Throughout his life, civil engineering alumnus Rick Merluzzi gave back to the Penn State engineering community through time, treasure and talent. Credit: Provided by the family of Rick Merluzzi.
Late Penn State engineering alum Rick Merluzzi leaves a legacy through giving
Jan 7, 2026
By Sarah Small
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State College of Engineering community mourns the loss of civil engineering alumnus Rick Merluzzi, class of 1979, who died on Oct. 27, 2025.
Throughout his life, Merluzzi gave back to the Penn State engineering community through time, treasure and talent. In particular, he and his wife, Kathryn, established the Rick and Kathryn Merluzzi Fund to support first-generation undergraduate engineering students and also provided support to students in the Engineering Leadership Development (ELD) program. He also served in advisory and mentorship roles for different programs within the College of Engineering.
“Rick played a profound role as a member of our Engineering Leadership advisory board over the last five years, encouraging cross-college collaborations, guiding the direction of our program and actively supporting our students,” said Paul Mittan, director of the ELD program and professor of practice in the College of Engineering. “He served as a mentor to our faculty and students and always managed to leave a lasting impact on the people he met. Thanks to Rick and Kathryn’s generosity, nine students have received travel scholarships for our international experiences in South Africa and Switzerland. I will greatly miss Rick’s positivity, words of wisdom and endless encouragement to take things to the next level.”
Maddalena “Lena” Recce is of those students who is a beneficiary of the travel scholarship.
“Mr. Merluzzi’s generosity is the reason I was able to join my engineering class in Switzerland,” Recce said. “With a six-class semester, I picked up a second job to pay for it, but it still wouldn’t have been possible without his support. Because of him, I experienced a week that genuinely changed me and broadened my horizons while working on a cross-cultural engineering project. I even had the chance to extend my travels and visit a friend abroad. His support didn’t just fund a trip; it gave me memories and confidence I’ll carry forever. I’m deeply grateful for the impact Mr. Merluzzi had.”
In addition to their support of ELD, the Merluzzis created a scholarship for first-generation undergraduate engineering students. This spring marked a milestone for the scholarship: Its first recipient, Matthew Hahn, graduated from Penn State in May with a bachelor’s degree in computer science.
“The Merluzzi scholarship was so impactful in relieving the financial stress that comes with being a college student,” said Hahn, who now works as a software developer analyst at Freddie Mac in McLean, Virginia. “Not only was it a major help financially, but meetings with Mr. Merluzzi helped me expand my network of Penn State's resources, set realistic goals for the future and build my confidence as an engineer coming from a small town.”
Merluzzi’s distinguished career in the global metals industry included more than four decades of experience in engineering, operations, finance and executive management across multinational corporations and privately held enterprises.
In addition to his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Penn State, Merluzzi earned an MBA in international finance from Drexel University in 1983 and took executive education graduate courses at Harvard University, Columbia University and University of Virginia Darden School.
Following graduation, Merluzzi spent seven years rising through the ranks at Mobil Oil and Mobil Chemical Company both on the engineering side and as a financial analyst. He moved to FMC Corporation in 1988, working in various management positions for some of their specialty chemical divisions. He then launched into executive positions with Edlon Inc., a plastics manufacturing company as its president for seven years. This was followed by joining Pennex Aluminum Co., a leading provider of advanced aluminum solutions, as the president and CEO for 10 years. He finished his career as president of manufacturing for three years and CEO for eight years at the Metal Exchange Corporation, followed by two years as the executive vice chairman of MX Holdings.
Merluzzi is survived by many loving friends and family members, including his wife, Kathryn, and his three sons. Beyond his family, his greatest legacy may be the lasting impact that has been made possible through his giving. In addition to his scholarships to Penn State students, he started the foundation Friends and Family Against Prostate Cancer.
Hahn, a recent graduate who was the first recipient of the scholarship for first-generation college students, summed up the magnitude of the effects of Merluzzi’s generosity.
“Mr. Merluzzi helped me realize that a Lehighton kid with big dreams should be excited to take their place in the world, so long as I never gave up and kept moving forward,” Hahn said.
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