Allen Rhodes, a former adjunct professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Houston Cullen College of Engineering, has died. Rhodes passed away on Saturday, Aug. 18, from complications of Parkinson’s Disease. He was 83.
A member of the National Academy of Engineering, Rhodes held 22 patents in the area of oil and gas production equipment. He served a term as president of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and was the first recipient of the ASME Petroleum Division’s OilDrop Award, which recognizes outstanding service to the division and now bears his name as the Rhodes OilDrop Award.
In addition to being a skilled engineer, he was highly successful as a businessman. Over the course of his career he served as vice president of corporate planning & development for ACF Industries; vice president of research & engineering for Rockwell Manufacturing; CEO of McEvoy Oilfield Equipment, a division of Rockwell; President and CEO of Gripper, Inc; and CFO of Hydrotech Systems.
Rhodes is survived by his wife of 45 years, Carol, three children and four grandchildren.