In Memoriam: Robert F. Vokes

Robert F. Vokes, a TAPPI Fellow and founding member and charter president of the Syracuse Pulp and Paper Foundation (SPPF), passed away May 18, at 99 years of age. Memorial services will be held at 2 p.m. this Saturday, May 31, at the chapel at Belle Meade in Southern Pines, N.C., USA. Interment will be in the Daysville Cemetery, Port Ontario, N.Y. 

Vokes graduated from Syracuse University College of Environmental Science and Forestry in 1938, and in 1960 created the SPPF to provide industrial and personal financial support of scholarships for outstanding students. He had a long, distinguished career with the Black Clawson Co., where he was instrumental in the development of the Hydrapulper, the Vokes Rotor, and several other pieces of process equipment for paper production and waste recovery. He was a skilled engineer who was also involved in marketing, production, and management. When he retired in 1974, he co-currently held the positions of group VP, managing director of Black Clawson International, and managing director of Black Clawson France. After retirement, Vokes embraced a second career as an adjunct professor at North Carolina State University, Raleigh, N.C.

Among the first paper industry executives to recognize the importance of management education for young engineers, Vokes developed a special course at N.C. State called "The Making of a Manager." This was an all-inclusive look at general and corporate management where professional experts were invited to give the class lectures. This model of management education has been widely copied by other academic institutions and industrial societies.

Vokes dedicated considerable time and effort to mentoring young people and the SPPF. Because he was a founding member and charter president, the goals of the SPPF closely match his own. The Foundations’ mission is to provide scholarships as a means of attracting highly talented young people to the Paper Science and Paper Engineering curriculum. In turn, this benefits the industry by providing a steady stream of well-trained, work-ready engineers. The SPPF has distributed nearly $3 million in scholarships to undergraduates. The endowment fund that Vokes helped to secure has grown to $3.5 million, assuring that scholarships will be available to educate students well into the future. He was an active director at SPPF for 25 continuous years.   

Volks is survived by his wife, Florence M. Wells-Vokes; son, Douglas Vokes, of West Linn, Ore.; daughter, Cynthia Brand, of Milford, Conn.; four grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and step-grandchildren and step-great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Thelma Shaw Vokes. Memorial contributions may be made to Brownson Memorial Presbyterian Church, 330 S. May St., Southern Pines, N.C. 28387, or to a favorite charity.