William C. “Bill” Boyle, a past chair of ASCE’s Oxygen Transfer Standards Committee and professor emeritus of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, has died. He was 83.
Boyle, Ph.D., P.E., M.ASCE, was the leading force in establishing the Oxygen Transfer Standards Committee, which develops standards and guidelines for determining the transfer of oxygen in clean and process wastewaters and guidance for the quality assurance of oxygen transfer devices.
After earning degrees in both civil and sanitary engineering from the University of Cincinnati (later receiving the Distinguished Alumnus Award), he received his Ph.D. in environmental engineering at Caltech. In 1963, he began his career as a professor of civil and environmental engineering at UW Madison. He went on to serve as department chair. He was a licensed professional engineer in Ohio and Wisconsin.
Boyle was revered as a great teacher, advisor, friend and mentor. He felt honored to have had many wonderful colleagues and taught students from around the world.
He served as an ABET program evaluator for more than 20 years, representing both ASCE and the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists. He was also a consultant, a researcher, did peer reviews and performed engineering accreditation visits for ABET. He was also the author or co-author of many books and papers.
A recognized leader in his field, Boyle was actively involved in many professional societies, serving in 2000 as president of AAEES. Among many honors and awards throughout his career, Boyle felt most honored to have been the first recipient of the Bill Boyle Outstanding Educator Award, given by the Central States Water Environment Association. He also received the Water Environment Federation’s Honorary Membership Award and its Gordon Maskew Fair Medal. He earned the AAEES Stanley E. Kappe Award in 2002.
Boyle was devoted to his family and his church. He loved taking vacations with the family each year.
