Muhlenberg County Kentucky
Obituaries: Sh
Robert E. Shaver, 1973
Former UK Engineering Dean Dies
Private services were conducted today for Robert E. Shaver, former dean of the University of Kentucky College of Engineering and later director of the UK Physical Development Division.
Mr. Shaver, 67, a resident of Captiva Island, Fla., since 1969, died Sunday after a long illness.
A native of Greenville, Mr. Shaver was graduated from the Greenville High School in 1922. He received his bachelor of science degree in civil engineering in 1927 from UK. He served as an engineer with the state Department of Highways while working toward an advanced degree in civil engineering, received in 1931 at UK.
In September, 1931, Mr. Shaver was appointed instructor in surveying at UK. He became assistant professor of civil engineering in 1932, associate professor in 1937 and professor and head of the Department of Civil Engineering in 1946.
In April, 1956, Mr. Shaver was among those appointed by then Gov. A. B. Chandler to a screening committee for choosing a successor to UK President Dr. H. L. Donovan. He became dean of the UK College of Engineering in 1957, and was one of the two men chosen in 1960 to review UK projects in Indonesia. The projects were implemented under a contract to assist the Institute of Technology at Bandung. That year also saw him receive an award as “Engineer of the Year.”
In 1966, Mr. Shaver was named director of a newly formed Division of Engineering and Construction Management at UK. The new unit was designed to develop engineering aspects of the university's long-range plan, involving all UK campuses in the state. Mr. Shaver's duties also included overseeing engineering phases in construction of individual projects.
While at the University, Mr. Shaver also maintained a consulting practice in the fields of surveying and mapping, soil mechanics and foundations, and transportation. He also did research on construction materials. In 1968, he was honored by four UK engineering honorary societies - Tau Beta Pi, Chi Epsilon, Eta Kappa Nu and Pi Tau Sigma. He was presented by Tau Beta Pi with a bronze plaque, commemorating his achievements, to be mounted in Anderson Hall.
Mr. Shaver served in 1940-41 as secretary of the Kentucky Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers and in 1942 as president. He was also a member of the Sigma Phi Epsilon social fraternity, Tau Beta Pi, Omicron Delta Kappa leadership society and the Pyramid Club.
Mr. Shaver served as a director on the national board of ASCE and was made and honorary member of that organization. He also was made an honorary member of the board of the Kentucky Society of Professional Engineers.
The engineering library on the UK campus is named for Mr. Shaver.
Mr. Shaver had served as both deacon and elder of the First Presbyterian Church here.
Survivors include his wife, Mrs. Frances Reid Shaver; two daughters, Mrs. Jerry DeSchepper, Athens, Ohio, and Mrs. E. S. Kidd, Richmond; one son, Andrew Reid Shaver, Pulaski, Tenn.; one brother, Ben R. Shaver, Louisville; one grandson, Andrew Reid Shaver II, Pulaski, Tenn., and one granddaughter, Miss Amanda Louise Kidd, Richmond.
Private services were conducted this morning at the Lexington Cemetery.
- Source: Lexington Leader [Lexington, KY], 17 July 1973.
Updated April 5, 2024.