Alumnus Eidt Makes Generous Gift to Engineering
November 13, 2009
Clarence M. Eidt, Jr., who graduated from LSU with a BS in chemical engineering in 1956 and an MS in the same discipline in 1962, has donated $600,000 to the Gordon A. & Mary Cain Department of Chemical Engineering (ChE).
"Mr. Eidt's contribution to the Department will help us tremendously with our drive towards acquiring the private funds necessary to make our new chemical engineering building a reality," explained ChE Department Chair Dr. K.T. Valsaraj. "Clarence has been a constant supporter of our Department in several other ways as well, including his establishment of the Clarence M. Eidt, Jr. Endowed Professorship. The faculty, staff and students in the Department thank him profusely for his support of the Department".
A large portion of the gift ($500,000) will help fund the new Chemical Engineering Building, while the remainder will contribute to Eidt's two existing ChE professorships. This $100,000 portion is eligible for state match, thereby increasing the donation by $40,000.
When asked why he chose to donate to the College of Engineering, Eidt replied: "Having personally benefitted from the generosity of earlier alumni (with an out-of-state scholarship), it simply seemed appropriate for me to now do my part. I'm also convinced that a much stronger tradition of alumni support is critical to the College of Engineering and the Chemical Engineering Department achieving ever higher levels of performance and recognition."
A native of Natchez, Mississippi, Eidt started his career in engineering in 1956 with Exxon's Research and Development Laboratories (ERDL) in Baton Rouge. In 1967, he relocated to the Houston headquarters of Exxon Company, USA (EUSA). In 1972, Eidt moved to Exxon Research and Engineering (ER&E) in Florham Park, New Jersey, to be assistant general manager of the Exxon Engineering Petroleum Department. In 1976, he was promoted to manager of Regional Planning in Exxon Corporation's Logistics Department in New York, and two years later he was promoted again to the parent company's Corporate Planning Department.
In 1980, Eidt made his return to ER&E as general manager of the Exxon Engineering Petroleum Department. He was promoted to vice president of Petroleum and Synthetic Fuels Research in December of 1982, a position he held until he rose to president of ER&E in October of 1993. He remained president until he retired in December of 1997 after 42 years of service with ExxonMobil. Over his time with Exxon, Eidt received multiple patents for technological advances in his field and authored several publications.
He is a member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, the American Petroleum Institute, and the Society of Automotive Engineers. Eidt was a chair of the LSU ChE Industry Advisory Board and was inducted into the LSU Engineering Hall of Distinction in 1985. With regard to LSU's role in his career in engineering, Eidt says: "In addition to acquiring a sound foundation in chemical engineering fundamentals, my experience with Department faculty sparked a life-long interest in technology and technology development. This was subsequently satisfied by a rewarding 42-year career with Exxon involved in industrial R&D and engineering work."
Article by Colette Burke, LSU College of Engineering, 225-578-5704, mlavall@lsu.edu
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