A pair of men, originally from the Salina area, are honored by Kansas State University for professional success in their careers.
Charles Wilson–an Abilene High School graduate–is named to the Carl R. Ice College of Engineering Hall of Fame. Wilson is one of only two inductees in to the Hall of Fame this year. Meanwhile, Mark Troutfetter–a Southeast of Saline High School graduate–is one of 10 K-State engineering alumni recognized for his career accomplishments.
Charles Wilson, San Diego, Calif., graduated from K-State with bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in mechanical engineering in 1962, 1964 and 1972, respectively. With a distinguished career as a nuclear engineer, he is currently a senior scientist with Leidos Inc. where he holds several clearances for work on classified nuclear programs. In his more than 45 years in the nuclear weapons field, he has worked on related projects for the U.S. Defense Nuclear Agency, Defense Threat-Reduction Agency and three national laboratories: Los Alamos, Lawrence Livermore and Sandia. A designer and radiation environment calculator for all scatter stations on U.S. Defense Nuclear Agency X-ray effects tests, he has also been a compiler, author and technical editor for numerous nuclear weapons handbooks. A member of the KSU Foundation board of trustees since 1999, he has established, in the name of his father, the Charles E. Wilson Scholarship for Dickinson County, Kansas, students; endowed a study room in the rebuilt Hale Library following the 2018 fire; and established a fund for upgrades to the nuclear reactor facility at K-State. He is a 1958 graduate of Abilene High School, Abilene, Kan.
Induction to the hall is the highest honor bestowed on its alumni by the college. Honorees are recognized for their professional success and accomplishment, involvement with and support of the College of Engineering, dedication to K-State, and professional and public service.
Mark Troutfetter, Austin, Tex., is a 2006 graduate of Kansas State University in computer engineering. He began his career in Austin at National Instruments, a global leader in automated test and measurement systems. Starting out in applications engineering, he moved into research and development managing various hardware and software products. He was active in recruiting at K-State for National Instruments during his tenure with the company. In 2013 he left to help found Pristine, a company focused on building software for Smart Glasses. Pristine was acquired by Upskill in Washington, D.C., in 2017, where Troutfetter served as vice president of engineering focused on bringing augmented reality to the industrial workforce. In 2020 he moved to Welltok, a total well-being-focused consumer activation company, where he currently serves as senior vice president of product development and oversees all software engineering efforts, including architecture, prioritization, execution, quality assurance, release management and general support. He is a graduate of Southeast of Saline High School, Gypsum, Kan.
Recipients of the college’s Professional Progress Award were nominated by their respective department heads and confirmed by Matt O’Keefe, dean of engineering.
