UA Chemical Engineering Department Announces First ‘Helping Hand’ Gift

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The department of chemical engineering in The University of Alabama’s College of Engineering recently announced the receipt of a Helping Hand Discretionary Chemical Engineering Gift to support students and programs within the department. This is the first donation in a new category of Helping Hand gifts to the College, designed to honor people and businesses specified by donors.

The inaugural gift honors four members of the regional community designated by the donor, Luther Stancel “Stan” Pate IV of Tuscaloosa, for having provided assistance to him in his life and in the success of his business career. Pate is a chemical engineering graduate of the UA College of Engineering. Those honored by his gift are Dennis Herndon, James “Jimmy” L. Hinton, F. Gordon Steward and the First Commercial Bank of Birmingham.

“A helping hand can make the difference in one’s life,” Pate stated. “Because so many were there in my life to give me a helping hand, I hope that this gift might have the same effect on others in the chemical engineering program.”

Dr. Gary April, head of UA’s chemical engineering department, described the gift as “a reflection of the strong feelings Mr. Pate has for those who were instrumental in shaping his life and career.” The funds will allow the department to help students with scholarships, to improve laboratories and classrooms, and to maintain or replace essential equipment, April said. “Without the generosity of donors like Mr. Pate, we could not give our graduates the edge needed to be competitive in today’s global marketplace, especially in light of recent developments in Alabama regarding higher education funding,” he added.

Dennis Herndon of Tuscaloosa is a University of Alabama graduate who earned a bachelor of science degree in 1950 from the School of Commerce and Business Administration and a bachelor of laws in 1952 from the School of Law. He served as Judge of Probate for Greene County from 1959-1971, as an officer of the trust department in the City National Bank from 1972-1975, as president of Warrior Asphalt from 1975-1981 and as a practicing attorney with the firm of Ray, Oliver and Ward from 1981-1987.

James “Jimmy” L. Hinton of Tuscaloosa has served on a number of local and state boards including the Alabama State Conservation Advisory Board, First National Bank of Tuscaloosa (AmSouth), Tuscaloosa Academy, Indian Hills Country Club, The University of Alabama Board of Visitors and The University of Alabama President’s Cabinet. He has been inducted into the Alabama Business Hall of Fame at UA and the National Field Trial Hall of Fame, and was named Alabama Conservationist for 1998. Hinton has business affiliations with Fayco Pipe Co. Tusco Wood Products, R. L. Zeigler Meat Packing Co., and is a founding partner of Southern United Life Insurance Co. and Olympia Mills.

F. Gordon Steward is a native of Richmond, Surrey, England. He attended elementary and secondary schools in Virginia, Illinois and New York, and received his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Cornell University in 1958. After an initial assignment with the Boeing Airplane Co. in Seattle, Steward served as an officer in the U.S. Army Ordnance Corps from 1959-1961. He joined Diamond Alkali (later Diamond Shamrock) as a research engineer, and for the next 24 years held various technical and production management positions in the herbicide and vitamin specialty chemicals groups. Steward came to Tuscaloosa in 1982 and, following shutdown of the Diamond Shamrock facility, joined Lawter International as its general manager in 1985. In 1990, he joined the Pate Co. as its operations manager, a position that he still holds.

First Commercial Bank is a full-service bank and an affiliate of Synovus Financial Corp. The bank has 11 locations in the Birmingham area and its assets exceed $1.2 billion. The firm is engaged in a broad range of banking activities that are designed to exceed the expectations of its customers by delivering the finest quality service through well-trained and highly motivated employees. Continuous quality improvements producing the highest levels of corporate performance and enhancing the value for its stockholders are characteristic traits of this energetic banking establishment.

“During these times of tight budgets and strong rhetoric pitting one faction of education against another, it is refreshing to read about one person’s desire to help in this most positive way. Perhaps that, more than anything else, makes this gesture unique,” said Dr. Timothy Greene, dean of the College of Engineering. “That good can be found by giving a helping hand from time to time is a message worth repeating.”