Passing of Former MEMS Faculty Member and MSE Department Chairman Fred Pettit, PhD
Frederick S. Pettit, Harry S. Tack Chair Professor (1989-2006) and Professor Emeritus in the former Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, has passed away at the age of 94. A graduate of Yale University (BS and PhD), Pettit was an employee of Westinghouse and officer in the United States Marine Corps. He held a postdoctoral position at the Max Planck Institute in Germany, and after returning to the U.S. he was a research scientist with Pratt and Whitney before joining the University of Pittsburgh for his academic career.
Pettit's research focused on degradation of materials at elevated temperatures by oxidation, hot corrosion and erosion, and the use of coatings for protection. His work emphasized high-performance, high-temperature materials as superalloys, intermetallics, composites, and coatings for use in advanced combustion systems. In 2004, the Tenth International Symposium on Superalloys, hosted by The Minerals, Metals, and Materials Society, dedicated the proceedings to his research.
“Fred was an exceptional researcher and academic who was not only well respected in the field, but also was elected by his students as the department's outstanding teacher several times,” said Brian Gleeson, MEMS Department Chair and Harry S. Tack Chair Professor. “He leaves a tremendous legacy, one that will continue through the scholarship he endowed in memory of his son.”
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations may be made to the Charles Andrew Pettit Scholarship. Checks would be made payable to the University of Pittsburgh and in the memo state, The Charles Pettit Scholarship Fund. University of Pittsburgh PO Box 640093, Pittsburgh PA 15264.