A chemical engineer’s road comes full circle back to Aggieland

From a junior college classroom in Corpus Christi to an industrial site in Al Jubail, Saudi Arabia, Robert “Jim” Fugitt ’70 has lived a vibrant life full of adventure. His career as a chemical engineer has spanned decades and continents. Now, he’s giving back to the Aggie engineering family by establishing the Maggie and Jim Fugitt ’70 Chemical Engineering Endowed Scholarship.

Hindsight from the quieter life

The path of life is never straight, but looking back on his journey, every hurdle Fugitt faced posed a similar choice: take on the challenge or remain comfortable. His accomplishments in his career and life are a testament to his decisions.

Since 2002, he and his wife Maggie have lived a slow life in Park City, Utah — a change of pace after moving 11 times in their first nine years of marriage. Despite the years and miles between them and Aggieland, the Fugitts hope they can send some needed support to a future chemical engineer’s education.

“We’re glad that there will be a student or two we can help,” Fugitt said. “If they do it right, they’ll have the career of a lifetime.”

From student to soldier

Fugitt earned his first degree in business from Texas A&M University-Kingsville, formerly known as Texas Arts and Industries. There, he supported his education by joining the ROTC program.

“My mom pinned second lieutenant bars on me the night I graduated,” Fugitt said.

He became a signal officer in the U.S. Army before moving to Fort Dix, N.J. to teach at the counterinsurgency school for the Six Special Forces. Then, Fugitt went to jump school in Fort Benning, Ga. with the 82nd Airborne. Afterwards, he was transferred to the 41st Combat Air Signal Battalion in Fort Lewis, Wash.

A fork in the road

When his contract in the Army came to an end, Fugitt faced a difficult decision.

“I had a good time with the Army, and they kept trying to get me to stay, but I just had a feeling that there was something that I needed to do,” Fugitt said.

He left the Army and went to work in the business department at Celanese Chemical Company in Bay City, Texas, where his technical skills eventually led to a transfer to the engineering department. By the mid-60s, as the Vietnam War escalated, Fugitt was contributing to engineering projects despite his lack of a degree. As a veteran, he wasn’t in danger of being drafted. He was comfortable, but he came to another fork in the road.

“My boss told me that I was going to be limited in the things I could do, since I had a non-tech degree working in engineering,” Fugitt said. “I probably would never do a major project, and I would be limited in size to the projects I could do. They were paying me well, but I wasn’t satisfied, and that’s when I made the decision to go back to school.”

The Fugitts then moved to Aggieland, where he earned his second bachelor’s degree, this time in chemical engineering. After three years of hard work, he was among the 13 graduates of the chemical engineering Class of 1970.

“It’s a privilege, and you don’t want to let your school down when you get out in the real world,” Fugitt said. “That was something I was always conscious of; everyone knew I was an Aggie.”

An Aggie in action

Fugitt took his skills around the world, continuing to embrace challenges and take on projects he felt passionate about. After a 36-year career, he retired in 1996. Throughout the next decade, he contributed to projects and worked as a consultant. Even 58 years later, Fugitt remembers the burden of supporting yourself through an engineering degree.

“When you have to worry about money all the time, you can’t concentrate,” Fugitt said. “The schoolwork is very hard, and students need help. We’re willing, and fortunate enough, to be able to do it.”

The Fugitt’s have established the Maggie and Jim Fugitt ’70 Chemical Engineering Endowed Scholarship to help Aggie engineering students in their own journey. With their help, a chemical engineering student can start their adventure for the rest of their life.