Drawing upon a Bachelor of Science in metallurgical engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology in 1964, Walter H. Hornberger is a distinguished former engineer who accrued 50 years of experience in his field prior to his retirement in 2001. Most recently serving United Dominion Industries as the director of quality assurance of the Weil-McLain Division from 1993 to 2001, where he was recognized for implementing the ISO 9000, he previously served as a quality control manager for Wells Electronics and for the National Standard Company’s Forged Products Division. Earlier in his career, he was a heat treat manager and plant metallurgist for Rockwell International, a research and plant metallurgist at National Standard Company, and a melt shop metallurgist for International Harvester-Wisconsin Steel. Prior to achieving his bachelor’s degree, he was a metallographic technician for Acme Steel.
Early in his life, Mr. Hornberger grew up in the South Side of Chicago, where he lived among numerous steel mills and witnessed the blossoming of the industrial age. When he was 16 years old, he decided to delve into metallurgical engineering, recalling that he notably followed the example of his grandfather, who excelled as the superintendent of the blast furnaces at U.S. Steel Southworks in the early 1900s. While attending night school towards his bachelor’s degree, Mr. Hornberger worked in the same blast furnaces in the early 1960s.
As a testament to his success, Mr. Hornberger earned the Engineer of the Year Award from the National Society of Professional Engineers in 1985. Although his career has been filled with highlights, he is especially proud of the role he played at Rockwell International, as it was there where he learned the fundamentals of metallurgical engineering that formed the foundation of his future success.
Mr. Hornberger maintains membership with the National Society of Professional Engineers, for whom he served as president of the Blossomland chapter in 1984. He is a past chairman of the Notre Dame chapter of ASM International and past president of the board of directors of the NS Credit Union. He also maintains affiliation with the Masons, Shriners and Moose International.