Peter J. Reilly ’60

Pete died Nov. 2, 2017, from complications of a rare cancer. He had a distinguished career as a professor of chemical engineering.

At Princeton he majored in chemistry, dined at Key and Seal, roomed with Ed Saphar, and was active in intramural sports. Originally focused on a career in chemistry, he sidestepped into chemical engineering for his graduate study at Penn, earning a Ph.D. in 1964.

He worked briefly at DuPont before returning to academia and accepting a professorship at the University of Nebraska in 1968. In 1974 he went to Iowa State University, where he served as distinguished professor in engineering. After retirement in 2014, he remained active in civic work and his profession. He will be remembered for his indomitable enthusiasm and genuine interest in his students and their careers.

Pete retained from his earliest days an interest in travel, which became his principal recreational pursuit and an important part of his professional endeavors. In our 50th-reunion book he claimed to have visited “all 50 states and almost as many countries as my age,” while remarking that his pace was declining as the number of prudent destinations in the world was contracting. Pete’s identical twin daughters, Diane and Karen, have since blessed Pete and his wife Rae with sons-in-law and three grandchildren. The class sends our sympathies to Rae and the rest of Pete’s family.