Frank Tiller, the first dean of the University of Houston’s Cullen College of Engineering, died Tuesday, Jan. 3. The memorial service for Tiller, will be held 4 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 7, at the A.D. Bruce Religion Center.

As dean from 1955 to 1963, Tiller oversaw a dramatic improvement in the educational level of the college’s faculty, with the percentage of faculty members holding doctoral degrees increasing to 40 from 14 during this period. He also was instrumental in establishing engineering programs at several colleges in Latin America, efforts that earned him multiple honorary degrees from these institutions.

Tiller is widely recognized as the father of modern filtration theory and his work had a significant impact on fluid/particle systems and the separation of particles in fields ranging from the chemical industry, yeast and beer, environmental protection, petroleum and many others.

He was widely respected and admired by his colleagues. In his 1987 convocation address, the late Joseph Crump, former chair and founder of the chemical engineering department, said, “The best piece of work which I did for this university was done as chairman of the selection committee that brought Frank M. Tiller here as dean of engineering.”

Toby Weber
wweber2@central.uh.edu