summers, Susan Summers, and Elizabeth (Boyle) Asnip and nine grandchildren. -
Charles “Chuck” Cather
78, of Clarksburg, passed away on Friday, September 17, 2021. Cather held a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering from WVU. He started his career at PPG in New Martinsville, where he met his wife, Linda. He later worked for Consolidated Natural Gas/Dominion in Hastings and Clarksburg, and had many coworkers turn into lifelong friends. Cather was an avid Mountaineer fan, never missing a football or basketball game. Cather is survived by his wife, Linda; sons, Butch and Steve; daughter, Carrie; and several siblings and grandchildren. -
Martin Chittum Sr.
72, of Sharpsville, Indiana, passed away on November 12. Chittum served in the United States Navy in the late 1960s, stationed at Naval Station Great Lakes, where he taught in electronics school. He later trained as an electrical engineer, attending WVU, the Milwaukee School of Engineering and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He was employed at Astronautics Corporation of America in Milwaukee and the Delco Products Division of General Motors in Wisconsin, later moving to Indiana and transferring to Delco Kokomo. He retired in 2001. Chittum is survived by his wife, Mary; mother, Betty Chittum; sons, Martin Chittum Jr. George Chittum IV, and John Chittum. -
David Goff
71, of Christiansburg, Virginia, passed away on November 22. He earned his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from WVU and a master’s in electrical engineering from Caltech. Goff began his career at Bell Labs in New Jersey. He was employed as director of engineering at Force Inc. and Olson Technologies and was the author of the Fiber Optic Reference Guide. Goff is survived by his wife, Pamela; sons, Jonathan Goff and Christopher Goff; daughter-in-law, Rania Goff; granddaughter, Serene Goff; and many beloved siblings, nieces, nephews and other extended family. -
Joseph Harim Sr.
75, of Dunbar, passed away on December 25, 2021. Harim earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from WVU in 1967 and a master’s degree in industrial engineering from the University of Pittsburgh in 1988. He was a Pennsylvania licensed professional engineer and served as a mechanical engineer at Westinghouse Electric Company for 42 years. He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Myra Marie (Badovinac) Harim; their sons, Joseph Harim Jr., and Michael J. Harim Sr.; grandchildren, Erica, Joey III., Jeremy, Michael, Jr., and Kaitlyn; a brother, John M. Harim; and several nieces and nephews, and their families. -
Fred Lawson
94, of Springfield, Virginia, passed away on December 29. Lawson left high school early to join the Navy during World War II, and served in the Pacific theater on the destroyer USS Everett F. Larson. Upon returning to Morgantown, he graduated from WVU with a degree in mechanical engineering, and then entered WVU’s Law School. His professional career started in the U.S. Patent Office, and he spent the rest of his career at the Department of Defense. Lawson is survived by his wife of 65 years, Eleanor Woodford; daughters, Elizabeth and Laura; son, Fred Lawson II; sister, Rose Anne Lawson; and his two grandchildren and many nieces and nephews. -
Robert Keith Vukovich
64, of Brownton, passed away on January 4. 2022. Vukovich received a bachelor’s degree in chemical and industrial engineering, and a Master’s in Business Administration from WVU. He has worked with the U.S. Postal Service since 1994. He is survived by two sisters, Carol Vukovich Spear and Sheila Vukovich; two nieces, Kira Moore and Sarah Moore; and several aunts, uncles and cousins. -
David “Craig” Winter
59, of Brunswick, Maine, passed away on December 11. Winter received a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering in 1986. After a stint with JD Plunkett Co. as an engineer, Winter and a coworker, Don Robbins, started their own company — Enviro-Investigations and Remediation Inc. Craig and Don would later purchase a small public utilities water company servicing customers drinking water in East Vassalboro, Maine. Recently, Winter helped form a bottled water product called Maine Mist. He is survived by his wife, Lori; son, Adam Taylor; and several siblings, aunts and uncles.