The legendary Samuel “Sam” D. Hakes was an engineer’s engineer. He also was a UW professor and 21-year dean whose contributions to UW and to engineering were immeasurable.

“For some of us, he was the dean of the college during our days as students, and for all of us who knew him, he was a professor, a mentor, and a friend,” wrote the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences National Advisory Board in a letter to his family after his passing in 2002.

A decorated Korean War Navy veteran, the future Dr. Hakes earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering at UW as well as his Ph.D. from the University of Iowa. He joined UW in 1958 as an electrical engineering instructor, and he was the first director of the UW Computer Center. He served as a professor from 1969 until his retirement in 1996. The year he became dean, he was named Outstanding Faculty Member, and he received the Tau Beta Pi Wyoming Eminent Engineer Award in 1996 and the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences Distinguished Service Award in 2025.

Hakes was not the “Ivory Tower type.” His down-to-earth teaching style was described by former students as practical, creative, and thought-provoking—he wanted his engineers to hit the ground running. In a 1990 dean’s address, Hakes wrote, “I often jokingly note that I was born in 1930 B.C. (Before Computers), and I am overwhelmed when I think of how computing changed the way engineers have worked in the last 30 years.” In 2025, the Samuel D. Hakes, Sr. Memorial Endowment was created as a tribute to this legendary engineer and leader. The fund fosters excellence and provides financial support to the college, and it can be used to encourage innovation and cutting-edge research, to develop teaching programs and methods including hands-on learning and internships, and for outreach projects in which UW partners with industry to create more economic opportunity in Wyoming and beyond. “Through the creation of this endowment, the Hakes family is extremely grateful for the esteemed honor the University of Wyoming bestowed upon the legacy of Samuel Duncan Hakes Sr.,” says Barbara Hakes, his widow. “Support for this endowment creates a lasting impact on the university’s and college’s ability to prepare students with hands-on expertise to meet these rapidly changing needs.”