Otto Wheeley earned the bachelor of science in chemical engineering in 1943, after which he began a career at Koppers Company Inc., leaving it as its deputy chairman in 1984. At Koppers he also served as a development troubleshooter; district manager; sales manager; marketing manager and vice president; and senior vice president for marketing, long-range planning, and acquisition. In 1978 he founded a venture activity within Koppers (Kopvenco) and served as its president and chairman. He returned to Tennessee in the 1980s and founded Venture First Associations Inc. and developed a close relationship with UT to promote the commercialization of university-developed research. In 1989 he and his wife, Kathleen, funded (through the B. Otto and Kathleen Wheeley Foundation Fund) an award that recognizes UT faculty who take a direct and active role in the commercialization process. Wheeley was named the College of Engineering’s Outstanding Alumnus in 1976 and again in 1987. In 2005 he was named the UT Volunteer of the Year. The first recipient of the Wheeley Award was Dr. R. C. Gonzales.