OSU, CEAT community mourn the loss of Kenneth E. Case
Tuesday, December 10, 2024
Media Contact: Kristi Wheeler | Manager, CEAT marketing and Communications | 405-744-5831 | kristi.wheeler@okstate.edu
The Oklahoma State University College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology community is mourning the death of Dr. Kenneth E. Case, a former faculty member of the School of Industrial Engineering and Management.
Case died on Dec. 4 in Houston. He was 80.
Case received his bachelor's degree in electrical engineering and his master's and doctoral degrees in industrial engineering and management, all from OSU.
After completing his Ph.D., Case and his wife, Lynn, moved to Blacksburg, Virginia, where he taught at Virginia Tech for five years. In 1975, they returned to Stillwater, where Case joined the IEM faculty.
Case served as the IEM department head for three years, but his true passion was teaching and mentoring. He was loved by his students and continued to stay in contact with many worldwide. He took great pleasure in their significant accomplishments.
Case’s visionary leadership led to developing OSU’s Master of Science in Engineering and Technology Management degree program, a new and first-of-its-kind fully online program geared for working engineers.
In addition to teaching and research, Case consulted extensively. He was a fellow and served as president of both the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers and the American Society for Quality, receiving the highest recognition from each, including the Wellington Award, Holzman Distinguished Educator Award, Gilbreth Industrial Engineering Award, and Book-of-the-Year Award, to name a few. The Gilbreth Award is the pinnacle award of IISE and has been given to fewer than 50 people in 61 years.
Case was a National Academy of Engineering member, one of only three from OSU and one of 21 from Oklahoma.
Case was also an active Academician Emeritus in the International Academy for Quality, a worldwide group limited to 100 quality experts. He served as the senior examiner and site visit team leader for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award three times and as a member of the panel of judges three additional times.
He received the Distinguished Service Medal and the Eugene L. Grant Medal from ASQ, the Ralph R. Teetor Award from the Society of Manufacturing Engineering, and many others.
Case was named the Outstanding Engineer in Oklahoma in 1987. He held five ASQ certifications and was a Six Sigma Black Belt. He received the Quality Oklahoma Award from Gov. Brad Henry in 2003 and the Oklahoma Medal for Excellence in College/University Teaching from the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence in 2005. He received the Melvin R. Lohmann Medal from CEAT in 2013 and was inducted into the CEAT Hall of Fame in 2015. Case received over 25 recognitions for teaching, including multiple from the National Technological University’s Outstanding (Satellite) Teacher Award.
Case retired from OSU in 2005 but continued consulting and stayed actively engaged with the OSU community and industry. In August 2024, he retired from the Board of Directors for Webco Industries after serving for over 29 years. Case considered his time with Webco as a career highlight and was honored to serve in an organization that mirrored what he valued: quality, character, work ethic, teamwork, preparation, innovation and strength.
The Cases have strongly supported OSU, impacting hundreds of IEM alumni and colleagues worldwide. In 2022, they established the Ken and Lynn Case Scholarship for undergraduate students, which is now valued at more than $50,000, and the Ken and Lynn Case Endowed Chair in IEM, which is valued at $1 million.
A celebration of life will be held at 2 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 11, at University Heights Baptist Church, Stillwater, Oklahoma. The service will be livestreamed at this link.
To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Kenneth Eugene Case, please visit the Sympathy Store.