Tulsa chemical engineer and business leader Wayne B. Rumley (BS ’60) began his education in a one-room schoolhouse in Flint Creek, Oklahoma, and he learned early in life to rely on a strong work ethic and diehard determination to reach his goals. After graduating from Kansas High School (OK), he matriculated at The University of Tulsa and worked 60 hours a week as a post office clerk to cover his tuition and living expenses.
Rumley initially enrolled in the business college but found he could not ignore his interests in math and engineering. He changed his major and became one of the first 16 students to earn a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering degree from TU in 1960. Rumley studied under some of TU’s most well-known engineering faculty of the era, including Ralph Kaufmann, Ralph Veatch, Paul Buthod, E.A. Howard, and Arthur Meehan — sound mentors for Rumley when the demands of a full-time job weighed heavily on his course schedule.
When he graduated from TU, Wayne bought a suit and a plane ticket and flew to Houston, determined to find a good job in his field. He received six offers and accepted the lowest salary, confident that he would get the right experience at the company he chose. He launched his career at Champlin Oil Refinery in Enid, Oklahoma, as a junior processing engineer. He then moved to Beaumont, Texas, for the enhanced opportunity of being a design engineer position with Alco Products.
In 1962, he and his family, including children Wayna, Sharon, Wayne II, and Warren, returned to Tulsa for his work and to be close to his mother, who had been diagnosed with terminal cancer. He worked for Western Supply Company, but his entrepreneurial spirit was growing. Rumley’s late wife, Barbara, saved many of his paychecks, as well as her own, for two years to support the launch of his first company, Air Cooled Exchangers. Wayne was pleasantly surprised to learn that Barbara already had the money that was needed to start the enterprise in 1964.
In 1968, Rumley founded R&R Engineering Co., Inc. and gave up his salary for six months to secure the company’s financial wellbeing. The company flourished as a leading expert in the engineering, design, and fabrication of air-cooled heat exchangers for the chemical, petrochemical, and natural gas transmission industries. The enterprise thrived for 55 years with Wayne at the helm as CEO and founder.
In addition to his career interests, Wayne became an avid collector of art and artifacts related to Native Americans and the American West. He supported Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa and the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, serving in volunteer board positions at both institutions and financially supporting their missions.
Rumley continued to cherish his TU experience as one of the most enlightening times of his life, and he generously supported his alma mater in many ways, including by establishing three important endowment funds: The Barbara Joan Rumley Memorial Fellowship Fund (established in 1978 in memory of his first wife to support students aspiring to become special education teachers), The Wayne B. Rumley Endowed Scholarship in Chemical Engineering (2001), and The Wayne B. Rumley Endowed Chair in Chemical Engineering (2012).
Wayne also generously shared his time and talent by serving for many years on the Chemical Engineering Advisory Board. His wife, Andrea, supported his efforts to strengthen his alma mater through the years.
Wayne’s daughter, Wayna, also graduated from TU. She was named TU Outstanding Senior in 1978, when she earned a BA in zoology. She went on to earn a doctoral degree.
The University of Tulsa recognized Mr. Rumley’s outstanding career accomplishments in the field of chemical engineering, including his founding and ownership of R&R Engineering, by inducting him into the College of Engineering and Natural Sciences (now known as the College of Engineering and Computer Science) Hall of Fame in 2004 and by naming him a TU Distinguished Alumnus in 2015.
Wayne Rumley passed away in 2023. The University of Tulsa family remains deeply grateful to this accomplished and devoted alumnus, who hoped to strengthen educational opportunities for those following in his steps at his alma mater.
