Cedomir Sliepcevich begins the interview with a description of his family and early years in Anaconda, Montana. A firm educational beginning in Anaconda influenced Sliepcevich to attend college. He enrolled in the chemical engineering program at Montana State College in 1937. During his sophomore year, Sliepcevich knew he wanted to go on to graduate school. In 1939, he transferred to the University of Michigan and received his B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. in chemical engineering there. While a graduate student, Sliepcevich studied thermodynamics under George Granger Brown. During the summer of 1942, he worked with Fred Kurata on a National Defense Research Council classified project on screening smokes. While earning his Ph.D., Sliepcevich was an instructor at the University, where he taught thermodynamics. After receiving his Ph.D. in 1947, he also worked as a consultant for the U.S. Army V-2 rocket test program. In addition to his career in academia, Sliepcevich continued to do consulting work for various companies, including Monsanto Chemical Company, Constock Liquid Methane Corporation, and Autoclave Engineers, Inc. In 1955, he joined the faculty of the University of Oklahoma as Professor and Chairman of Chemical Engineering. Sliepcevich was instrumental in redeveloping the University's doctoral program and engineering curricula, and established the Flame Dynamics Laboratory there. He founded his own firm, University Engineers, Inc., in 1963, which specialized in fire protection systems for liquid natural gas. He officially retired from teaching in 1991 and continued to work as a consultant on many research projects. Sliepcevich concludes the interview with reflections on his career.
Audio recording of this interview is not available.
Private Consultant
1942
Private Consultant
University of Michigan
1942 - 1948
Associate, Research Institute
University of Michigan
1942 - 1946
Teaching Assistant
University of Michigan
1946 - 1948
Instructor
University of Michigan
1948 - 1952
Assistant Professor of Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering
University of Michigan
1948 - 1952
Chairman of the Graduate Standards Committee for Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering
University of Michigan
1953 - 1955
Associate Professor of Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering
University of Michigan
1953 - 1955
Chairman of the Graduate Standards Committee for Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering
Autoclave Engineers, Inc.
1945 - 1990
Consultant
Autoclave Engineers, Inc.
1961 - 1990
Board of Directors
Monsanto Chemical Company
1952 - 1953
Senior Chemical Engineer
Constock Liquid Methane Corporation
1955 - 1960
Manager of Research, Development, and Engineering Conch Methane Services Ltd. (London)
Constock Liquid Methane Corporation
1960 - 1963
Principal Consultant
University of Oklahoma
1955 - 1959
Professor and Chairman of Chemical Engineering
University of Oklahoma
1956 - 1962
Associate Dean of the College of Engineering
University of Oklahoma
1958 - 1963
Chairman of the School of General Engineering
University of Oklahoma
1963 - 1991
George Lynn Cross Research Professor of Engineering
University of Oklahoma
1989 - 1991
Robert W. Hughes Centennial Professor of Engineering
University of Oklahoma
1991
Professor Emeritus of Engineering
Constock-Pritchard Corporation
1961 - 1963
Board of Directors
University Engineers, Inc.
1963 - 1978
President
University Engineers, Inc.
1963 - 1978
Chairman of the Board of Directors
Republic Geothermal, Inc.
1974 - 1975
Board of Directors
University Technologists, Inc.
1978
President and Chairman of the Board of Directors
Title and Description Page
Early Years 1
Growing up in Anaconda, Montana. Parents' history. Family emphasis on education. Working on local railroad. Decision to enroll in Montana State College.
College and Graduate School 5
Going into chemical engineering. Transferring to University of Michigan. Math Courses. Studying under professors Lee Owen Case, George Granger Brown and Donald L. Katz. Becoming a teaching fellow. G. G. Brown as thesis advisor.
Early Career 17
V-2 rocket testing program. Continuing in academia. Working for Monsanto Chemical Company. Biomedical research. Leaving University of Michigan for University of Oklahoma.
Teaching and Consulting 27
Consulting for CONOCO. Chairman and Professor of Chemical Engineering at University of Oklahoma. Restructuring engineering department and curricula. Marriage to Cleo L. Whorton. NSF grants. Developing the Flame Dynamics Laboratory.
Later Career 40
Grant from National Bureau of Standards Fire Protection Division. CONSTOCK. Liquefied natural gas studies. Working for Office of Saline Water. Consulting work for NASA. Energy conservation. University Engineers, Inc. Consulting for Dow and Owens-Corning Fiberglas.
Final Thoughts 50
Presentation on thermodynamics. Retirement from academia. Serbian Orthodox Church. Reflections on career.
Notes 54
Index 58
James J. Bohning
James J. Bohning is professor emeritus of chemistry at Wilkes University, where he was a faculty member from 1959 to 1990. He served there as chemistry department chair from 1970 to 1986 and environmental science department chair from 1987 to 1990. Bohning was chair of the American Chemical Society’s Division of the History of Chemistry in 1986; he received the division’s Outstanding Paper Award in 1989 and has presented more than forty papers at national meetings of the society. Bohning was on the advisory committee of the society’s National Historic Chemical Landmarks Program from its inception in 1992 through 2001 and is currently a consultant to the committee. He developed the oral history program of the Chemical Heritage Foundation, and he was the foundation’s director of oral history from 1990 to 1995. From 1995 to 1998, Bohning was a science writer for the News Service group of the American Chemical Society. He is currently a visiting research scientist and CESAR Fellow at Lehigh University. In May 2005, he received the Joseph Priestley Service Award from the Susquehanna Valley Section of the American Chemical Society.