Described by his colleagues as the “soul of the department,” Civil Engineering Professor Emeritus Charles “Chick” Glagola, Ph.D., died on Nov. 29 at the age of 80.
Glagola joined the Civil Engineering faculty at the University of Florida in 1994, retiring after more than 20 years in 2016.
Glagola was born in Alexandria, Louisiana, in 1944.
At a young age, his family moved to Pensacola. He graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in civil engineering in 1968, then enlisted in the United States Army and was deployed to Vietnam. After the conflict and 20 years in the private sector, Glagola obtained a master’s degree in civil engineering from Auburn University in 1989, followed by a doctorate degree from Clemson University.
At UF, Glagola was part of the construction engineering group in the Department of Civil Engineering. His dedication and expansive character made him one of the stalwarts who helped shape the Engineering School of Sustainable Infrastructure & Environment (ESSIE), according to Civil & Coastal Engineering Professor David Prevatt, Ph.D.
“Glagola was a professor when I joined UF in 2007, and he stood as one of the stalwarts of our Civil and Coastal Engineering Department alongside colleagues such as Rey Roque, Duane Ellifritt, Ron Cook, Ashish Mehta, Peter Sheng, Bob Dean and others who shaped ESSIE’s identity. Chick was part of the senior cohort whose presence anchored the department,” said Prevatt.
“His contributions extended well beyond teaching and research. Together with his peers, he was part of the soul of the department—its culture, its memory and its sense of purpose,” added Prevatt.
ESSIE Interim Director of the Engineering School of Sustainable Infrastructure & Environment Kurt Gurley, Ph.D., is well aware of Glagola’s legacy and dedication to the school.
“He was very kind and welcoming to me when I started here, and I will miss his generous and independent spirit,” Gurley recalled.
Read Glagola’s obituary in The Gainesville Sun.