Brothers, it is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Brother Richard Grace ’51 into Ad Astra. We want to extend our deepest sympathies to his family, friends, and loved ones. Read on to view his obituary.
Dr. Richard E. Grace, 95, a retired Purdue University vice president, passed away peacefully on Thursday, July 24, 2025, with family by his side. Born June 26, 1930, in Chicago, he has been a West Lafayette resident since 1954. He was the son of Richard Edward and Louise Koko (Kokotkiewicz) Grace of Chicago, Illinois.
Dr. Grace received his Bachelor of Science in Metallurgical Engineering from Purdue University in 1951 and his Ph.D. from Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie-Mellon University) in 1954.
He married Connie Cummings Fotos on January 29, 1955, and she preceded him in death November 20, 2023. They celebrated their 68th wedding anniversary in 2023. Together, they built a life rooted in service, education, and adventure, spending over 20 cherished winters on Longboat Key, Florida, where they shared many sunsets together.
Dr. Grace became an Assistant Professor of Metallurgical Engineering at Purdue University in 1954 and was promoted to full professor in 1962. He became head of the school of Metallurgical Engineering (1965–1972) and in 1970 was appointed founding head of the Division of Interdisciplinary Engineering Studies. In 1981, he became Assistant Dean of Engineering and Head of the Department of Freshman Engineering. In 1987, he was appointed Vice President for Student Services with Purdue system-wide responsibilities until his first retirement in 1995. That same year, he was named founding Director of the Undergraduate Studies Program, now Exploratory Studies, a post he held until his second retirement from Purdue in 2000.
Dr. Grace received the Bradley Stoughton Young Teacher Award from the American Society for Metals in 1962, the L. E. Grinter Award from the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology in 1989 and the Centennial Medallion from the American Society for Engineering Education in 1993. He was an elected Fellow of these three societies.
In 1995, Dr. Grace was named a Sagamore of the Wabash by Governor Evan Bayh and he received the Distinguished Service Award in Student Services at Purdue. In 1999, the Purdue Alumni Association presented him with their fiftieth Special Boilermaker Award.
Dr. Grace has been a member of Phi Gamma Delta fraternity since his initiation in 1948. In 1951, he became a member of the Alpha Graduate Chapter and founding president of the Lambda Iota Graduate Corporation. He received the Distinguished Fiji Award from the national fraternity in 1982 and the Golden Owl Award in 1999. In 1997, he became a Legend of Lambda Iota. In 2002, he co-chaired the Centennial celebration of the Lambda Iota Chapter at Purdue University. In 2018, he authored 150 Years of Fijidom: A History of the Alpha Graduate Chapter of the Fraternity. In April 2025, the President’s Room was dedicated in his honor.
He was a life member of the Purdue Alumni Association, the Art Museum of Greater Lafayette, and the Tippecanoe County Historical Association. He also was a member of the Purdue University President’s Council, John Purdue Club, Lafayette Rotary Club, Lafayette Country Club, and the Lafayette Elks Club. He served as president of the Lafayette Symphony Foundation from 1993–1995. From 2005 to 2010, Dr. Grace served on the State of Indiana Commission on Aging and from 2015 to 2018 he joined the Advisory Council for the new Honors College and Residences at Purdue University. Faith was also an important part of his life, he was an original member of the Church of the Blessed Sacrament in West Lafayette and remained active in the church community throughout his years.
Dr. Grace had a life-long interest in the arts and higher education. He and his wife Connie created a major endowment for the permanent collection of the Art Museum of Greater Lafayette. They also endowed the first horn chair with the Lafayette Symphony Orchestra. He and Connie have endowed several awards and scholarships at Purdue University: College of Engineering, College of Health and Human Sciences, University Bands, the Community Foundation, and the Phi Gamma Delta Educational Foundation. In recent years, Dr. Grace created a special collection of books on the history of American Metallurgical Engineering Education: 1900–1970. This collection is housed in the Grace Conference Room and Library in Armstrong Hall at Purdue.
In 2010, When Every Day Is Saturday: The Retirement Guide for Boomers was published by the Purdue University Press. Dr. Grace and his wife also have published several Kindle e-books including When to Take the Car Keys, Robert J. Smith: Architect, Road To The National Register, Wildflowers In Your Own Backyard, and family history.
Dr. Grace and his wife, Connie, received the Johanna Downey award from the Wabash Valley Trust for Historic Preservation (2009) and the first stewardship award from Indiana Landmarks (2011). Their mid-century modern Robert J. Smith house received the Wabash Valley Trust Sycamore Leaf Plaque in 2006 and in 2012 the Curtis-Grace house was listed in the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior.
Surviving is one daughter, Virginia Louise Grace of Indianapolis, two granddaughters, Kelly (Gretencord) Zielke (Zach) of Oswego, Illinois, Sarah (Gretencord) Ealy (Jeff) of Carmel, Indiana, and two great granddaughters, Reagan Louise Zielke, Riley Harper Zielke, and a great grandson, Landon James Ealy. A son, Richard Cummings Grace, preceded him in death in 1978.
A private family service will be held at a later date at Tippecanoe Memory Gardens.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Purdue for Life Foundation (designated for the School of Materials Engineering), Dauch Alumni Center, 403 West Wood Street, West Lafayette, IN 47906. Art Museum of Greater Lafayette, 102 South 10th Street, Lafayette, IN 47905. Lambda Iota Chapter Phi Gamma Delta, 640 Russell Street, West Lafayette, IN 47906. Or to the charity of your choice.
The family would like to extend their deepest gratitude to the nurses and staff at Cumberland Pointe Health Campus and Elara Hospice for their compassionate and loving care.