Ruben William Engel

Dr. Ruben William 'Charlie' Engel, 94

REHOBOTH BEACH - Dr. Ruben William "Charlie" Engel of Rehoboth Beach, formerly of Blacksburg, Va., passed away peacefully Thursday, Jan. 18, 2007, in his home, surrounded by his family. He was 94.

Dr. Engel was born July 10, 1912, in Shawano, Wis.

He received his Ph.B. in 1937 and his Ph.D. in 1939 from the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and a Certificate Military Government, U.S. Army, from Princeton University in 1944. From 1939 to 1943 and from 1946 to 1952, he was an associate professor of Animal Nutrition at Auburn University.

From 1943 to 1946, Dr. Engel served in the U.S. Army as an officer in the Army Sanitation Corps in the Pacific Theater and saw combat in the Pacific during the Okinawa Campaign for which he received the Asiatic Pacific Campaign medal with one Bronze Star. He also received the American Campaign medal, Victory Medal World War II and the Philippine Liberation Ribbon Armed Forces Western Pacific. He subsequently joined the U.S. Army Reserves and retired as a lieutenant colonel from the Medical Service Corps.

In 1952 he was recruited to Virginia Tech to create a Department of Biochemistry and Nutrition, where he served as chairman and professor. The department numbered 12 faculty and more than 40 graduate students when in 1966 he assumed the position of associate dean in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Dr. Engel was largely responsible for acquiring a grant from the National Institutes of Health that, with matching state funds, resulted in the construction in 1962 of the building that has borne his name since 1989, Engel Hall. Research during this time focused on solving the nature of X-disease in cattle.

From 1968 until 1980, Dr. Engel lived in Manila, Philippines, where he served as Virginia Tech's onsite adviser to the Philippine National Nutrition Program. He supervised the introduction of the Mothercraft Center concept developed at Virginia Tech. In the centers, malnourished children were fed adequate diets prepared from indigenous foods while their mothers were trained in food selection and preparation, infant care, sanitation and family planning. This program eventually reached more than 3.5 million Filipinos. A second major accomplishment during this era was the evolution of the Nutribun as a means of effective delivery of wheat and dried milk in the Food for Peace program. In recognition of these accomplishments, Dr. Engel was awarded the Conrad Elvehjem Award for Public Service by the American Institute of Nutrition in 1974 and was elected a fellow of this organization in 1984. Upon his retirement in 1978, he was selected by Gamma Sigma Delta, the Honor Society of Agriculture, to receive the International Award of Distinguished Service to Agriculture.

His contributions to human and animal nutrition and cancer research spanned the horizon of basic research, teaching and service to his state, nation and the world. He authored more than 100 publications dealing with nutrition and choline metabolism.

His societies and memberships included the American Institute of Nutrition, of which he was secretary in 1954 and 1957, and president from 1965-66; the U. S. Delegate IUNS in 1960 and 1963; the Society of Sigma Xi, Virginia Tech, of which he was president in 1961; the Food and Nutrition Board: National Academy of Science; American Chemical Society; American Dairy Science Association; Kiwanis International, Auburn, Ala., of which he was president in 1952; the Rotary Club, Blacksburg; and a life member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7447, Rehoboth Beach.

Dr. Engel enjoyed challenging crossword puzzles, Internet surfing, traveling, history, knitting, fishing and spending time with his family. He had a passion for golf, and at age 92 scored his second hole-in-one on Hole 3, 135 yards at Marsh Island Golf Club, Lewes.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 57 years, Frances (Holiday) Engel.

He is survived by two daughters and two sons-in-law, Nancy and retired U.S. Army Medical Corps Col. Dr. Matthew J. Barlow Jr. of Rehoboth Beach and Bonnie and Jim Hupton of Henderson, Nev.; a son and a daughter-in-law, retired U.S. Army Brig. Gen. William F. Engel and his wife Linda of Alexandria, Va.; eight grandchildren and their spouses, Karyn and Robin Farley, Laura and Scott Thigpen, Kathy and Joseph Litto, Julie and Josh Gonzalez, Lisa and Ash Sawkar, Ben Engel, Tiffany Engel and John Hupton; and 12 great-grandchildren, Emma Farley, William Farley, Katie Thigpen, Jackson Thigpen, Alexa Thigpen, Erica Thigpen, Sarah Litto, Andrew Litto, Avery Gonzalez, Reese Gonzalez, Deven Sawkar and Neel Sawkar.

Friends may call from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday in the Barlow home, the Glade, Rehoboth Beach.

Memorial services will be in April at the Virginia Tech campus.

Instead of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions to the R. W. and Frances H. Engel Scholarship Fund. Checks should be made payable to the Virginia Tech Foundation with "Engel Scholarship Fund" written at the bottom and sent to the Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061.

Arrangements by Parsell Funeral Homes & Crematorium, Lewes.