The Passing of Alumnus Curt Engelhorn (B.S. ’51)

The department has just been informed of the recent passing of alumnus Curt Engelhorn (B.S. ’51). He was 90-years-old.

Engelhorn was a pharmaceutical industry veteran and philanthropist. After graduating with his bachelor’s from our department, Engelhorn went on to build a pharmaceutical empire. He was honored as a Cockrell School of Engineering Distinguished Graduate in 2014.

The great-grandson of the founder of BASF, Engelhorn led pharmaceutical companies Boehringer Mannheim and DePuy Inc. for more than 35 years. He sold the companies to Swiss Health care company Hoffmann-La Roche in 1997.

Engelhorn funded the Heidelberg Center for American Studies at the University of Heidelberg and supported many cultural projects through his Angel Foundation, including the Reiss-Engelhorn Museum in Manneheim.

His hobbies included photography, travelling and collecting modern art. Residents of Switzerland, Engelhorn and his wife also enjoyed their ranch in Spain and villa in France. He is survived by his wife, Heidemarie, and his five children.

Tags: alumnus, BASF, Curt Engelhorn, McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas ChE, The University of Texas at Austin, UT Austin