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Mary Frances Lewis, family and friends have established this scholarship in honor of William E. Lewis to mark his retirement from ASU after more than 42 years as a professor and administrator. During Lewis’ early studies at Johns Hopkins University, he received a four-year Maryland State Senatorial Scholarship that covered half of his Hopkins tuition. Yet, as a young married student, finances were strained. Fortunately, Westinghouse presented him with another scholarship that covered the other half of his tutition during his senior year. It is Professor Lewis’ and his family’s hope that other students will be helped by this scholarship.

Professor Lewis, fondly referred to as “Bill,” was awarded a Maryland State Senatorial Scholarship to Johns Hopkins University where he enrolled to study engineering. In June 1962, he received his Bachelor of Engineering Science degree from Johns Hopkins and was awarded a National Defense Education Act Fellowship for graduate work at Northwestern University. Lewis received his master’s degree from Northwestern in 1964 and his PhD from Northwestern in 1966. While at Northwestern, he served as a part-time instructor teaching statistics in the school of engineering and realizing teaching was the rewarding career he was seeking. In December 1965, Lewis chose to accept his offer of employment as assistant professor in the Industrial Engineering Department at Arizona State University. He said at the time, “that of all the offers he had in hand, though ASU being the lowest financial offer, the best future opportunity in education rested with ASU.”

During the ensuing years at ASU, he became an associate professor then a tenured full professor. He served when called upon for administrative duties and worked diligently in several roles from founding chair of the Computer Science Department in Engineering to assistant dean of the College of Engineering. As emeritus professor of Engineering of Computer Science and Engineering at ASU, it is his desire to maintain contact with the students and provide insight and assistance as called upon by his colleagues. Dr. Lewis and his wife recognize the difference it makes when there is caring and support for students at ASU as they seek to educate themselves for the future.