Dr. Steven Fenves (BS 57, MS 58, PhD 61) a three-time CEE alumnus and former CEE professor, passed away on December 23, 2025. He was 94 years old.
Dr. Fenves led an extraordinary life marked by perseverance, courage, and in later years, deep dedication to his family and craft as a civil engineer. Born in Subotica, Yugoslavia in 1931, his early life was upended by Axis invasion at the beginning of World War II. After enduring incredible hardships during the war, he came to the United States and attended the University of Illinois, earning his bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees in civil engineering. This marked the beginning of his storied career in research and education.
Dr. Fenves was an early pioneer in the use of computers for structural engineering and is perhaps best known for his development of civil engineering applications for computers and in problem-oriented programming languages. He is additionally recognized for his role as the co-developer of STRESS, one of the earliest computer-aided structural analysis systems.
In recognition of these significant contributions to the field, he was inducted as a member of the National Academy of Engineering in 1976.
While on faculty at Illinois, Dr. Fenves taught courses in the design of engineering information systems and computer methods in civil engineering. He left the department in 1972 to continue his academic career at Carnegie Mellon University, where he remained on faculty until his retirement.
Dr. Fenves received The Grainger College of Engineering Alumni Award for Distinguished Service award in 1984 and the Civil & Environmental Engineering Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award in 1991. In 2019, the Civil and Environmental Engineering Alumni Association additionally honored him with the Distinguished Faculty Award, which recognizes CEE’s most accomplished faculty for their outstanding contributions to the department, to the education of its students, and to the pursuit of knowledge and the betterment of society through research.
During his adult life, Dr. Fenves volunteered at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, where he shared his story and harrowing experience of life during the war. An account of his incredible life can be read here.
Dr. Fenves will be deeply missed by the CEE family.