Trinity Remembers John Plapp

John E. Plapp, Ph.D., professor emeritus of engineering science, passed away in February, just a week before his 95th birthday.

Plapp became a member of Trinity University's Department of Engineering Science in 1968. He joined Herb Treat, Ph.D., also a new hire, to support the mechanical engineering specialty for the University's Engineering Science Program. Prior to this time, courses in mechanical engineering were covered by adjunct faculty from Southwest Research Institute. Plapp taught classes and laboratories in Fluid Mechanics and Thermodynamics. He retired from Trinity in 1988 but remained close to campus until his passing.

Plapp grew up in El Paso, Texas. He studied mechanical engineering at the Rice Institute and California Institute of Technology, earning his doctorate in 1957. After graduation, he returned to Rice as an assistant professor and taught courses in fluid mechanics and other mechanical engineering-related topics. During this time, Plapp wrote a textbook, Engineering Fluid Mechanics, which was published by Prentice-Hall in 1968.
Plapp's retirement hobbies included welding, computers, amateur radio, and fixing anything mechanical. As a younger man, he enjoyed the outdoors. His summer vacations included visiting his parents in the Colorado Rockies. He was an avid and accomplished fly fisherman.

Plapp was a devout Christian and a member of the First Baptist Church of San Antonio.

John Plapp's obituary was contributed by H. William "Bill" Collins Jr. '69, Ph.D., professor emeritus of engineering science at Trinity University.