This fund was established in 2000 by friends, family and colleagues in honor of John C. Biery. John received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan in 1951 and his Ph.D. from Iowa State in 1961. In the interim, he worked at Dow and the University of Wisconsin, then at Los Alamos and the University of Arizona.

John was the chairman of the University of Florida’s Chemical Engineering department from 1971 until his passing in 1981. According to his colleagues, he was a man in perpetual-motion. Recognizing the need to recruit undergraduate students to chemical engineering, he enlisted all of the faculty members in his department to visit Florida high schools and community colleges to promote the study of their field. John kept in contact with what every faculty member was doing and included that information in a weekly departmental newsletter. Along with all his other duties, he taught a senior seminar course that focused on the practical aspects of chemical engineering.

To get around faster, he purchased an airplane and learned how to fly. That, unfortunately, was what ended his career. On returning from Texas with two other faculty members from the Engineering College, the plane crashed, killing all three men. At the memorial service for John in January 1981, people from all walks of life had words of praise for him.