University Times

Robert v.d. Luft, chairman of Entergy Corporation, has donated $500,000 to Pitt to create an endowed professorship in engineering.

"Robert Luft has been a long-time, loyal supporter of the School of Engineering," said Dean Gerald Holder. "He has been a leader on our board of visitors for more than 10 years and has provided invaluable advice to me as dean."

The Robert v.d. Luft Professorship in Engineering will support an outstanding faculty member, as determined by the dean, with preference given to faculty in the Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering.

Luft, of Chadds Ford, PA, is a 1953 graduate of Pitt's chemical engineering program. A retired DuPont executive, he has served on the Entergy board of directors since 1992.

The Entergy Corporation, headquartered in New Orleans, is a major global energy company with power production, distribution operations and related diversified services.

While at DuPont, Luft was a senior vice president, president of DuPont Europe, chairman of DuPont International and vice president of information systems. After retiring from DuPont in 1996, he served as chairman of DuPont Dow Elastomers.