Richard Joseph

Background

He was born on October 9, 1927 in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Education

He attended Purdue University, where he received Bachelor of Surgery, Master of Surgery and P.h.D. degrees in mechanical engineering (in 1950, 1952 and 1953 respectively).

Career

In 1953, he was appointed assistant professor of mechanical engineering at Purdue. In 1953, he was appointed professor of mechanical engineering and in 1961, he was appointed head of the School of Mechanical Engineering at Purdue. In 1965, he was named associate dean of the Schools of Engineering.

In 1967, he was appointed dean of the Schools of Engineering.

In 1971, he was appointed president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. In 1976, he left Rensselaer to become Chief Executive Officer of Ranco Incorporated. of Columbus, Ohio and remained in that post until the company was acquired by Invensys in 1987.

In 1969, he was elected to the National Academy of Engineering. He served on the board of the Maine Maritime Academy from 1997 until 2012.

Achievements

• In 1991, he received the Outstanding Mechanical Engineer Award from the Purdue University School of Mechanical Engineering.