It is rare when an individual devotes 50 years of their life to one university, much less to one department within a university. That, however, is exactly what Dr. Charles D. Holland, former head of the Department of Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M University did.

Holland, who began his association with the department as a graduate student in 1948, passed away Sunday, March 29. Holland, a professor emeritus within the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, was 87.

“Charlie Holland was one of the giants of chemical engineering,” said Dr. Kenneth R. Hall, associate dean of engineering, deputy director of the Texas Engineering Experiment Station and former head of the chemical engineering department. “He was an outstanding teacher and researcher and his students all loved him deeply. For the last course he taught in the chemical engineering department he still received the top student uation in the department. He was a warm and happy person whom I shall miss deeply.”

Services for Holland will be held Saturday, April 4, at 2 p.m. at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Bryan. A reception will be held prior to the service in the Fellowship Hall of the church beginning at noon.

Holland was born on October 9, 1921 in Statesville, North Carolina and was raised in the Appalachian foothills of the rural, western part of the state. He graduated from North Carolina State University in 1943 with a bachelor’s of science degree in chemical engineering.

Upon graduating from North Carolina State, Holland enlisted in the Navy as an ensign. He would go on to serve as a naval officer on a destroyer in the Pacific during the remainder of World War II.

In 1948 he resumed his education, enrolling in the chemical engineering department at Texas A&M for his graduate work.  His enrollment began his 40-year association with the department, earning his master’s degree in 1949 and his Ph.D. in 1953.

Holland began as an instructor in the department in 1952 and quickly rose through the academic ranks, becoming a full professor in 1959. In 1964, upon the retirement of J.D. Lindsay, Holland became head of the chemical engineering department. He held the position for 24 years, until his retirement in 1987.

Holland was awarded the inaugural “Engineering Program Lifetime Achievement Award” in 2000 by the Dwight Look College of Engineering and the chemical engineering department’s C.D. Holland Scholars Program is named for him.

In 2004, Holland endowed a chemical engineering scholarship to honor his wife’s memory. The Eleanore Holland Scholarship is part of the C.D. Holland Scholars Program that targets high-achieving undergraduates in chemical engineering.

An endowed professorship in the chemical engineering department bears Holland’s name.  Dr. Michael Pishko, the current head of the chemical engineering department, holds the Charles D. Holland ‘53 Professorship.

As one of the world’s leading authorities on distillation, Holland authored eight books on chemical issues, seven textbooks and more than 100 technical papers. He delivered more than 400 talks on chemicals, cancer, workplace safety, chlorine and the chemical industry.

In 1986, Holland formed the Institute for Advancement of Chemical Technology (TIACT), serving as its president. He was named “Fellow” of the American Institute of Chemists in 1975, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers in 1977, and “Council of Fellows” of Texas and Academic Authors.

The South Texas Section of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers presented the “Career Academic Achievement Award” to Holland in 2004 for his lifetime contributions in modeling distillation processes.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions may be made to the C.D. Holland Scholarship Fund in care of the Chemical Engineering Department, MS 3122, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77845, or a charity of your choice. 

Written by: Tim Schnettler

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