Craig Eckhardt, professor emeritus of chemistry at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, died June 19. He was 85.
Eckhardt graduated magna cum laude from the University of Colorado Boulder in 1962, where he was elected to the university’s Phi Beta Kappa chapter. He went on to Yale University, where he earned a master’s degree in 1964 and doctoral degree in 1967. He began his career at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln that same year and retired in 2017. During his career, Eckhardt was awarded a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship, a Fulbright Senior Fellowship and several German Academic Exchange Fellowships.
Over 50 years, Eckhardt advised 25 students to doctoral degrees. They ended up in a variety of careers.
“I enjoyed them more than I did the research,” he said. “I truly had a remarkable group of graduate students.”
Eckhardt also maintained strong relationships with many of his peers.
“He is a great colleague, a great mentor and an outstanding scientist,” Jody Redepenning, professor and chair of chemistry, said in 2017. “But he is also a dear friend.”
A celebration of life will be 4 to 6 p.m. July 11 in The Founders Room on the sixth floor of The Scarlet Hotel, 2101 Transformation Drive in Lincoln.
Read more about Eckhardt's career and retirement here.
