PASADENA-The California Institute of Technology is pleased to announce the election of former Caltech president Thomas E. Everhart to its Board of Trustees.
After serving as Caltech's president and as professor of electrical engineering and applied physics for 10 years, Everhart stepped down to pursue other interests in 1997. During his tenure, Everhart oversaw the construction of the Beckman Institute, the Keck Observatory in Hawaii, the Moore Laboratory of Engineering, Avery House, and the Fairchild Library, and the successful completion of the $350 million Campaign for Caltech.
Everhart has received numerous honors and awards and has been a member of various national and international societies. He was elected to the Council of the National Academy of Engineering in 1988, and he served as chairman of the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board from 1990 to 1993. From 1990 to 1996 he served as vice chairman of the Council on Competitiveness-a private, nonprofit group of prominent leaders that addresses growth and the competitive position of U.S. corporations in global markets-and he continues to serve on its executive committee. He has also conducted continuing dialogues with federal agencies concerning their support of research and teaching on campus, and with NASA in support of JPL. In addition, he sits on the boards of several large corporations including General Motors, Hewlett-Packard, and Raytheon Company.
Everhart came to Caltech from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he was chancellor and professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering from 1984 to 1987. From 1979 to 1984 he served as dean of the College of Engineering and professor of Electrical Engineering at Cornell University. After earning his PhD in 1958, Everhart spent 20 years on the faculty at the University of California, Berkeley.
After earning an AB in physics from Harvard College in 1953, Everhart went on to earn an MSc in applied physics from UCLA in 1955 and a PhD in engineering from Clare College at the University of Cambridge in 1958. He and his wife, Doris, currently live in Santa Barbara.
Written by Sue McHugh