Lovell Leadership Lecture Series

Each fall, MaPSAC's Professional Development subcommittee organizes the Lovell Leadership Lecture Series at Purdue's West Lafayette campus. The annual event is possible thanks to a generous gift from C. W. "Bill" Lovell, who passed away on June 15, 2013. He was 90.

Born Nov 16, 1922, in Louisville, KY, to the late Edith Green and Charles William Lovell, Sr., Lovell served in the U.S. Navy Civil Engineering Corps (Seabees) in the south Pacific during World War II.

He received his Bachelor's degree from the University of Louisville in 1944, and his Master of Science in Civil Engineering from Purdue University in 1951, followed by his PhD from Purdue in 1957.

Starting in 1948 at Purdue as a graduate assistant, Lovell moved through the ranks to become a full professor in civil engineering in 1974. In 1996, he left civil engineering and became a facilitator of Stephen Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Effective People for human resources at Purdue. In 2002, he was honored as the Facilitator of the Year by the Franklin Covey organization. At the time of his full retirement in 2010, he had been a staff member at Purdue for almost 63 years.

Professor Lovell developed numerous courses in his civil engineering specialty of geotechnical engineering and taught extensively at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. He served as major advisor for 114 graduate students, and supervised 59 graduate theses. He was recognized internationally as an expert in the stability of earthen slopes, in the performance of compacted soil and rock fills, and in the use of waste materials in civil engineering construction. He authored or co-authored 193 publications.

Professor Lovell held high positions in the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the Transportation Research Board, and other professional organizations, from which he received numerous awards. He was a Fellow of both the ASTM and the ASCE. He was a past district governor of Lions International, a past president of the Lafayette Lions Club, a member of the Board of Directors of the Lafayette Rotary Club, a past president of the Greater Lafayette Civic Theatre, a charter member of the Covenant Presbyterian Church, West Lafayette, and an elder of the Central Presbyterian Church, Lafayette.

Dr. Lovell traveled extensively and was an avid fly fisherman. He actively supported environmental initiatives, including the Nature Conservancy.

In 1991, Bill married Mary Ellen Totten, who survives him. Also surviving are a daughter, Christine Kemp (James) of Columbus, IN; a son, Douglas Lovell (Elizabeth), of Berkeley, CA, and 1 grandchild, Megan Kemp.