Roy Powell Whitney

Whitney, Roy Powell
Passed away on May 5 at Colony Oaks Care Center, Appleton, WI, where he had been a resident for two years. Dr. Whitney was Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Institute of Paper Chemistry, Appleton, for 32 years, retiring in 1979. Born in Milo, Maine, May 30, 1913, Dr. Whitney was the son of Andrew and Laura Whitney. He married Virginia Gordon on December 27, 1941.

Dr. Whitney held Bachelor, Masters and Doctoral degrees in Chemical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA. In 1979 he was awarded an Honorary Master of Science Ad Eundum from Lawrence University, Appleton. Dr. Whitney was a member of the teaching faculty at MIT, 1935-1945; and the University of Maine, 1945-47. He came to the Institute of Paper Chemistry as Professor and Group Leader in Chemical Engineering in 1947. He was appointed Dean in 1956 and Vice President, Academic Affairs, in 1958.

He was the recipient of numerous awards in the industry for academic achievement and participation. Most important among his awards were the TAPPI Gold Medal, the Pro Bono Labore award from the Finnish Paper Engineers Association, and the U.S. War Department Certificate of Appreciation for Service during WWII.

Dr. Whitney was a member of the Appleton School Board from 1962-68, President of the board in 1965-66. He also served on the Governor’s Advisory Council for the State Technical Services Program, 1966-70. Dr. Whitney was inducted into the International Paper Industry Hall of Fame, Appleton, in 1996.

Surviving Dr. Whitney are his wife Virginia, Appleton; daughter, Patricia Whitney Brink, Seattle; son, Donald Gordon Whitney, Burlington, VT; grandchildren, Laura and James Whitney, Burlington, VT.

Dr. Whitney is remembered as a quiet, hard-working teacher whose students’ success and his ability to help them achieve it were of the utmost importance to him. He loved to hunt and fish and was particularly adept at tying flies. Photography was also a hobby. He spent hours in his dark room perfecting his pictures with stunning results.

Memorial services will be held at the funeral home at 4:00 PM on Thursday the 12 of May, with a visitation beginning at 3:00 PM. Burial will be in Milo, Maine. Donations in lieu of flowers can be sent in his name to The TAPPI Scholarship Fund, 15 Technology Parkway South, Norcross, Georgia 30092
Wichmann Funeral Home
537 N. Superior St. Appleton
920-739-1231
www.wichmannfuneralhomes.com