Lindell R. (Bob) Hurst, former senior corrosion and materials engineer for Shell Oil Co. and an alumnus of S&T, will present the 13th annual Dr. Thomas J. O'Keefe Lecture, titled "Lessons from a 50-year Career as a Metallurgical Engineer."  (View Brochure)

Throughout his distinguished career as a materials engineer, Lindell R. (Bob) Hurst, Jr., MetE’74, MS MetE’77, MS EMgt’84, MS EMch’87, brought a combination of technical expertise and management skills to his work in corrosion control, testing and analysis.

Bob grew up in the St. Louis area and graduated summa cum laude from Missouri S&T in 1974. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserves and served in the reserves for 28 years. His cousin, Ronald Hurst, CE’68, is also a Miner alumnus.

Bob began his career in corrosion related work in 1978 for Petrolite. He started with Monsanto in 1980, spending 17 years with the company and an additional 7 years with Monsanto’s spin-off Solutia. He subsequently worked for Haynes International, a manufacturer of high-performance metal alloys, before joining Shell Oil Company in 2006. He retired from Shell in July 2016 as Senior Corrosion and Materials Engineer.

The Dr. Thomas J. O’Keefe Lecture Series was created in memory of O’Keefe, Curators’ Distinguished Professor emeritus of metallurgical engineering, and dedicated to his influence on the lives of S&T students. It was funded by Sally and Joe, MetE’72, Rupp, who was a student of O’Keefe’s.

The Rupps felt this named lecture series would be an excellent way to maintain the strong academic environment and technical education that O’Keefe helped to establish over his 40-year career at Missouri S&T. It provides an opportunity for an alumnus or other outstanding individual to speak to students and the campus community about the impact and importance of education on their career.