Fairfield School of Engineering honors Sikorsky's Eugene Buckley | Press Releases

Eugene Buckley, chairman and chief executive officer of Sikorsky Aircraft, was recently honored with the first Lifetime Achievement Award presented by the School of Engineering at Fairfield University.

Rev. Aloysius P. Kelley, S.J., president of Fairfield University, praised Eugene Buckley for his commitment to education "that has inspired hundreds of employees to look within themselves and seek to become more through higher education."

Mr. Buckley accepted the award on behalf of Sikorsky Aircraft, paying tribute to the many employees who have made Sikorsky an international success.

Fairfield University, which merged with BEI in 1994, used the occasion to open its year-long observance of 75 years of dedication to the mission of engineering, which began with the founding of the Bridgeport Engineering Institute in 1924.

Dr. Evangelos Hadjimichael, dean of the School of Engineering, commended BEI for its many years of offering quality education to area residents, giving them the opportunity to gain an engineering degree on a part-time basis while also working. He said, "Fairfield University is now proudly carrying on and expanding this mission through new undergraduate and graduate programs, and by establishing strong ties with the community of industry and business." Within the last year the School has launched master degree programs in the Management of Technology and Software Engineering.

Mr. Buckley joined Sikorsky Aircraft, a division of United Technologies Corporation, in 1976, advancing to vice president of the Black Hawk program. He moved on to increased responsibilities as executive vice president in areas such as program management, research and engineering, material procurement and composite business development. In 1987 he was named president and under his leadership Sikorsky developed the Global S-92 Helibus Aircraft and the Boeing Sikorsky Comanche Helicopter. He was appointed Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Sikorsky Aircraft last October.

Also on the program were John Phelan, president of Fletcher Thompson, who noted that Mr. Buckley "is recognized as Sikorsky's #1 salesman," and Lieutenant Governor Jodi Rell, who offered her congratulations and praised the School of Engineering and its students for their contributions to the State of Connecticut.