Arthur Earl Humphrey

SCARBOROUGH – Arthur Earl Humphrey, a resident of Piper Shores, Scarborough, died peacefully on March 21, 2026.

Arthur was born in Moscow, Idaho, Nov. 9, 1927. His parents were Iris Mae Rowe Humphrey and Samuel Earl Humphrey. He was predeceased by his three younger brothers, Burt, Curt and Richard.

Arthur earned a B.S. and an M.S. from The University of Idaho and a Ph.D. from Columbia University, all in chemical engineering. He later earned an M.S. in food technology at MIT. Arthur taught Biochemical Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania while serving as the Chemical Engineering Department Chair for 10 years and as Dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Science for eight years. In 1980, Arthur went to Lehigh University where he served as Provost and Academic Vice President in addition to chair of the Biotechnology Institute. He retired from Lehigh in 1992 and then served for an additional five years as chair of the Biotechnology Institute and Professor of Chemical Engineering at Penn State University, retiring for a second time in 1997.

Among his achievements, Arthur was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 1973. He served as President of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers in 1990-1991. He held Fulbright Professorships in Australia and Japan. Arthur traveled all over the world during his career lecturing on Biotechnology in 31 countries. He was appointed by President Nixon as Chair of the Industrial Microbiology Joint Committee to the USSR under Détente. He received the John Fritz Gold Medal from the Associated Engineering Societies as the Outstanding Engineer in 1997; the University of Pennsylvania Gold Medal in 1988 for distinguished service to Society; and the Asian Biotechnology Gold Medal for distinguished service to Biotechnology in 1991. He was awarded three honorary doctorate degrees from The University of Idaho, The University of Pennsylvania and Lehigh University. Arthur co-authored three books on Biochemical Engineering, published more than 250 technical papers, and served as the research advisor for 27 Ph.D. students.

Arthur was an avid hiker throughout his life and some of his interests in retirement included astronomy and square dancing.

He was predeceased by his wife, Sheila, who he was married to for 74 years.

He is survived by two daughters, Andrea Houston and Allyson Humphrey and their husbands Dan Rinks and Jim Charette, respectively. He is also survived by his grandson, Sam Dyson and his wife, Elizabeth.

In lieu of flowers please consider contributing to the Piper Shores Endowment Fund in Arthur’s memory.