Dave C. Swalm

1955 B.S. Chemical Engineering

Following graduation from Brookhaven, Miss., High School, Dave C. Swalm entered Mississippi State in 1951. While studying chemical engineering at the university, he was active on campus as a member of the Lambda Chi Alpha social fraternity, and Omicron Delta Kappa, Kappa Mu Epsilon, and Tau Beta Pi honor societies. Following graduation, he worked as a design engineer for Dow Chemical Corporation, as a regional manager for Sinclair Petro-chemicals Incorporated, and as a marketer for Steuber Company. He is now chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Texas Olefins Company, one of the nation's largest specialty chemical companies. He also serves in the same capacity for Texas Petrochemicals Inc., a subsidiary of Texas Olefins. Since 1988, he and his wife, Beth, who serves as president of the Swalm Foundation, have been responsible for gifts to Mississippi State in excess of $20 Million to provide support for faculty, student scholarships, and equipment purchases. Swalm is a member of the MSU Development Foundation board of directors, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, and Chemical Marketing Research Association. He was a 1990 Alumni Fellow at Mississippi State, and was selected as the university's 1992 National Alumnus of the Year. He and his wife reside in Houston, Texas, and they have four children.