- Date Of Death: May 7, 2019
- State: Pennsylvania
Lewis J. Mathers, Jr. of Newtown Square, PA passed on May 7, 2019.Beloved husband of 62 years of Barbara O’Leary Mathers and devoted father of Laura Schmieder (Joseph), Christopher Mathers (Vreni Hommes), Dana Mathers (Ignacio Duran), Kenneth Mathers (Wynn Foor) and Eileen Mathers (Joseph Spinelli); loving grandfather of Eric Schmieder (Mallory), Daniel Mathers (Morgan Quinn), Jonathan Schmieder (Amanda) and Chelsea Mathers and great-grandfather of Rhyan was a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers as well as numerous honorary fraternities including Chi Epsilon, Tau Beta Pi and Pi Mu was active in the Newtown Square community for many years working for the board of the township Sewer Authority and as a coach for the Newtown Petticoat League and was an umpire for the Newtown Edgemont Little League and the College World Series. In 1977, he was one of the founding directors of the Handicapped Encounter Christ retreat movement for physically disabled adults in the Philadelphia area. Lew loved to travel and was an avid fan of Villanova University and Philadelphia sports was born in 1934 in the Borough of Queens, NY, the second child of Ruth Seyler and Lewis J. Mathers, Sr. Lew attended Grove City High School in Grove City, Ohio and upon graduation attended Xavier University and Marquette University where he was awarded a B.S. in Civil Engineering in 1957. He went on to earn a Masters degree in Hydraulic Engineering at Washington State University in 1960 and a PhD in Civil Engineering from Penn State University in began teaching at Villanova University in 1960. He was a full professor and served as Chair of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) from May 1986 to August 2001. Under Lew’s leadership, the CEE Department initiated;• International service trips wherein undergraduates worked in Panama and Honduras • Established the Institute for Environmental Engineering Research • Established the Civil and Environmental Engineering Advisory Committee wherein leaders from the engineering community and academia provide guidance on how the department can meet the needs of the civil engineering profession.• Began developing Distance Learning courses for students pursuing graduate degrees • Lewis J. Mathers Award• Awarded since 2009• Presented to a Civil & Environmental senior for serving those in need with time, energy and engineering talent• Water Resources Program, founded by Lew.• Topics: hydraulics, hydrology, fluid mechanics, river behavior and sediment transport• 1971 – Master of Science in Water Resources Engineering degree for students interested in water resources but did not hold baccalaureate degrees in engineering. (Degree became Master of Science in Water Resources and environmental Engineering in 1989)• Related accomplishment: Lew established the undergraduate Fluid Mechanics and Hydraulic Engineering Laboratory in 1972. The facility was a quantum upgrade over the earlier Fluids Laboratory. Lew nurtured and upgraded the 1972 laboratory until his retirement in 2002.• Consulting: Soil Conservation Service (US Department of Agriculture); taught short courses.• Lindback Award for Outstanding Teaching in 1976.• Professional Engineer: Pennsylvania• Professor Emeritus: Department of Civil and Environmental has generously willed his body for studies in the furtherance of scientific medicine to the Humanity Gifts Registry of the State of Pennsylvania.
