Engine professor who wanted higher CAFE standards dies

Dr. Phil Myers, a highly influential internal combustion engineer and a beloved teacher to hundreds of automotive students, recently passed away at his home in Middleton, Wisconsin. He was 90 years old. Dr. Phil Myers co-founded the influential Engine Research Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison with Professor Otto Uyehara in 1946. A conscientious objector during WWII, Myers was the first non-industry president of the Society of Automotive Engineers. As a member of the National Academy of Engineering in 1973, he served on the committees that recommended the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards. According to his obituary on the ERC Web site, Myers was convinced that mileage standards "should be and could be raised." He owned first- and second-generation models of the Toyota Prius. A few years ago, Myers and wife Jean gave $1 million to the University of Wisconsin to benefit mechanical engineering studies. Services will be Nov. 3.
[Source: Energy Research Center/University of Wisconsin-Madison]