INFORMS News: In Memoriam — Charles Sprague Beightler (1924-2011)

Charles Sprague Beightler

Charles Sprague Beightler, Ph.D., a recipient of the Lanchester Prize for the best publication in operations research in 1967 and former director of operations research for Ernst & Ernst, died March 27 at his home in Austin, Texas.

Dr. Beightler was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on March 18, 1924, the son of Elizabeth Bainer Beightler and Donald Sprague Beightler. After graduating from Nicholas Senn High School in Chicago, he entered an accelerated Pre-Engineering course of study through the U.S. Army’s Specialized Training Program. He served his country in World War II as a radio operator and forward observer with the 71st Infantry, 44th Division in France, Germany and Austria, earning a Bronze Star Medal for acts of valor in November 1944. He continued to serve as a reserve commissioned officer until 1957.

After the war, Dr. Beightler obtained his B.S. in mechanical engineering at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor in 1950. He worked as an engineer for Aerona Manufacturing Company, then served his country again overseas in the Korean Conflict in the early 1950s. He returned to the University of Michigan to earn his M.S. in mathematics in 1954. He worked as a research engineer for General Motors, an operations research analyst for Arthur Andersen and for Caywood-Schiller and director of operations research for Ernst & Ernst. Ultimately, he returned to academics, serving as an instructor in mathematics and engineering while attending Northwestern University, where he earned his Ph.D. in industrial engineering in 1961.

Dr. Beightler moved to Austin in 1961 when he joined the mechanical engineering faculty at the University of Texas, where he taught for the next several decades. In addition to the Lanchester Prize, his awards included a faculty award for Excellence in Engineering Education in 1971. He was honored to be a Fulbright Lecturer in applied mathematics at the University of Freiburg in West Germany from 1971-1972.

Dr. Beightler had many diverse interests, including literature, music, languages and flying as a private pilot and flight instructor. He especially enjoyed aerobatics in his Stearman biplane.

Source: www.wcfish.com