Two former faculty members have donated more than $1 million to Brigham Young University to establish the Bill and Margaret Pope Professorship in Chemical Engineering.
"This very generous gift from our good friends the Popes will significantly help in advancing the scholarly activities in our department while also providing vital financial support for a number of our very qualified students," said department chairman Kenneth Solen.Bill Pope taught chemical engineering at BYU from 1958 to 1976 and served as chairman of the chemical engineering Department. Margaret Pope taught at BYU for 26 years in the department of religion.
The endowed professorship will provide recognition and help to faculty members, and will also support graduate and undergraduate students, with a specific emphasis on freshmen.
Bill Pope took early retirement from BYU in 1976 to join Megadiamond, an industrial venture started by Tracy Hall and Duane Horton, also former members of the BYU chemical engineering faculty.
Pope soon became president of Megadiamond but left in November of 1978 to become president of U.S. Synthetic Corp., founded six months earlier by the Popes' son Louis. Bill Pope is now chairman of the board of U.S. Synthetic Corp.