Fredric C. Appl

Fredric C. Appl, 85, of Manhattan, passed away Thursday, November 15th, at Good Shepherd Hospice House. Fred was born in Mount Hope, Kansas on November 17, 1932, the son of the late Vida (Gates) and Fred C. Appl. On June 13th, 1954, he was united in marriage to Natalie Simpson at the East End Christian Church in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. At the age of four, Fred moved with his parents to Great Bend, where he attended school from kindergarten through high school, graduating in the spring of 1950. Fred studied Mechanical Engineering at the Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University), obtaining a Bachelor of Science in 1954, a Master of Science in 1956, and a Ph.D. in 1958. It was while attending Carnegie in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that Fred met Natalie. Fred and Natalie moved to Tulsa, OK in the summer of 1958, and Fred began to work as a Research Engineer for Jersey Production Research Company, conducting research in the area of oil well drilling. The couple moved to Manhattan in January of 1960, when Fred became an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Kansas State University. He obtained funding from the National Science Foundation to conduct research on the vibration of tapered plates. He continued to consult in the field of drilling research throughout his professional life. Fred taught and conducted research at KSU, achieving the rank of Full Professor in 1965. He took a leave of absence from 1965-1967 to serve as Research Manager for Christensen Diamond Products company in Salt Lake City, Utah, assisting in the development of diamond drill bit technologies. After returning to KSU in 1967, he continued teaching and conducting research specializing in machine design, vibration, mechanics of rock and metal cutting, and the performance of oil well diamond drill bits. Fred obtained additional funding from the National Science Foundation. He served as a major professor for numerous graduate students and published many papers during his engineering career. He also helped build the KSU Mechanical Engineering Senior Design course for undergraduate students to conduct projects with regional industrial partners. He held memberships in various honorary and professional societies and was listed in Who’s Who in America for years. During a sabbatical from KSU in 1973-74, Fred and his family lived in Germany, where Fred worked for Christensen and the Technical University of Hannover. Fred's work on the theoretical and experimental analysis of the fundamentals of rock cutting with diamonds and the performance of diamond drill bits was pioneering in the field. Fred was a longtime member of The First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). He contributed to numerous church committees and sang in the choir for many years. Fred was a devoted husband and father and always put family first. Fred is survived by his wife, Natalie; three daughters, Sandra L. Appl and husband Timothy Tibbetts, of Renton, WA; Charlotte A. VanSkike and husband Roger, of Hickory, NC; Cynthia L. Appl and husband Ande Parks, of Baldwin City, KS; and a brother, Franklin J. Appl and wife Velma, of Norman, OK. He has six grandchildren: William VanSkike, Sarah VanSkike, Clara Tibbetts, Lucy Tibbetts, Hannah Parks, and Henry Parks. Service will be held on Tuesday, November 20th at 10:30 AM at the Irvin-Parkview Funeral Home, 1317 W. Poyntz Ave. The family will receive friends prior to the service at 9:30 AM at the funeral home. Inurnment will follow at the Sunrise Cemetery in Manhattan. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to any of the following: First Christian Church, 115 Courthouse Plaza, Manhattan, Kansas 66502; Meadowlark Foundation in support of Bramlage House at Meadowlark, 2121 Meadowlark Road, Manhattan, KS 66502; or Homecare Hospice, 3801 Vanesta Dr., Manhattan, KS 66503. Arrangements by Irvin-Parkview Funeral Home & Cremation.