Norman Hackerman, 95; led Rice and University of Texas

Norman Hackerman, 95, a chemist who served as president of both the University of Texas and Rice University, died June 16 at a hospital in Temple, Texas, the universities announced without giving a cause of death.

He joined Texas at its Austin campus as an assistant professor in 1945 and rose through the ranks, serving as president from 1967 to 1970.

He then moved to Houston, where he led Rice from 1970 to 1985. Then he returned to the University of Texas as a professor emeritus and taught chemistry until a few weeks before his death.

A recipient of the National Medal of Science, Hackerman developed equipment to homogenize milk and was an expert on metal corrosion.

Born in Baltimore in 1912, Hackerman got a bachelor’s degree and a doctorate in chemistry from Johns Hopkins University. He taught chemistry at Loyola College in Baltimore and the Virginia Polytechnic Institute before joining the Manhattan Project to help build a nuclear bomb during World War II.

At Texas, Hackerman helped build the school’s reputation and research budget. He created a computer science program and increased the campus’ libraries while presiding over an era of political turmoil related to the Vietnam War.

At Rice, Hackerman helped stabilize the financially struggling institution and presided over the opening of a graduate school of management, a music school and the reorganization of other parts of the campus. Officials said the university’s endowment increased fourfold during his tenure.