Obituary for Raj Khera
Raj Pal Khera, Ph.D., 86, of Livingston (formerly of Freehold), passed away at his home on January 9, 2022.
He was pre-deceased by his parents, Dharampal and Dharamwati (nee Varma) Khera, siblings, Inder Khera and Shanta (nee Khera) Batra and sister-in-laws, Neeta and Sylvia Khera.
Surviving is his beloved wife of 57 years, Astrid Khera (nee Szallies); devoted children, Kamni Marsh (nee Khera) of Essex Fells, NJ and her husband Ron and Navin Khera of Stockholm, Sweden and his wife Elisabeth; cherished grandchildren, Megan of Roseland, NJ and her husband Travis New, Kelsy, Liam, Elina, Korinne, Ludvig, Reilly and Sonny; dear brother, Satyapal Khera of Rockville, Maryland. Also surviving are a host of nieces, nephews, extended relatives, and friends.
Born in Jhang, India and raised in Rohtak, India, he lived for a year in Germany before settling in the USA in 1961.
He received his Civil Engineering Diploma from Nagpur University in 1955 in Nagpur, Maharashtra, India, his Masters Degree in Civil Engineering from Ohio State in 1962 in Columbus, Ohio and his Doctorate Degree from Northwestern University in 1967 in Evanston, Illinois.
Professor Khera joined the New Jersey Institute of Technology’s Civil and Environmental Engineering Department in 1966 as an Assistant Professor. He was later promoted to Associate Professor and Professor in 1969 and 1980, respectively. He retired in 2013 and was subsequently appointed Professor Emeritus in 2014. Professor Khera, a fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers, had a distinguished career in the field of geotechnical engineering. He published the first textbook on the Geotechnology of Waste Management in 1990, co-authored with Issa S. Oweis, as well as its second edition, published in 1998. He was co-Principal Investigator on a National Science Foundation MRI grant that established one of the first geo-environmental engineering laboratories in the nation. He developed the Civil and Environmental Engineering Soil Mechanics Laboratory with NSF funding among many other achievements.
He was responsible for teaching numerous Civil Engineering Undergraduate and Graduate courses at NJIT and loved the challenge of developing new engineers. He received numerous awards and honors in the civil engineering/soil mechanics field. He designed and supervised the construction of the Prudential Tower’s foundation in Boston, Mass. Over the years, he held summer consulting positions in Chicago, New York, Munich, Berlin, Salzgitter, West Caldwell and Raritan. He was the Commissioner of the Freehold Township Environmental Commission from 1980-1992 and a member of the Lone Pine (Superfund Site) Technical Review Committee from 1983-1991 as well as a member of the Manasquan Valley Regional Environmental Planning Council from 1994-1998.
He loved being around his children and grandchildren. His interests included: hiking locally and globally (especially in the Alps), bicycling, and spending time in the outdoors. He and his wife Astrid were avid cruise enthusiasts, averaging 3 per year, cruising regularly to the Caribbean, as well as on cruises to Alaska, Antarctica, European Rivers, Thailand, the Mediterranean and the Panama Canal. They took annual trips to Sweden to visit their son (and celebrate the Fourth of July) followed by a few weeks in Europe. He had a lifelong passion for learning.
Funeral services will be limited to direct family members due to the pandemic. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the NJIT student scholarship fund in his name. For on-line donations, at https://njit-connect.njit.edu/givenow (select "Annual Fund" as the designation and note “Professor Raj P. Khera Student Scholarship Fund” in the comments section) or by Check, payable to “NJIT” with a memo as Raj P. Khera Geotechnical Engineering Scholarship. Checks may be mailed to: Raj P. Khera Geotechnical Engineering Scholarship, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology, University Heights, Newark, NJ, 07102.
He was pre-deceased by his parents, Dharampal and Dharamwati (nee Varma) Khera, siblings, Inder Khera and Shanta (nee Khera) Batra and sister-in-laws, Neeta and Sylvia Khera.
Surviving is his beloved wife of 57 years, Astrid Khera (nee Szallies); devoted children, Kamni Marsh (nee Khera) of Essex Fells, NJ and her husband Ron and Navin Khera of Stockholm, Sweden and his wife Elisabeth; cherished grandchildren, Megan of Roseland, NJ and her husband Travis New, Kelsy, Liam, Elina, Korinne, Ludvig, Reilly and Sonny; dear brother, Satyapal Khera of Rockville, Maryland. Also surviving are a host of nieces, nephews, extended relatives, and friends.
Born in Jhang, India and raised in Rohtak, India, he lived for a year in Germany before settling in the USA in 1961.
He received his Civil Engineering Diploma from Nagpur University in 1955 in Nagpur, Maharashtra, India, his Masters Degree in Civil Engineering from Ohio State in 1962 in Columbus, Ohio and his Doctorate Degree from Northwestern University in 1967 in Evanston, Illinois.
Professor Khera joined the New Jersey Institute of Technology’s Civil and Environmental Engineering Department in 1966 as an Assistant Professor. He was later promoted to Associate Professor and Professor in 1969 and 1980, respectively. He retired in 2013 and was subsequently appointed Professor Emeritus in 2014. Professor Khera, a fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers, had a distinguished career in the field of geotechnical engineering. He published the first textbook on the Geotechnology of Waste Management in 1990, co-authored with Issa S. Oweis, as well as its second edition, published in 1998. He was co-Principal Investigator on a National Science Foundation MRI grant that established one of the first geo-environmental engineering laboratories in the nation. He developed the Civil and Environmental Engineering Soil Mechanics Laboratory with NSF funding among many other achievements.
He was responsible for teaching numerous Civil Engineering Undergraduate and Graduate courses at NJIT and loved the challenge of developing new engineers. He received numerous awards and honors in the civil engineering/soil mechanics field. He designed and supervised the construction of the Prudential Tower’s foundation in Boston, Mass. Over the years, he held summer consulting positions in Chicago, New York, Munich, Berlin, Salzgitter, West Caldwell and Raritan. He was the Commissioner of the Freehold Township Environmental Commission from 1980-1992 and a member of the Lone Pine (Superfund Site) Technical Review Committee from 1983-1991 as well as a member of the Manasquan Valley Regional Environmental Planning Council from 1994-1998.
He loved being around his children and grandchildren. His interests included: hiking locally and globally (especially in the Alps), bicycling, and spending time in the outdoors. He and his wife Astrid were avid cruise enthusiasts, averaging 3 per year, cruising regularly to the Caribbean, as well as on cruises to Alaska, Antarctica, European Rivers, Thailand, the Mediterranean and the Panama Canal. They took annual trips to Sweden to visit their son (and celebrate the Fourth of July) followed by a few weeks in Europe. He had a lifelong passion for learning.
Funeral services will be limited to direct family members due to the pandemic. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the NJIT student scholarship fund in his name. For on-line donations, at https://njit-connect.njit.edu/givenow (select "Annual Fund" as the designation and note “Professor Raj P. Khera Student Scholarship Fund” in the comments section) or by Check, payable to “NJIT” with a memo as Raj P. Khera Geotechnical Engineering Scholarship. Checks may be mailed to: Raj P. Khera Geotechnical Engineering Scholarship, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology, University Heights, Newark, NJ, 07102.