Richard “Dick” Bernhard, a treasured member of the NC State community, passed away at the age of 90 on October 10, 2024, while under hospice care for dementia. His life was marked by dedication to education, philanthropy and service, leaving a lasting impact on the university and its students.
He joined NC State’s Industrial Engineering Department—now the Edward P. Fitts Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISE)—in 1969. He married his wife, Cindy, that same year. They spent their honeymoon in Raleigh to look for an apartment near NC State’s campus. Cindy was a homemaker during their nearly 50-year marriage, and their common bond was their love and dedication to their three children and four grandchildren. During that same period, Bernhard excelled in teaching engineering economics, financial engineering, decision theory and quantitative modeling, including as a visiting professor in Brazil, Armenia, New Zealand, and Norway.
“Dick Bernhard invested many years of his life at NC State, where he educated students for decades, contributed to new knowledge and impacted his community,” said Julie Swann, department head of ISE. Bernhard’s passion for teaching earned him numerous accolades, including the C.A. Anderson Outstanding Faculty Award in 1994 and the National Engineering Economy Teaching Excellence Award from the American Society for Engineering Education in 2012. Although he officially retired in 2011, he continued to teach a graduate-level course each fall until 2019.
Bernhard’s service to the university went beyond the classroom. He served multiple terms on the Faculty Senate, the College of Engineering Executive Committee and the University Library Committee. His contributions to the NC State Libraries were significant, including playing a role in the hiring of Susan Nutter, a legendary director, and his lifelong commitment to the Friends of the Library. In recognition of his efforts, he was awarded the NC State Libraries Faculty Award in 2004.
“Dick was great at remembering students, and they also remembered him,” Swann noted. “He would regularly receive emails or cards from alumni who had Dr. Bernhard for class and who he had influenced in ways that continued after their time at NC State.” She added, “Dick would also advocate for individual students, especially if he identified someone with a lot of potential who could be supported for even higher success. He invested his time as well as his talent in students and in NC State.”
Bernhard’s generosity was a reflection of the values instilled by his parents. His philanthropic efforts spanned the university, benefiting the College of Engineering, the Division of Academic and Student Affairs, and the Libraries. “He gave back to NC State with a financial gift to the department, for which we are grateful,” shared Swann. He established endowments in his children’s names, created the ISE enhancement endowment to support his department, and named group study rooms in the Hunt Library to honor his late wife, Cynthia Petersen Bernhard, and his friend and colleague, James R. Wilson IV.
A man of deep faith, Bernhard served Holy Trinity Lutheran Church for 54 years. He participated in various capacities, from church council to Meals on Wheels, and provided financial guidance as assistant treasurer. He was known for his dedication, walking to work from his home in Cameron Village (now the Village District) to NC State every day, no matter the weather, until he and his wife moved to the Cypress of Raleigh retirement community in 2010. Even then, he continued using Go Raleigh buses until he needed a walker.
Swann encouraged those who knew Bernhard to share their memories. “I encourage former students and alumni to tell us a story about Dr. Bernhard. We would love to share these stories with his family members,” she said. “I am sure that books could be written, as Dr. Bernhard had a storied career at NC State and affected thousands of students over the years.”
You may leave a short message of remembrance here at the bottom of the page.
This post was originally published in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering.
- Categories:
