HIGHLIGHTS ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES | MARCH 2026 62 IN MEMORIAM Robert “Bob” Jack Christ, age 97, passed away on January 14 in Rock Island, Illinois. He was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on June 24, 1928, and graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a materials science and engineering degree. He moved to Moline, Illinois, in 1952 where he joined Deere and Company. In 1966, Christ moved to Heidelberg, Germany, for a six-year assignment as senior manager of materials engineering for Deere’s operations in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. After 40 years of service, Christ retired in 1992 as the company’s senior staff engineer and senior scientist. Subsequently, Christ formed a materials engineering consulting firm, providing contract services to industry, government agencies, and technical organizations. He also served as assistant technical director for the Ductile Iron Society during this period, retiring in 2000 from this role. Gary R. Haupt, 71, died January 25, 2025, in Dubuque, Iowa. Haupt was born on October 5, 1953, in Ames, Iowa. He graduated from Ames High School and received both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in metallurgical engineering from Iowa State University. During his career as a metallurgist, the Haupt family lived all over the United States before returning to Iowa. Always generous with his time, he previously served as chair of the ASM Rhode Island Chapter. He also volunteered with his local chapter’s ASM Materials Camp to encourage young people to enter STEM fields. Per the family’s wishes, donations may be sent to the ASM Materials Education Foundation. Robert Joseph Walter of Thousand Oaks, California, passed away on March 17, 2025, at age 91. He was born in Omaha, Nebraska, on May 5, 1933. Walter received a bachelor’s degree in metallurgical engineering in 1957 from the University of Wisconsin. This was followed by a master’s degree in 1959 and some doctorate studies. After a brief stint at Atomics International in Canoga Park, California, Walter transferred to the research and development department at Rocketdyne, a division of North American International (now Boeing), where he spent almost 40 years as a rocket scientist. He also became a nationally recognized expert on the effects of hydrogen embrittlement of metals and electroforming nickel alloys. Because of his unique expertise, in 1972 he survived a layoff when Rocketdyne shrank from 20,000 to 2500 employees before winning the Space Shuttle main engine contract. His work was critical in the development of the RS-25 space shuttle main engine nozzle. Walter received 11 patents, five NASA Tech Brief Awards, and authored 36 literature publications. He also was a Registered Professional Metallurgical Engineer and a Registered Professional Corrosion Engineer in California. John Ellis Werner, 93, of State College, Pennsylvania, passed away on January 13. Born in Erie, Pennsylvania, on October 25, 1932, he earned his B.S. and M.S. in metallurgy from Penn State University in 1954 and 1960, respectively. He began his career as a metallurgical engineer at Bethlehem Steel’s Lackawanna Plant. From 1955 to 1957, he served in the U.S. Army as a Specialist Third Class and Combat Medic with the 10th Division Field Artillery in Würzburg, Germany. Over the next 31 years, Werner served as director of research and later as director of technology transfer and new ventures at Bethlehem Steel. In 1986, he began a second career as president and chief executive officer of the Ben Franklin Technology Center of Central and Northern Pennsylvania, a state-supported technology development program, retiring in 1997. Werner received the 1987 David Ford McFarland Award for Achievement in Metallurgy from the ASM Penn State Chapter. Word has been received at ASM Headquarters of the deaths of Karl M. Bohlander, 98, of Ketchikan, Arkansas; Dennis Duszak, 84, of Batavia, Illinois; and John H. Fuchsluger, 97, of Towson, Maryland. Haupt Christ IN MEMORIAM Walter Werner
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