James Schaub is one of the many Hokies who had their academic careers interrupted to serve in World War II. From 1943 to 1946, he was a sergeant in the infantry in the U.S. Army in Europe. After his return to the states, he received his bachelor ’s degree in civil engineering (CE) from Virginia Tech in 1948, and then proceeded to Harvard University where he earned a master ’s degree in CE in 1949.



He then worked as a soils engineer for the Oregon Highway Department from 1949 to 1952, but his career was interrupted again while he served in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from 1950 to 1951 in Korea during the Korean War. Afterwards, he worked as a laboratory director for Palmer & Baker, Inc., and then returned to Blacksburg, where he was an assistant professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at Virginia Tech.



There was still a lot he wanted to learn, so Mr. Schaub decided to pursue a doctorate at Purdue University. He graduated in 1960 with a Ph.D. in CE. He truly enjoyed teaching, and so he embarked on his long and rewarding career in academia. From 1960 to 1967 he served as a professor and Chairman of the CE Department at West Virginia University, where he became Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Programs in the College of Engineering. In 1969 he joined the University of Florida as a professor and Chairman of the CE Department until 1987. He was named The CE Department’s Distinguished Service Professor in 1984.



He has also combined his sincere interest in the humanities and in ethics into his work. He became involved in the humanities because engineering involves and affects so many aspects of our lives. While chairman of the CE Department at the University of Florida, he developed several courses in the humanities, including History of Technology; Engineering Professionalism and Ethics; Humanities and Engineering; and Literature, Science and Technology. The ethics course was required for engineering students; the others were electives.



Dr. Schaub has also become a well-respected scholar in the humanities. He was awarded the Edwin P. Conquest Chair in the Humanities at Virginia Military Institute in the spring of 1986, and in the spring of 1988 he was a visiting professor in the philosophy department at Swarthmore College. He has also co-authored two textbooks, Engineering and the Humanities and Engineering Professionalism and Ethics, and has given numerous lectures and written several papers dealing with  the humanities.



In his long and productive career, Dr. Schaub has garnered many honors. He is the 1986 recipient of the W.H. Wisely American Civil Engineer Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). In 1987 he received the Eminent Career Award for the College of Engineering from the University of Florida. He is a 1987 recipient of the Engineer of the Year Award from the North Central Chapter of the Florida Engineering Society, which also awarded him the Outstanding Service to the Engineering Profession Award in 1978 and in 1980. In 1974 Dr. Schaub received the Engineer of the Year Award from the Florida section of ASCE.



He has been an active member of the ASCE, serving on a number of professional activity committees. He is a past president of the West Virginia section and the Gainesville branch, Florida section of ASCE. He was named an ASCE Fellow in 1960 and a Life Member in 1990. He was active in the American Public Works Association, serving as president of the Florida chapter from 1982-83 and national director-at-large from 1983 to 1989. He is also a member of the Virginia Tech College of Engineering’s Committee of 100.



Coincidentally, three previous Via Department Distinguished Alumni recipients are Dr. Schaub’s former students: Samuel Tignor, Charles Hughes and Max Sproles, all from the class of 1958.



James Schaub and his wife live in Gainesville, Florida. In his spare time he likes walking, reading and playing the flute.