Purdue News
Purdue News
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September 2003 Robert and Catherine-Romano Orth
Robert Orth was vice president of sales for Wheelabrator Corp., in Mishawaka, Ind., where he currently lives with his wife, Catherine Romano-Orth. The West Lafayette native retired in the early 1980s after working for more than 60 years with the company, which produces machinery used to clean surfaces, strengthen automotive leaf springs, shape aircraft wings and numerous other purposes. His first wife, Helen, passed away in 2001 after more than 60 years of marriage. He earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering in 1935 from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind. Catherine Romano-Orth is a native of Brooklyn, N.Y., and a nurse by profession who earned a licensed practical nurse degree in 1970 from Kings County Hospital Center in New York. She also earned a bachelor's degree in 2001 in sociology and women's studies from Indiana University. The Orths have funded scholarships at Purdue, Indiana University and other universities. They also have participated in programs to help high school students prepare for college and provide aid to students already in college who are having difficulties completing their studies. Robert and Catherine Orth were married in August 2001. He has two stepchildren from that marriage, a son, Earl Orth, and a daughter, Angy Brown. The Orths donated $1 million to Purdue in 2003 and will be recognized through the Robert and Catherine Orth Undergraduate Student Commons, which will be housed in a new wing planned for the Mechanical Engineering Building. The commons will be an area for students to congregate and use wireless technology to collaborate on schoolwork. It will overlook an atrium partially set aside for displays honoring outstanding alumni. Writer: Emil Venere, (765) 494-4709, venere@purdue.edu Related Web site: |
