Professor Emeritus John W. Rutter (EngPhys 4T9, MMS PhD 5T2) passed away peacefully at home on June 18, 2013 at the age of 88.
Professor Rutter graduated from U of T Engineering Physics (now Engineering Science) in 1949 and subsequently completed his PhD in Metallurgical Engineering (now Materials Science & Engineering) in 1952 under the supervision of the late Professor Bruce Chalmers.
After completing a post-doctoral fellowship at U of T in 1956, Professor Rutter accepted a research and development position at General Electric in Schenectady, New York, until he returned to the University of Toronto in 1967 as a professor in the Department of Metallurgy & Materials Science. He retired in 1990 and took on the title of ‘Professor Emeritus’ but continued to conduct research and author papers until recently.
In his career, Professor Rutter made significant contributions to the understanding of solidification microstructures and was a renowned expert in lead-free eutectic soldering alloys. He mentored numerous students in his tenure at U of T Engineering, published volumes of research papers, and left long-lasting memories among those he mentored and collaborated with.
Dr. Mary Ruggiero (EngSci 7T7, MMS MASc 7T9, PhD 8T3) was one of his former graduate students. She will always remember Professor Rutter for his selfless, caring nature, his humanity and his dedication to his students.
“I was fortunate and privileged to be [one of his] students, and over time, his mentorship turned into friendship,” said Ruggiero.
“Professor Rutter was always generous with his time and expertise. Even after completing my graduate studies and working in industrial R&D, I often called on him to discuss technical issues and together, we published a number of papers on solidification of eutectic solder alloys,” she said. “It was a privilege to know him and have him as a friend for so many years and I will miss him.”
