Rogelio "Roger" Benavides endowed chair in engineering technology established Present for a reception honoring the memory of Rogelio "Roger" Benavides and announcing the Benavides endowed chair in engineering technology are (above left to right) Attorney Bill Edwards, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi President Dr. Robert R. Furgason, College of Business Dean Dr. Moustafa Abdelsamad, A&M System Chancellor Howard D. Graves, Dean of the College of Science and Technology Dr. Diana Marinez, Linda Benavides, David Roger Benavides and Paul Benavides. On August 26, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi announced the establishment of the Rogelio “Roger” Benavides Memorial Chair. In 1989, Roger Benavides lost his life in an industrial accident while performing his duties as an employee of American Chrome & Chemicals, Inc. (now Elementis Chromium) in Corpus Christi. After 10 years of litigation, the family of Roger Benavides was awarded a settlement of an undisclosed amount. Through their tragedy, the Benavides family -- Roger’s wife, Linda, and their two young sons, David and Paul -- saw the opportunity to help other industrial workers and their families, as well as create a lasting legacy for Roger Benavides. It was determined, as part of the settlement between Elementis Chromium and the Benavides family, that the one million dollar chair for the promotion of industrial safety would be established. “To their credit, the family of Roger Benavides has found a way to make this terrible accident bring honor to Roger and make a major difference in the community and the industrial workplace,” said Dr. Robert R. Furgason, president of A&M-Corpus Christi. “Through this endowed chair, the University will be able to bring the best and brightest academicians in this field to teach engineering technology students about the necessity of safety.” “Because of the generosity and foresight of this family, many students will have the opportunity to learn from outstanding experts in the field about the constant need to research, develop and maintain safe practices within the engineering and industrial fields,” continued Furgason. “We are honored to accept this trust from the family and to be able to help develop such an important academic partnership.” Linda Benavides, the widow of Roger Benavides, explained the necessity of their donation. “We had to think about the hundreds of strangers who passed through those gates every day to earn paychecks to support their families. And we had to think about the countless number of men and women who would work there and in other industrial plants in the future. To prevent what happened to us from happening to even one of those individuals is our heartfelt wish.” The endowed professorial chair in engineering technology will emphasize the research and teaching of industrial safety. The funds for the chair will be allocated to A&M-Corpus Christi’s College of Science and Technology over the next four years. The Rogelio “Roger” Benavides Memorial Chair in Engineering Technology will provide the additional resources needed to recruit and retain faculty with outstanding professional and academic credentials who are well recognized in the field of Engineering Technology and Industrial Safety.