A few years ago, a printed picture of a heart-shaped locket quietly appeared on a student-run bulletin board. Pictured inside the locket: a headshot of longtime Case School of Engineering faculty member Jim McGuffin-Cawley (GRS ’84, metallurgy and materials science).
Students’ and colleagues’ appreciation for McGuffin-Cawley was evident well beyond the single photo; it extended across classrooms, meetings, labs and more. And he mirrored those sentiments back to all with whom he interacted.
Now, members of the campus community are mourning McGuffin-Cawley, who died last week at the age of 68. McGuffin-Cawley retired last summer after serving 33 years in many leadership roles in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, at Case School of Engineering and at the university. He previously worked at NASA and The Ohio State University.
“Jim was an outstanding leader and selfless, dedicated colleague. He possessed the unique ability to recognize people’s hidden strengths and then leverage those strengths to build a team,” said Chris Zorman, interim dean of Case School of Engineering. “I am the perfect example of this. Seven years ago, Jim took a chance in naming me interim associate dean of research. I will be forever grateful to Jim for the faith he placed in me, and I am lucky to have counted him as one of my true mentors and friends. I can only hope to measure up to his example.”
McGuffin-Cawley was a staunch advocate of others. While serving as interim dean of the engineering school, he established the “esprit de corps” award, which he gave to a faculty or staff member whose mere presence lifted those around them. Essentially, the award was a recognition for people just like him—those who bring out the best in others.
“Jim was a man of quiet impact,” said Venkataramanan “Ragu” Balakrishnan, former dean of the engineering school. “I was lucky enough to work closely with him in his role as senior associate dean and will remain grateful for his guidance in that time. As a leader, he was never driven by personal glory, but rather by a selfless dedication and spirit of service to what was right for this institution and its people. He was an accomplished scholar and educator. Moreover, he was exceptionally gracious, sincere, thoughtful, generous, and had a wonderful wry wit. He will be missed.”
When the interim dean role needed to be filled in 2017, McGuffin-Cawley was ready for the call. He stepped up again in 2021 when the university tapped him to be the interim vice president of research and technology management.
But McGuffin-Cawley’s support wasn’t limited to his titles.
As the faculty director of Sears think[box], he was gifted a specialized vinyl name plate on his office door stating he was the “pizza machine repair man”—an ode to his willingness to lend a hand, including when the pizza vending machine in the building went haywire.
“It didn’t matter how buried he was—if you needed something, he’d stop what he was doing and make himself available on the spot with no hesitation,” said Tiffany Cashon, senior director of strategic partnerships and business development, who worked with McGuffin-Cawley at Sears think[box].
McGuffin-Cawley wasn’t in it for his reputation or ego, but instead on doing what was best for the university.
“This afforded the opportunity to create opportunities for others and new capacities for parts of the university,” he said last year when reflecting on his career.
Alp Sehirlioglu, chair of the department McGuffin-Cawley once led, saw how he did that firsthand.
“Jim first of all was a very loving and caring person. I think those came before anything technical,” Sehirlioglu said.
A quiet presence, McGuffin-Cawley acted carefully and with intention. He was known to offer solutions and encourage others to see the bigger picture. This became especially important as the COVID-19 pandemic began to unfold, when he became the critical “decision-maker” at Case School of Engineering while serving in the senior associate dean role.
While he was soft spoken, Cashon said he “had a big laugh—if you could get a big laugh out of him, he filled the room. We’d all love to make him laugh.”
McGuffin-Cawley brought his friendly nature and approachability to the office each day. During the engineering school’s chili cookoff every year, McGuffin-Cawley brought his own batch, which he paired with homemade cornbread.
Outside of his work, McGuffin-Cawley was a family man, known for making birthday cakes for his granddaughters’ birthdays.
“I think he was a father figure to many of us,” said Frank Ernst, the Leonard Case Jr. Professor of Engineering in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering.
McGuffin-Cawley is survived by his wife, Wendy; children Kaelin, Matthew and Margret; stepsons Andrew and Connor Hunt; three granddaughters; and eight siblings.
Read McGuffin-Cawley’s formal obituary.
Students who would like support during this time are encouraged to contact University Health and Counseling Services at 216.368.5872. This line is staffed by a counselor 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Faculty and staff can access counseling at any time by calling AllOne Health (formerly IMPACT Solutions) at 1.800.227.6007.